Our bespoke corduroy shirts are made from a soft light weight 21 wale (number of cords per inch) corduroy. This fabric can be referred to as a Needlcord as its wale count is at the upper end of the spectrum (above 16). This makes it perfect for creating shirts.
Corduroy is a textile with a distinct pattern, a “cord” or wale. Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel (bare to the base fabric) between the tufts. Corduroy is, in essence, a ridged form of velvet. Corduroy is made by weaving extra sets of fibre into the base fabric to form vertical ridges called wales. The wales are built so that clear lines can be seen when they are cut into pile.
The width of the cord is commonly referred to as the size of the “wale” (i.e. the number of ridges per inch). The lower the “wale” number, the thicker the width of the wale (e.g., 4-wale is much thicker than 11-wale). Corduroy’s wale count per inch can vary from 1.5 to 21, although the traditional standard falls somewhere between 10 and 12. Wide wale is more commonly used in trousers while medium, narrow, and fine wale fabrics are usually found in garments worn above the waist.
However, if your on the lookout for a shirt which offers a similar silhouette but coffers a more heavyweight feels due to the composition of materials in use, then the Brushed Cotton Shirt could be an ideal choice.
Order online to receive an in depth self measurement and design guide, which we are able to help with over video, phone, WhatsApp etc.
Alternatively please use this link to book in for an appointment at our Barrington Ayre Cirencester Showroom, or make use of our visiting tailor service.