Shirts for Warm Weather Wear

There’s no beating Mother Nature, Many imposters have tried…Microfiber, polynosic, supplex, tencel. Nothing succeeded. It seems more attempts have been made recently, but linen, silk, and cotton have been the standard for thousands of years. Nothing has changed, and these three fabrics are the three best options for warm weather  wear- business or casual are Linen, Silk, and Cotton.

1.       Linen

A.      History

a.       Flax has been used for 10,000 years. The remains of flax fishing nets, clothing, and unworked flax has been found in Switzerland in the ruins of Stone Age lakeside houses. Flax was also used in ancient Egypt. Nobles and the Pharaohs wore clothes of linen.  The bodies of the pharaohs were mummified in linen, and placed in the tombs of the Pyramids. The Bible refers to linen many times. Christ was wrapped in linen when placed in His tomb.

B.      Composition

a.       Linen is made from the flax plant. Flax plants grow to about 12 to 40 inches in height and have shallow taproots.  Because the stems contain the fiber, the taller varieties are used for linen production.  This makes linen lightweight, versatile, and crisp. But also wrinkled- always wrinkled. Give up on ironing linen; the wrinkles are part of its charm!

C.      Proper Wear

a.       Linen is best worn for casual occasions, although some linen/cotton blends are great with a tie for the office.  Light, pastel colors are best - pinks, light blues, whites, cream. But I’ve also seem some particularly vivid colors this season, and I think they look great. I personally believe short sleeves are best with shorts, and long sleeves with trousers.

2.       Cotton

A.      History

                                                             a.      No one knows exactly how old cotton is. Scientists searching caves in Mexico found bits of cotton bolls and pieces of cotton cloth that proved to be at least 7,000 years old. They also found that the cotton itself was much like that grown in America today. In the Indus River Valley in Pakistan, cotton was being grown, spun, and woven into cloth 3,000 years BC. At about the same time, natives of Egypt’s Nile valley were making and wearing it. Arab merchants brought cotton cloth to Europe about 800 A.D. When Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, he found it growing in the Bahamas. By 1500, cotton was known generally throughout the world. Indeed, cotton seeds are believed to have been planted in Florida in 1556 and in Virginia in 1607. By 1616, colonists were growing it along the James River in Virginia. Cotton was first spun by machinery in England in 1730. The industrial revolution in England and the invention of the cotton gin in the U.S. paved the way for the important place cotton holds in the world today.

B.      Composition

                                                             a.      Cotton is the King of all fabrics. It comes in many guises- wickable and malleable. Single ply to multi-plied yarns- baked, brushed. and blended for softness, fitness, and practicality. Cotton fabric is referred to by numbers and types of yarns- 100s, 80s, 60s, 40s, Singles, doubles 3 ply. Cotton can be spun even finer than 100s, and today usually is for a fine dress shirt. The numbers go up with threads of decreasing thickness or “denier”. Nearly limitless weaves exist- plain, twill, hopsack, poplin, and satin.  Ranging from simple to complex, lighter to heavier. Cotton is amenable to an ever-increasing number  of finishes imparting numerous properties

C.      Proper Wear

                                                             a.       Cotton is extremely versatile- suitable for both business and casual wear.  In the warmer months, the higher the dernier, the more comfortable the shirt will be. Again, light colors look best, but one will find, and should feel free to buy, brighter colors and patterns, especially for casual wear.

3.       Silk

A.      History-

                                                             a.      Silk production has a long and colorful history. A group of ribbons, threads, and woven fragments dated about 3000 BC have been found in the Zijang province of China. More recent archeological finds include a small ivory cup thought to be 6000 to 7000 years old and carved with a silkworm design depicting spinning tools, thread and fabric. Silk was carried by camel trains along the Silk Road, opened in the 2nd century BC, which stretched 4000 miles through South Asia and the Middle East. At different points along the way silk was exchanged so often that it increased its value many thousands of times until it found its way to Europe. No one knew where the Silk Road started until Marco Polo made the journey with his father and uncle along the whole route into the interior of China.

B.      Composition-

                                                             a.      There are many indigenous varieties of wild silk moths found in a number of different countries. However the key to understanding the great mystery and magic of silk and China’s domination of its production lies with one species, the blind, flightless moth, Bombyx mori. It lays 500 or more eggs in four to six days and dies soon after. The eggs are like pinpoints, one hundred of them weighs only one gram. From one ounce of eggs come about 30,000 worms which eat a ton of mulberry leaves and produce twelve pounds of raw silk during their lifetime.  Producing silk is a lengthy process and demands constant attention. To produce high quality silk, temperatures must be strictly regulated throughout the process.  The eggs must be kept at 65 degrees F, then increased to 77 degrees at which point they hatch.  Silk worms spend three or four days spinning a cocoon around them.  After eight or nine days in a warm, dry place the cocoons are steamed or baked to kill the worms or pupas. The cocoons are then dipped into hot water to loosen the tightly woven filaments in order to be spun into fine silk. The technique and process of silk processing were guarded secrets and closely controlled by Chinese authorities for literally thousands of years.  Attempts to reveal the secrets or smuggle the silkworm eggs or cocoons outside of China would be punished by death.

C.      Proper Wear

                                                             a.      - Silk is strong, durable, and luxurious. It’s rare to find a silk shirt suitable for professional wear unless you own a charter fishing boat.  The more prevalent brands to choose from currently are Gianni Viera  and Dalmine. Both labels have beautiful shirts made of authentic Chinese silk, you’ll find them quite well priced. Choose well and pick something classic that you won’t get tired of after one season.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article about summer shirts as much as I did researching and writing about them.  Enjoy your fun in the sun, and, as always, dress well.

You can find these shirts here at http://suityourself.com/Mens_Shirts.asp and http://suityourself.com/Sport_Shirts.asp and Silk Shirts Here