I Like a Lot of Starch in My Shirts.

July 1, 2026

Man admiring the fit and drape of his custom dress shirt in a closet mirror

What Every Man Should Know About Fine Shirting Fabrics.

What every shirtmaker wishes more clients understood about fine shirting fabrics.

I've heard that statement hundreds of times over the years.

A gentleman is selecting fabrics. He has narrowed his choices to a few beautiful shirtings. Then he says:

“I like a lot of starch in my shirts.”

I understand exactly what he means.

He likes his shirts crisp. He likes them substantial. He wants them to look freshly pressed throughout the day.

There's nothing wrong with that.

But after fitting hundreds of private clients and working with some of the finest shirting fabrics woven in Italy and Switzerland, I've learned something interesting:

The finest fabrics don't need much help.

What Starch Really Does

Starch doesn't improve cotton.

It doesn't make the fibers finer. It doesn't make the fabric higher quality.

What starch does is temporarily coat the fibers and bind them together, creating stiffness and structure.

The result is immediately noticeable.

Collars stand taller.
Cuffs feel firmer.
The shirt feels crisp and freshly pressed.

But what starch gives, it also takes away.

The same coating that creates stiffness can suppress many of the qualities that make fine shirting fabrics special in the first place.

Softness
Drape
Suppleness
Natural movement

A heavily starched luxury shirt often feels less like luxury and more like cardboard.

Close-up swatch of blue cotton broadcloth shirting fabric — Broadcloth's smooth surface creates a crisp, formal appearance. The tradeoff is that it tends to reveal wrinkles more readily than textured weaves.

Why Men Choose Fine Cloth

Nobody purchases a Thomas Mason twill because it feels rigid.

Nobody chooses Canclini because it feels like paper.

Nobody falls in love with Alumo because it lacks movement.

Quite the opposite.

These fabrics are prized because they possess qualities that cannot be manufactured in the laundry room.

The hand. The balance. The way the fabric drapes across the shoulders. The way it moves naturally with the wearer.

The subtle luxury reveals itself not in stiffness, but in comfort.

Generations of Italian and Swiss weavers have devoted themselves to achieving precisely that balance.

Their goal was never to create cloth that feels rigid.

Their goal was to create cloth that feels extraordinary.

Close-up swatch of pink cotton twill shirting fabric showing diagonal weave — The diagonal structure of twill helps distribute stress and resist creasing. Much of twill's reputation for looking good all day comes from the weave itself.

The Difference Between Structure and Stiffness

One of the great misconceptions in shirting is that stiffness and quality are somehow related.

They are not.

A quality fabric has structure without rigidity.

A quality collar maintains its shape without feeling like cardboard.

A quality shirt drapes cleanly without becoming limp.

These characteristics are built into the cloth itself through yarn selection, fabric weight, weave structure, and finishing techniques.

They cannot be added later by the dry cleaner.

Close-up swatch of light blue royal oxford shirting fabric — Royal Oxford combines texture, body, and refinement. Its weave gives the cloth natural structure without the need for excessive stiffness.

Let the Fabric Speak

Over the years I've noticed something interesting.

Many gentlemen who once requested heavy starch eventually begin asking for light starch — or none at all.

Not because they no longer appreciate a well-pressed shirt.

But because they begin to appreciate the cloth itself.

They discover the difference between artificial crispness and natural structure.

They notice how a fine twill drapes. How a Royal Oxford maintains its shape. How beautifully woven cotton develops character throughout the day.

The shirt still looks polished. It still looks refined.

But now the fabric is allowed to do what its maker intended.

A Better Approach

By all means, enjoy a freshly pressed shirt.

Enjoy a touch of starch if that's your preference.

But when you've invested in exceptional fabrics from mills such as Thomas Mason, Canclini, and Alumo, allow those fabrics the opportunity to express their finest qualities.

After all, softness is not the enemy of elegance.

Quite often, softness is its highest expression.

The finest shirts in the world are not prized because they feel stiff.

They are prized because they feel alive.

A little starch can enhance a great shirt.

Too much starch can hide the very qualities that made the shirt worth owning in the first place.

Blue broadcloth shirting fabric swatch — **From left to right:** Broadcloth, Royal Oxford, and Twill. Each weave produces a different balance of crispness, texture, drape, and wrinkle resistance. Understanding weave structure often tells you more about how a shirt will perform than thread count alone.

Light blue royal oxford shirting fabric swatch — **From left to right:** Broadcloth, Royal Oxford, and Twill. Each weave produces a different balance of crispness, texture, drape, and wrinkle resistance. Understanding weave structure often tells you more about how a shirt will perform than thread count alone.

About Liberty Shirt Co.
At Liberty Shirt Co., every shirt is handmade to individual measurements in New Jersey using exceptional fabrics sourced from the world's finest mills. Because great cloth deserves great craftsmanship.