Shirt pleats: box, side, none, etc..

I am having trouble deciding what type of dress shirt shoulder pleats to go with on a routing basis. Aesthetically, I don't care for any style over another. However, I do wonder about FUNCTION. Which type of pleat, in your opinion:

1. Allows the shirt to function best
2. Looks the best
3. Lays the best (well, this would be between the box and side pleat)

So far, I have been ordering side pleat shirts. I think they are the best engineered pleat, however I'm not sure they lay as nice as box pleats. I have always seen box pleats as more informal than side or no pleats.

I am willing to give a plain back a try, but do not want to lose any function.

This is a very OCD question, I know, but that is why we visit this forum anyway.

Best, Ligament

I am having trouble deciding what type of dress shirt shoulder pleats to go with on a routing basis. Aesthetically, I don't care for any style over another. However, I do wonder about FUNCTION. Which type of pleat, in your opinion:

1. Allows the shirt to function best
2. Looks the best
3. Lays the best (well, this would be between the box and side pleat)

So far, I have been ordering side pleat shirts. I think they are the best engineered pleat, however I'm not sure they lay as nice as box pleats. I have always seen box pleats as more informal than side or no pleats.

I am willing to give a plain back a try, but do not want to lose any function.

This is a very OCD question, I know, but that is why we visit this forum anyway.


Best, Ligament

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I believe box pleats are the least formal, and are found on shirts with button-down collars.  The few button-down collar shirts I own all have box pleats.

My RTW shirts that are the most fitted (slim), and IMO look the best, have side pleats.  For me, they allow the shirt to present a nice sihlouette, while allowing a little room if you need it.

I ordered a custom shirt from Jantzen, but specified no pleats.  I think i heard the argument here before that if you order a custom shirt, if should fit perfectly without the use of pleats.

Note: looking through my shirts, I might have to contradict what I said about button-downs having box pleats. I just found a Hilfiger and a Brooks Bros shirt, each with box pleats, and without button-down collars.

However, my Turnbull & Asser, Robert Talbott, Versace, Agnes B, some Express, Etro, and Banana Republic shirts, plus others, have side pleats. Is this any sign of quality design or tailoring?

To overgeneralize, side pleat says tailored and stylish. Box pleat says mass market merchandise.

The pleats add fullness to the back to aid in movment.

The last way to add fullness is with shirring. Tiny gathers spaced across the entire back. I think it looks great. Most people don't.

Carl

Try an inverted box pleat aka scissors pleat(box pleat turned around). This lays clean and gives extra room when needed.

I used to like side pleats. Now I like the plain back. I don't feel that there is any loss of "functionality." It is a clean look, and I think slightly easier to iron. I like a small, "fitted," borderline tight yoke. Some finer shirtmakers don't really shirr along the entire seam(on the outside). Rather, they "gather" the fabric on the inside of the seam(invisible from the outside) which joins the yoke and the back.

I have heard from a tailor that people with sloping shoulders should avoid side pleats and should instead opt for box pleats.  Any comments on that?

I used to like side pleats.  Now I like the plain back.  I don't feel that there is any loss of "functionality."  It is a clean look, and I think slightly easier to iron.  I like a small, "fitted," borderline tight yoke.  Some finer shirtmakers don't really shirr along the entire seam(on the outside).  Rather, they "gather" the fabric on the inside of the seam(invisible from the outside) which joins the yoke and the back.

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In complete agreement here.

koji

As I think about it, I suppose that side pleats will give you .25-.5 inches of extra movement...not much. Maybe I should try a plain back. And I do have very large sloping shoulders, which makes it difficult for side pleats to lay properly. Thanks for the ideas.

I'm resurrecting this thread to see if attitudes have changed much on the subject since 2004.

For about a year now I've been ordering all my MTM shirts without pleats because my wife likes the look and because I don't think I can feel any more restriction of movement than I'd feel with a pleated shirt. All the same, I've never had the opportunity to compare two shirts that are identical except for their pleating. Has anyone here done that? Either way, I'd like to hear opinions on the issue of box pleats v. side pleats v. no pleats.

I order mine with none. I aim for a super trim fit and don't feel constricted by a shirt that fits close to the skin. High arm hole is what cuts it with me, for freedom of movement, not extra material built into the back.

Functionally, nothing beats the center box pleat. It adds a lot more fullness to the back. The downside is that it also adds fullness to the waist in the back. 'Course more fullness there will help with movement as well.

In my experience at least, shoulder pleats are next to useless--the extra fabric you'd need for movement needs to come from lower down the back where they don't give you much extra. But if the shirt is cut right, they can look a lot cleaner. It also might depend on how your back is shaped. For me at least, a center pleat falls between the blades naturally, but side pleats sit on my shoulder blades and kind of stick out oddly.

Shirtmaven mentioned gathers (six years ago) or easing in the back. My Chan shirts have that done on the front shoulders and back (along with side pleats). A typical box pleat adds about 2.5-3" of ease to the back--I imagine you could get half that, maybe more, by easing the whole back without it looking like shirring. Mafoofan had an example on his old blog before he closed it off.

Originally Posted by Shirtmaven

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The pleats add fullness to the back to aid in movment.

The last way to add fullness is with shirring. Tiny gathers spaced across the entire back. I think it looks great. Most people don't.

Carl

Can anyone post pictures of what this shirring looks like on a shirt?

These photos are from Mafoofan. as you can see it's shirred/grinze along the entire back below the yoke. hope that helps

I used to always order with side pleats but out of curiosity I ordered a recent batch with flat back.