Fabrics for Men’s and Boy’s Wear

Men’s clothing includes garments such as suits, topcoats, cover coats, jackets, and slacks. Boy’s clothing includes suits, topcoats, overcoats, jackets, and raincoats. With the emergence of fashion as selling force, there are more divisions of men’s and boy’s section in department and specialty stores.

Apparel Fabrics for Men’s and Boy’s Wear

Men’s wear may be classified as:

• Men’s clothing and
• Men’s furnishings.

A similar division may be made for boy’s wear. Work clothing is often treated as a separate classification.Men’s and boy’s furnishings are composed of similar articles, the chief of which are shirts, sleepwear, underwear, hosiery, robes, ties, handkerchiefs, belts, suspenders, garters, muffles and scarf, sweaters and bathing suits. Men’s jewelry (non-textile) such as cufflinks, studs, tie clips and stick pins, are also commonly included in the classification.

Shirts

The shirt may be classified according to the occasion for which they are worn:

1. 1. Dress (tailored garments worn with a necktie for business, street, and semi-formal wear)
   2. Work
   3. Sports and
   4. Formal

Dress shirts are usually all white, solid colored or stripped. For work shirts, khaki, dark blue or blacked are common colors. Sports shirts may be white, solid colored, plaids, stripes or checks. Men’s dress shirts size run 14 to 17 (neckband measurements). Men who cannot wear standard sizes should buy custom-made shirts. Sleeve lengths come in sizes 32 to 36. Boy’s sizes run 3,4,5,6, and 8,10,12,14,16,18,20. Sleeve lengths are usually identified as long or short.

All cotton or polyester and cotton blends are commonly used for shirting. Best quality fabric for the shirt is produced from 2 x 2 combed cotton of a count of 144 x 76, mercerized, and shrinkage controlled. Poorer grades may have the following weakness: 2 x 1 (two-ply warp and single filling) or single carded yarns in both warp and filling; a count as low as 100 x 56; little or no mercerization.

Work shirts for utility wear are made of sturdy fabrics, such as mercerized cotton twill, polished cotton, a blend of 65% Dacron polyester and 35% cotton poplin, blends of 17%nylon and 83% cotton twill, all cotton chino 65% Dacron polyester and 35% combed cotton gabardine, all-cotton denim, and all-cotton drill. The emphasis in selecting work shirts should be suitability rather than style. For comfort shirts usually have long tails that stay tucked in sleeves may be long or short, and sizes are based on the neckband.

Although sports shirts vary in style, a common feature is that they are made to be worn without a tie. They may or may not have a collar and may have either short or long sleeves. Since sports shirts are intended for active sports and for casual wear, a comfortable easy to care for fabric is suitable. In general, sport shirt fabrics are classified as knitted or woven.

Shirts for formal wear are usually pleated or plain, with a starched or soft bosom depending on the current mode. Fabrics include pique, broadcloth, silk or synthetic fibered crepe, and blends. The durability of a shirt is determined by the grade of fabric(judged according to the quality of the fibers, yarns, weaves, and finishing processes).

Ease of laundering is also a factor in durability. Single cuffed shirts are easier to iron than those with double cuffed, but the latter are usually more durable.Price is often a major consideration in selecting a shirt. Men’s consider the factors of color and collar style first. For the women, however, collar style and price were the first consideration in buying a man’s shirt.

Sweaters

Many customers are interested in style when they buy a sweater. The two classic styles for men as well as women are the pullover, which pulls over the head generally has no buttons but may have short zippers, and the cardian, which fastens down the front, generally which buttons or a zipper. The pullover with sleeves is more popular than the sleeveless variety, although the latter is often preferred under jackets or coats.

Necklines of the pullover may be V-shaped, round, boat turtle or crew. Sizes are 36 to 46. The cardian may be made with or without a shawl collar and two lower pockets.Sweaters are made in smooth and in bulky, shaggy-hairy, and nubbed textures. The former is more comfortable under a jacket, whereas the latter is particularly suited to sportswear. Sweaters are made of all wool or all cashmere, all cotton, 100% 01 Orlon Acrilan acrylic texture nylon, and blends of 75% wool and 25% mohair.

Underwear

Garments sold in men’s and the boy’s underwear departments include T-shirt, undershirts, drawers, shorts, briefs, and union suits (knitted one-piece garments with sleeves and legs in varying lengths).

The most popular style in underwear for man and boys are undershirts or T-shirts and shorts or briefs. Although union suits, shirts, and drawers are stapled items in the underwear department, they are usually purchased by the older man who lives in a climate of cold winters.For underwear, the factor of comfort is very important. Probably the most comfortable underwear is made of a knitted fabric because it gives knit underwear with movements of the body. It is especially suitable for athletics.

Since cotton absorbs perspiration better than silk, rayon or nylon, many men prefer cotton for underwear in all climates. Both woolen and worsted yarns can be used in knit underwear. The woolen fabric is soft and pliable and makes a good napped or fleecy surface. Worsted yarn is smooth and lustrous and makes a fine, even, smooth knitted structure.

Wool knitted underwear is very warm ventilates the skin. It keeps the body warmth in winter and cools in summer; fits the body smoothly without binding and is easily washed and needs no ironing.

Rayon and nylon yarns, which are often used in combination with another textile to give it luster, may be used alone in lightweight underwear. These yarns, incidentally, are most attractive in white and pastel shades. 100% nylon knitted underwear, although it is very strong and quick drying, does not absorb perspiration.

Rayon underwear is inexpensive, is very cool in summer and in good grades, washes and wears well.Laundry is an important factor in underwear. Both wash-and wears cotton and the noncellulose synthetics are easy to care for and require little or no pressing.

The synthetics have the added advantages of drying quickly, but some men say that their fibers feel clammy because they do not have the absorptive quality of cotton.

Hosiery

Men want socks to fit well and above all to wear well. A comfortable sock is soft, fits smoothly over the instep, ankle, and the heel does not pinch the toes, does not slip or roll down, and is smooth on the sole of the foot. There are two main styles in men’s socks:

1. Dress for streetwear and
2. Socks for sport

Each style comes in lengths that vary from just below the knee to just above the ankle.The sock for street wear, which is more conservative than the sports type, usually comes in solid colors in stockinet or rib knit.Sports socks may be described as:

1. Crew (bulky rib-knit white fabric with elastic top, or white socks with or without blazer stripes at the top)
2. Argyle, with the familiar Jacquard plaid pattern
3. Novelty, with varied designs and colors, and
4. Thermal, for winter made of stretch nylon outside (lined with 50% HerculonOlefin/ 50% cotton), or 80% worsted wool/20% stretch nylon.

A blend of heavyweight cotton 90% and 10% nylon, 70% nylon 30% cotton inside for comfort or 100% stretch nylon wear well. Bulky Orlon acrylic blends that feel woolly and shrink – resistant are suitable for sportswear. Also, a 50% lamb’s wool and 50%nylon blends and 80% wool and 20% stretch nylon are appropriate.Tops of socks are frequently made of spandex yarn in rib knit.

Sleep Wear

Just as men seek comfort in underwear they also want comfort in the sleeping garment. If a garment feels smooth and soft, it is easy to put on and take off, and if it has a full cut and smooth seems, it will generally prove comfortable. Probably the next most important consideration in sleepwear is durability which includes launderability.

Shrinkage of less than 5% considered satisfactory. The durable press is a valued selling point. For some men, the appearance of the garment is more important than comfort or durability. In such cases, decoration, trimming, or quality of workmanship is noticed.Pajamas generally include a coat – style or pullover (middy) top and trousers.

Small children often wear the same style as grown-ups or they may wear one piece; sometimes with feet attached. The separate coat is buttoned down the front, whereas the pullover needs no front closing.