The anatomy of a Turnbull & Asser shirt
If there's one brand synonymous with creating the perfect white shirt, it's one of the greatest British brands in the world, Turnbull & Asser
Words: India Gladstone
If there’s one brand synonymous with creating the perfect white shirt, it’s one of the greatest British brands there is, Turnbull & Asser. Over the course of the last 130 years, the brand had made shirts for some of the most well-known gentlemen in the world, from Prime Ministers and Princes to actors and rock stars.
Each and every shirt is made up for 33 individual pieces, plus 7 buttons on a double cuff or 13 on the barrel cuff. Each stage of manufacturing comes with a different, rigorous quality check, from the very start to the final pressing and packing stage. So, how exactly is one of these iconic shirts created?
The Turnbull & Asser collar is distinctive; it starts with a slightly wide (but not too wide) spread and has a deep, unique flair to the collar point, making it perfect to sit on top of a tie and underneath a suit jacket. Each collar is created with a woven bias cut interlining, stiffening the appearance of the material and helping maintain its shape, while keeping it incredibly comfortable for the wearer.
A collar stay helps maintain the impeccable appearance of the shirt and rather than being inserted into the collar during manufacture, each collar stay is inserted own their own by the wearer and can be removed for washing and ironing.
Turnbull & Asser hasn’t got is impeccable reputation by using cheap materials; only the finest quality Italian cloth is used, using a staple cotton from Egypt. The entirety of the cloth is examined for flaws, making sure it has been made with the right dimensions and widths. Throughout every single stage of the process, quality checks are carried out to ensure that each shirt is made with the utmost quality.
Customers have two choices for their cuff, either the ‘double’ or French cuffs (to be worn with cufflinks) or the three button ‘barrel’ that Turnbull & Asser is famed for. Each cuff serves its own purpose and both are joined to the sleeves by gathering the material, rather than the style that you’ll see on almost every other shirt where they are joint with two pleats.
Each shirt-tail is longer than the conventional shirt to ensure that it remains in place in even the most demanding situations, so there’s no need to constantly tuck-in at every turn. A small, hexagonal Turnbull & Asser poplin gusset is sewn on where the seam joined the shirt tails. This special feature was been made famous by the brand and gives each shirt increased durability.
Each button is made from the finest quality Australian ecologically sustainable mother of pearl, meeting the high quality standards of the brand. Each button has been graded and polished to give a double ring edge with four sewing holes. All buttons are attached with crossed lock stitching to prevent them becoming detached.
For more information about Turnbull & Asser, visit here.
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