IVY B.D. Tartan

Something you might once have found in a fine haberdasher on the American East Coast: that sense of taste, brought into a present-day wardrobe as "IVY B.D.".

This model uses a tartan check flannel made in Japan.

Tartan began as a pattern of Scottish national dress and has since been taken up in country dress and punk, in high society and street culture alike.

D.C.WHITE takes the cloth up, as ever, in the context of Ivy style.

Gradations running out from clear primary colors, close to preppy, give the pattern its warmth.

The sewing is worth noting too.

The side seams, for instance, are finished at 4 mm where a casual shirt would sit at around 6 mm.

The stitch density, meaning how fine the stitches are, is 21 per 3 cm where 18 per 3 cm is the average.

Fine stitchwork like that goes unnoticed from a distance, but the precision comes through every time it is worn.

To carry the understatement D.C.WHITE stands for, refinement is placed exactly where it will not be seen, so that only the wearer knows.

The buttons are attached with a wrapped shank.

The thread joining button to cloth is bound again with thread, a classic and laborious method that adds strength.

The buttons hold through everyday dressing and undressing, and lift the whole shirt without ever drawing attention.

The back has a split yoke.

Splitting the shoulder at the center lets the shirt follow the body more naturally and improves the fit.

This is a structure particular to a proper dress shirt, easy over long hours and generous to posture and movement.

Attention of that kind came out of close communication with a specialist dress shirt factory in Japan.

Going back and forth many times over the fine points brought the finish to a level mass production cannot reach.

The silhouette is arranged for now.

A little more room through the armhole and the chest lets the ease of the present sit inside a classic form.

Nothing of the neatness is lost, and movement and relaxation come with it, so it holds up under a jacket and worn out on its own.

A B.D. shirt only D.C.WHITE would make, for anyone who recognizes not only the surface but the thinking behind it.

Material: 100% cotton

Made in Japan