A few really speak to me. I like that the collar is not the ubiquitous wide spread. However, it looks like you get a very stiff interlining in the collar. Would you expound on this point?
FNB,
Is it the norm that Paris don't crossed-stitched the buttons?
I ask this because I always thought crossed stitched was a sign of good made.
Why does the collar meet the way it does? Looking at the pics, the right half of the collar seems to meet under the left half.
The buttons on my shirts from Mr. Siviglia are not cross-stitched. I think button-related issues, such as stitching technique, are minor points that are far overshadowed by more important aspects of the making of a fine shirt. Another minor thing is the grade of the mother of pearl. Good quality MOP is all that is needed, but anything more is diminishing returns.
Edit: I just looked at the buttons of an Ascot Chang shirt, which are cross-stitched, and, ironically, they are all starting to come loose. Admittedly, this shirt has been worn, and washed, many times.
In comparing the cross-stitched buttons on my AC shirt with the straight stitched buttons on my MS shirts, I prefer the latter, which I think looks cleaner and more elegant. The cross stitching on the AC shirt makes the button look somewhat bulky and the stitching overshadows the button. On my MS shirts, the button is not competing with the stitching, which is discreet, and its beauty is fully showcased. Anyway, eventually shirt buttons do and will come off.
Last edited by Marc Grayson (2006-10-08 19:37:03)
Well, you can have parallel stitched by hand and parallel stitched on a machine with the unseemly crossover thread. The Paris shirts seem to be the latter, but I cannot be sure. Anyway, I thought all good shirts had crows foot stitching
Last edited by kenperes (2006-10-08 19:47:22)
I just spoke with Sig. Siviglia's daughter, Francesca, regarding their POV on button stitching, and, FWIW, they prefer parallel stitching. No offense intended for those who like cross-stitched buttons, but Francesca says both stitching methods offer similar strength, however, aesthetically, they feel parallel stitching is "more for a man" while cross stitching is more for a child. So, in the end, it comes down to personal preference.
That purple striped shirt looks like the high neck variety that writer Tom Wolfe would wear..
These shirts are beautes!
Is twill cotton warmer on the body than the normal cotton?
Last edited by Will (2006-10-12 12:05:41)
Twill is also a less porous weave, and as such, tends to run warmer.
Button sewing:
The main concern should be whether the button was hand stitched with a single continuous length of thread crossing the fabric on the underside. This can be X or =. Even with an abrasive break in the thread the rest of the stitching holds. It takes several breaks in the thread for the button to detach. Hand sewn buttons also may have a wrapped thread "shank" beneath the button to further protect the attachment and raise the button above the fabric somewhat, as with a suit coat front button.
Machine sewn buttons, whether X or = (usually = ), are "lock" stitched by a joining of separate above the button and beneath the fabric threads via a looping process. Once the first loop breaks the entire button stitch begins to unravel, although perhaps slowly.
Hathaway uses(?)/used a three hole button and at least one Itai shirt, as does sometimes a much beloved bespoke shirt-maker on this forum. Thus a crows foot stitch on the custom artistry. With fewer holes the button center is stronger and less prone to break.