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The Story Behind Your Shirt
Larasati Oetomo
06 September 2017

“Fixing your tie when someone important comes into the room, straightening the sleeves or pulling on the cufflink, this subconsciously communicates to the person, ‘I care’. Clothes can reassure onlookers of your competence.”

-Joe Navarro, ex-FBI Agent


"What makes a good shirt?" One may wonder. Despite the immense popularity of a gentleman's shirt (thus the term "white collar"), we often miss the details that actually differ one shirt from another. Even so, it is precisely the details that stitch a really nice shirt, according to British shirtmaker Thomas Pink. These details are often subconscious, but an eloquent spokesperson in defining what makes a man.

In their video, Meet the Shirtmakers, Thomas Pink reveals the story behind every production of their collection: 1984, Imperial, and Made to Order. Pink's craftmen under Smyth and Gibson told us that the actual test of a shirt is very subtle, but it is what elevates the quality and aesthetics of a shirt.

These elements include: (1) exceptionally flat stitching, (2) buttonholes being not only of a high density but also hand-trimmed, (3) the placket of a patterned shirt being matched to the pattern on the body, (4) the way the sleeve is set perfectly into the body of a shirt, and (5) the fine fabrics used hold no tension.

For the Autumn/Winter 2017 season, Thomas Pink's business collection still goes with British traditional shirt colors of white, blue, and pink. For a more casual look, Thomas Pink proposes winter linens and cashmere blends for keeping warm. It seems to be a likely prediction that herringbone pattern accents and sea-inspired hues like blue, pale grey and pale blue will hit us hard this season.

PHOTO: Thomas Pink