• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

What are the best shirting fabrics?

pglover19

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Messages
56
Reaction score
0
Hi,

I would like to canvas the members' opinion of who the best three shirt fabric makers are. I have a few custom made shirts by a local shirtmaker, however; I am looking for the best quality fabric out there at a reasonable price. I want to purchase the fabric myself. Who in your opinion are the best?

Thanks
 

pglover19

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Messages
56
Reaction score
0
Where online or locally would I be able to buy this fabric? Additionally, how many yards does it take to make a shirt?
 

pglover19

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Messages
56
Reaction score
0

Alumo, hands down. Great quality fabric


Thanks for the quick response. Is there a certain line within Alumo to look at? Also where can I find a book that has all of their fabric? Additionally where is the best place online to purchase Alumo fabric?
 

poorsod

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2005
Messages
4,261
Reaction score
970
FYI American Sember closed last summer.
 
Last edited:

Shirtmaven

Distinguished Member
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Dec 26, 2003
Messages
3,791
Reaction score
1,005
except for acorn,Shirting mills do not sell direct to consumers. Acorn has many qualities of fabric. some good, some that are awful.

there are no distributors in the US, who sell to the consumer.
there are fabric stores that sell to the consumer, but those stores usually do not know where the fabric was woven.

the best assortment of shirting available to the consumer are at tip top, beckenstein, and mood. all are in NYC.
they will not send swatches.

does your shirtmaker not have fabrics to choose from?

does your shirtmaker make the shirts on site? or are they made at a factory somewhere else.
FYI some factories will not cut 36" fabric.

fabric yields, vary depending on the cutter/cutting system.

my cutter can cut a 15.5 x34 shirt using 1.625 yards.
the factory that makes shirts for me "wants me to send" 2.25 for the same set of measurements..

Alumo is excellent. I buy from Grandi & Rubenilli, Testa is also a favorite. I buy albini/Thomas mason through a distributor, or through the secondary market.
 

poorsod

Distinguished Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2005
Messages
4,261
Reaction score
970
Who represents Alumo in the US now? Find any interesting lengths when you went to Italy a few months back?
 
Last edited:

Shirtmaven

Distinguished Member
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Dec 26, 2003
Messages
3,791
Reaction score
1,005

Who represents Alumo in the US now? Find any interesting lengths when you went to Italy a few months back?

no rep!

there are a few shirtmakers who buy and stock their fabric.
I plan to get the swatch book from them in the near future.

sadly, the money earmarked for fabric, had to go into my new space.
I did buy some buttons, and found a great resource for printed cotton.

I also found a resource that can make bedding in shirting patterns.
very high quality.. need to gauge demand for this. not even sure of pricing, but think
sferra or frette quality.

I recently picked up about 350 assorted shirt lengths, from a factory that was closing out fabric.
lots of sport shirts. mostly Italian goods, some from Portugal. some?????? good deals on these!
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,161
Messages
10,578,984
Members
223,882
Latest member
anykadaimeni
Top