Have you ever seen a Shirt on someone that looks so elegant and beautiful?
The first thing you think, I need THAT Shirt in my life.
But that is not the reason ladies….
In your mind, you think, how YOU can look THAT elegant and beautiful in that Shirt as well.
Thus you have to know which fabrics fit the best for your body and elevate your look.
So let’s dive in!!.
How to find the best Shirt fabrics that will lift up your look.
You’ll find many Shirts made of variations of fabrics. These are categories in Natural, Semi-Synthetic and Synthetic fibres.
What is the difference between these fibres?
The so-called Natural fibres are derived from animals or plants. You can think of Cotton, Linen, Silk, Wool and so on.
So to convert wood pulp into a fibre, you need Chemicals. After the whole process, fabrics like Viscose, Bamboo Viscose, Soya, Cupro roll off the band. These fabrics are categories as semi-synthetics or as artificials.
And then we have the most popular Synthetic in the market, which is Polyester.
In this article and most of my post, I’ll always write about natural and semi-synthetic fibres.
My love lies in high-quality but also biodegradable fabrics.
The Poplin or Tabinet Cotton Shirt
Why is it called Popline?
It’s all about fibre composition generally found in Cotton or a blend of Cotton and Polyester. The weaving technique makes it call Poplin, which has a smooth and shiny outcome.
Quality (Pima) Poplin gets its sustainability out of the weaving density. This makes a Shirt or any other garment comfortable yet desirable to wear.
When you’re in a hurry, no time for ironing, pop on a Poplin Shirt. It is an easy to care fabric and also wrinkle-free.
How to Style A Poplin Shirt
A more fitted Poplin looks elegant when styling this with straight leg trousers. It’s a great option for work.
Loving this style that Victoria Beckham put together. She just takes a plain white shirt with straight black trousers, and that’s it. The monochromatic (Black & White) colours give it a pleasant and sophisticated look.
The pleats in the Shirt give it a playful, but feminine effect. Though Poplin has a little bit of a starchy texture, it has a smooth finish yet comfortable to wear.
Body shape design ideas
Overall, Poplin Shirt will do well for all body shapes.
But…….Is your body type like queen Lativa round, aka apple shape? Avoid Poplin Shirts that are too fitted at the waist. Because of the stiff texture, it won’t give this style is not suitable for you.
When tucking the Shirt in a trouser, you just emphasise the belly area more. You want to focus on the style as a whole. To create a feminine look, a little bit of a loose fit, Poplin will do best for your body shape. Don’t make it too baggy.
Rhianna, round hips smaller on top. You know you’re a triangle, aka pear. Choose Poplin Shirts with ruffles at the shoulders or more detailed orientated embellishments around the neck area. Don’t drag the attention to the hips.
Cameron Diaz is just the other way around, Inverted triangle, So what you want to avoid is the decoration at the top, shoulder, neck area. Instead, go for a Peplum or pop on a belt. Here the goal is to accentuate hips. Be aware that your Poplin is not right-angled. You want to create a slanting style when adding a belt.
Rectangles like Victoria Beckham can perfectly wear a Poplin Shirt. You can see this in the model she styles in the picture above. This Look elongates the body, especially if you’re petite like VB.
Hourglass figures should avoid bulky Shirts, and if so, add a belt to accentuate the waistline. Embrace your feminine figure; don’t hide it. For a more bold style, look at this.
A Batiste or Cambric Shirt.
If you purchase a Batiste Shirt, you’ll notice that it has a little bit of sheer.
Usually, manufacturers make this fabric of combed mercerised cotton to get that shiny effect. High-quality Batiste, you’ll find in Pima Cotton.
Batiste is a luxury fabric yet inexpensive. Nowadays, they are producing Batiste fabrics of Cotton. But in the 14th century, they were using Linen threats to create Batiste. You’ll find hardly a Batiste garment made with Linen these days.
Linen Shirts
Linen is an easy to wear fabric if you don’t mind the wrinkles. Despite the wrinkles, you’ll still look elegant in a Linen.
Last two Spring/Summers, you’ll see it more and more. It is most desirable in warm and humid climates.
For the holidays it is always suitable to have some Linen garments in your suitcase. It dries quickly after a hand wash. A significant benefit of Linen is that it reduces heat retention in warm conditions.
Silk Shirts
What can I say?
Every Lady needs at least one Silk garment in their wardrobe. So if you don’t have a Silk Shirt yet, what are you waiting for?
Get the Silk Shirt. Because it is one of the most elegant and luxurious fabrics worldwide. Its breathability property is high, and it is a strong natural fibre. You would see this fabric not only in garments but also in beddings and so on.
Silk is derived from the Bombyx Mori larvae, which live in Mulberry trees. That is why Silk is categorised under natural animal fibres. It is a very sustainable fabric and durable fabric that last long.
How To Style A Slik Shirt
Silk is a very delicate yet elegant fabric. What I like about this Chloe Silk blouse it has less going on design-wise. Like too many ruffles or embellishments.
Detailed wise is an ingenious design. The closure of the buttons should be blind. But they chose to make the buttonholes on top and added buttons underneath. These small details make a design stand out.
When added, pockets on Slik Shirts are going to hang and pull. Though Silk is a lightweight fabric, it doesn’t look flattering when the pockets weigh down the blouse. The best is to avoid (big) pockets on a silk blouse.
Keeping a Silk Shirt plain gives it a very sophisticated yet classic appearance. And even with prints like you see with Chloe’s design can still look luxurious.
The Silk Organza Shirt
These days you’ll hardly find Silk Organza garments because it is a pretty expensive material. But there are designers, especially High-End brands, that use quality textiles.
What makes Silk Organza desirable to wear is the lightweight and crisp finish it has. For the warmer seasons, Silk Organza do well; it has excellent breathability properties.
Most cheap or mid-range organzas are made from Polyester or Nylon.
At the beginning of the 18th century, Organza came from the East and introduced to Europe. The 1st producer of Silk Organza was Turkestan. China takes this over and is the largest producer and exporter of fabrics. Primarily they are producing Silk fabrics in Nylon or Polyester.
In the high-end range, you’ll find high-quality Silk Organza Shirts.
Occasionally you’ll get quality Silk Organza in the mid-range. If you want to be sure about the quality, check the Shirt label or read the garment details when shopping online.
Chiffon Shirts
Where do you find Chiffon the most is in bridal wear. Yet it works perfectly for other garments, like a sophisticated designed Shirt.
The best to style a quality Chiffon Shirt properly. Pop on a beautiful tank top or bustier underneath. It looks so elegant.
Chiffon is a semi-sheer fabric that is soft with a slightly rough texture. Silk Chiffon is, like every other fabric that I mention in this article, expensive. It’s not the fabric alone that makes it costly, but it is a laborious fabric to work with because it is so slippery. It takes more time for sewers and artisans to work on a design.
But……when you have one in your collection, you won’t regret it.
The Georgette Shirt
Georgette, named by the French dressmaker Georgette de la Plante. Georgette is more of a woven Silk crepe, which is a little more opaque. The touch is more roughly because of the highly twisted woven technique they use.
As I represent natural fibres, you need a Silk Georgette Shirt. It is a flowy, lightweight fabric that is very sexy when styled elegantly.
Quality Silk Georgette produced in Italy and Switzerland. And of course, you’ll have this in the synthetics as well, made and Exported in China.
Cupro, Cupra or Cuprammonium Shirts
All these names are for the same fabric Cupro. It is a Semi-synthetic fabric.
But there is much discussion around this fabric.
Some call it a Vegan or sustainable, conscious fabric.
But is that really the case?
How is Cupro made?
Cotton leftovers or waste, named Linters. These have to be processed with chemicals. Ammonia, Copper and Caustic Soda are needed to treat the Linters. By knowing this, what do you think? Is it sustainable?
So if you are surprised, I get it. I was when I discovered this. I have a couple of Cupro garments in my closet and even Blazers with Cupro linings.
I’m not going to lie; garments designed with this fabric are almost as desirable as Silk. That’s why they are calling this alternative Silk. It breathes well and wrinkles less.
This fabric is thermoregulating and hypoallergenic. If you have sensitive skin, like me, it does a great job.
Loving my Blazers with Cupro linings, but after doing my research. Read sewport and the CFDA I am definitely going to rethink my buys.
Conclusion
There are lots of fabrics ideas to purchase a Shirt in. It all depends on how you want to style your Shirts blouses.
Are you the person who likes the more starchy textures, or do you prefer a flowy Shirt?
Or do you like the more romantic, sometimes bold but elegant sheer? Maybe you don’t like sheer but a thicker texture to cover things up.
And it may also be that you prefer all the variations that are suitable for different occasions.
With these fabric variations? Which of the fabrics are your favourite to see yourself in.