Dress Shirt Essentials: Back Pleat Options

Collar, Cuffs, Buttons - prerequisites on a dress shirt. While the option to have a pocket and style of a placket is elements depend on personal choice.

Have you ever thought of pleats on a dress shirt, yes, pleats? Akin to pocket and placket, pleats are a matter of individual choice and the level of formality one prefers. However, back pleats have been in vogue for a long-long time. Back pleat gives you a bit of excess material to help increase your comfort of movement at the shoulders and back. Although back pleat has a downside, pleat adds a volume of material at the waist. The added volume robs you from achieving a slim fit, a trend at the moment.

Let's understand the types. Dress shirts usually have three back pleat options: no pleats, rear side pleats, or the center box pleat.

No Pleats - No pleats on the back gives the shirt a clean and minimal look. If you choose a modern, slim look, fitted through the chest and midsection, no pleat is the best choice.

Rear Side Pleats - Rear side pleats, also known as “knife pleats,” are placed below the yoke (a piece of fabric that runs across the tops of shirt shoulders) at the end of the shoulders. Each pleat is 0.5” wide. Rear side pleats add 2″ of additional fabric to the upper back of the shirt while the yoke and chest width remain the same. Rear side pleats are a good option if the range of reaching forward is more.

Center Box Pleat - A classic design and a more casual option. Normally seen on button-downs or similar styled shirts. Each side of the pleat adds 0.75” to the upper back of the shirt, and a total of 3″, to increase the range for stretching forward. Speaking about styling, center box pleat is not recommended for slim-fitting dress shirts owing to its classic or conservative design.

The above are three back pleat options for a dress shirt. If you choose formal and perfect fitting, go for side pleats or a perfect fit so you do not need a pleat at all. For a casual shirt or a workday dress shirt, a box pleat will suffice. Finally, at the end of the day, a shirt should be comfortable, fit perfectly and not limit your movements.

This document has been edited with the instant web content composer. The online instant HTML converter make a great resource that will help you a lot in your work. Save this link or add it to your bookmarks.