The Shirt Fabric Guide: What to Buy, Where to Buy It, and Why Material Matters More Than You Think

The difference between a shirt that elevates your look—and one that falls flat—often comes down to a single factor: fabric. It shapes the fit. Influences structure. Dictates breathability. And, ultimately, determines how long the shirt lasts. Whether you’re buying from Zara or Zegna, the weave, weight, and composition of your shirt fabric matters just as much as the cut.

At tellar.co.uk, we’ve analysed thousands of shirts from over 1,500 brands, decoding how fabric behaves across labels. This guide dives deep into the most common shirt materials, which brands do them best (split by designer vs high street), and how to choose the right fabric for your body and wardrobe—all with fit confidence powered by Tellar’s real-time sizing engine.

Why Shirt Fabric Changes Everything

Performance Factor	Influenced By
Drape & structure	Weave and GSM
Flexibility	Fibre content
Care behaviour	Finish + fibre type
Fit perception	Stretch, shrinkage
Longevity	Fibre length, blend

For help with inconsistent sizes across brands, start with:

→ tellar.co.uk helps identify ideal proportions by height and body type.

Brand Fit Comparison: Designer vs High Street

Brand	Type	Notable Material Use	Fit Style
Reiss	High Street	Stretch cotton, twill, poplin	Slim/Tailored
Zara	High Street	Poplin, stretch, linen blends	Fitted/Varies
COS	High Street	Modal, viscose, heavy cotton	Boxy/Relaxed
Eton	Designer	Twill, poplin, stretch blends	Tailored/True
Brunello Cucinelli	Designer	Linen, Oxford, washed cotton	Relaxed Luxury
TM Lewin	High Street	Poplin, Oxford, stretch blends	Traditional
Massimo Dutti	High Street	Linen blends, cotton satins	Slim/Tapered

Common Fit Mistakes (And How Tellar Fixes Them)

❌ Buying slim fits in non-stretch fabrics with broad shoulders

❌ Assuming a Medium is consistent between Zara, COS and Eton

❌ Choosing linen without checking shrinkage percentage

❌ Ignoring collar size in stretch or modal blends

❌ Overlooking GSM—some poplins are too thin for winter

✅ Use tellar.co.uk to create a profile once and get shirt size recommendations that factor in:

Fabric stretch
Brand block patterns
Your actual shoulder/chest/waist/arm ratio

Get Your Best-Fitting Shirt—First Time

Don’t let the wrong fabric or brand sizing ruin a good shirt. With Tellar.co.uk, you can:

Get exact size matches in over 1,500 brands
Compare fits across Zara, COS, Reiss, Hugo Boss, Eton, Massimo Dutti and more
Adjust recommendations based on fabric type, layering, and occasion

✅ tellar.co.uk

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