Waving Starch Goodbye: Soft Construction Shirts

"The soft construction makes it ideal for just throwing on and not worrying too much about it looking rumpled—that's actually part of the charm"

As we’re increasingly leaving our structured dress codes behind, our clothing quickly follows suit. The days of the stiff, white collar are waning. But although they’re nearly gone, they’re pretty far from forgotten. Television shows like Peaky Blinders or Boardwalk Empire have inspired many tailors to turn toward the 1920’s for inspiration. The films and shows that romanticise this era’s fashion have led to a small rise in the popularity of the round club collar. Yet, looking at those outfits there’s one thing we don’t miss: the starched collars and cuffs. 

In the early 19th century, the detachable collar—and later cuffs and fronts, as well—was introduced. These collars were almost always white and starched. This meant that they offered a convenient way of keeping your collar looking stiff and fresh, while the rest of the shirt could be washed and treated separately. But as comfort’s popularity overtook stiffness, the detachable collar fell out of favour. Nowadays, there’s an abundance of different collars and cuffs to choose from. From the classic widespreads and cutaways to more casual options like the one-piece collar, button-down, or Cuban collar. You can even go entirely collarless, leaving only the collar band. 

"Our casual shirts are playful in both style and fabric"

We’re taking one step further by making our casual shirts with a soft construction. We want to get more mileage out of a single shirt and we’re always looking for more convenience. No ironing and wearable with both a suit or jeans. The soft construction of our casual shirts provides enough body for the collar to stand up on its own under a jacket, unlike a polo shirt’s floppy collar, while the cuffs keep it dressy enough to wear under a suit. The soft construction makes it ideal for just throwing on and not worrying too much about it looking rumpled—that’s actually part of the charm.    



Our casual shirts are playful in both style and fabric. The pop-over—the love-child of a polo and dress shirt—comes in a jersey fabric that wears like a t-shirt, but looks like a dress shirt. With white dress shirts becoming too formal, the denim shirt is often hailed as the new staple. Easy to combine and, like its trouser cousin, will only look better with age due. The knitted shirt is about the closest you can get to a dress shirt while still looking sufficiently casual to wear with just about anything else—it’s the stretch that sets it apart. We urge everyone to give them a try.