The art of shirtmaking.

Shank buttons, fleur-de-lis mounting: a firmer hold.

Buttons on a shank

- a hand-made shank makes buttoning easier and holds the button firmly.

Fleur-de-lis mounting

- known as Zampa di Gallina, the mark of a hand-made shirt, for added strength.

Full, hand-embroidered; cuffs close with links.

Full, hand-embroidered buttonholes

- they give the shirt its luxurious look.

Cuff buttoning

- a button hand-sewn to the side lets the cuff close with a button or with cufflinks.

Split and cut on the bias: give and comfort.

Split, cut on the bias

- more give in the fabric, so more comfort.

Hand-set

- the same length of fabric inside and out, a precision no machine reaches.

Rolled: the bottom topstitch nearly invisible.

The rolled hem

- the bottom topstitch becomes almost invisible; the narrower the hem, the finer the work. Rolled entirely by hand on hand-made shirts.

Twin needle, seams offset under the arm.

Twin-needle side seams

- with the highest stitch count per centimetre.

Offset seams

- under the arm the joint is offset: a smaller armhole, more comfort, a discreet mark of quality.

Hand-stitched sides and shoulder

- on hand-made versions.

Hand-set and pleated: flat seam, even fabric.

Hand-set, hand-sewn sleeves

- the fabric spreads evenly and the seam lies as flat as possible.

Hand-pleated cuffs

- the fabric gathers better around the wrist than on a standard three-pleat sleeve.

Reinforcing gusset, hand-set collar, gathered back.

The gusset

- a reinforcing patch at the foot of the side seams, against tearing.

Hand-set collar

- positioned exactly against the body of the shirt.

Inner button band, gauntlet stop stitch, gathered back

- the stitching stays discreet and the fabric spreads evenly.