Women’s business shirts come in many different fabrics and blends; so many, in fact, that it is easy to get lost in the options when comparing one against another.
It is important to keep in mind that all fabrics are not created equal, especially when it comes to those used to produce formal shirts for women.
Quality, durability, and price vary widely and along with that also how the shirt is going to look and feel.
Cotton is the most popular material for women’s business shirts because it is the most breathable, durable, and comfortable fabric. Also, the strength of cotton fibers makes the fabric amenable to a variety of weave styles and thread counts.
Cotton is regarded as the standard in the clothing and garments industry. Other fabrics are usually compared to cotton and they always come up short.
Women’s business shirts made from high-quality 100% cotton are soft to the touch and extremely comfortable to wear. There are certain metrics that help define whether the fabric will live up to the high quality and performance that you expect from it.
One of the most important characteristics is ply or, in other words, how many yarns are twisted together to make a single thread.
Dress shirt fabrics are mostly single-ply or two-ply. Two-ply means that two yarns are twisted together to make a single thread that is then woven into the fabric. Two-ply fabrics are generally superior to single-ply ones.
Another important characteristic is the thread count. The higher the thread count, the silkier and smoother the fabric usually is.
Even if the same cotton is used for the fabric, the thread count makes a huge difference and results in a finer, softer, smoother, and more luxurious fabric.
Thread count is expressed as a number (e.g. 50s, 70s, 120s, 180s, etc.) and indicates the size of the yarns in the fabric. At dress shirt retailers who pride themselves on quality, the thread count normally starts at 100-120.
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