Shirts and blouses

The Kent collarⁱ is the timeless business standard with a medium spread and works with and without a tie - the safe choice for sales, consulting and every standard corporate role. The button-down collarⁱ with buttons at the collar tips comes from the American college scene, feels more relaxed and is ideal for sales without a tie and for start-up contexts. The cutaway collarⁱ with a wide spread is the more formal choice for executives, reception and representative roles - it suits wide tie knots particularly well. The stand-up (grandad) collar dispenses with the fold entirely and looks modern and pared-back - popular in hospitality and design-savvy industries. Rule of thumb: if you're unsure, pick Kent - the widest range of use with the lowest risk of getting it wrong.

Regular Fitⁱ is the safe choice for mixed team orders and all body types. Straight cut with ample freedom of movement in the torso, nobody feels restricted and the return rate stays low. Slim Fitⁱ looks body-conscious, more modern and tidier – the choice for reception, consulting and younger sales teams where every wearer can be measured up beforehand. For women's teams we specifically recommend Tailored Fitⁱ or genuine women's blouses with darts – Unisexⁱ cuts rarely sit cleanly on women. For master craftsmen, service staff and heavier builds, Comfort Fitⁱ is the right choice with extra room for bending and reaching. For Slim Fit shirts we always recommend an individual try-on per wearer before series ordering – the tolerance between two sizes is significantly smaller than with Regular.

Non-Iron or iron-free denotes Cottonⁱ shirts with a chemical finish that lets the fabric come out of the washing machine crease-free. After the spin cycle the shirt is hung straight onto the hanger and can be worn without further ironing. The brands Seidensticker, Marvelis and Russell Collection are the established suppliers in the Non-Iron segment. The premium over classic Cotton shirts is usually three to eight pounds per unit and pays for itself in time savings within weeks – above all for travelling sales teams, uniform programmes with many wearers and everyone unwilling to invest in ironing. Important: Non-Iron shirts do not belong in the tumble dryer (the finish suffers) and should be washed at 40 °C.

100 percent Cottonⁱ delivers the most natural hand and the best colour depth – ideal for executives, premium sales and non-iron programmes, but requires ironing effort without a finish. 65/35 polyester-cotton and 55/45 cotton-polyester are the easy-care business classics: hardly crease, dry quickly, survive industrial washing at 60 degrees and are the standard for uniform programmes, hospitality and hotels. 97/3 cotton-elastane stretch is the modern choice for slim-fit business – provides freedom of movement during a long office day and does not pull when sitting. 70/30 cotton-polyester is the Oxford classic – denser fabric with a visible structure, ideal for casual business-casual and button-down versions.

The classic position is the left chest, combined with the embroidered company logo – roughly 8 to 10 centimetres motif size, discreet and long-lasting. Embroidery always looks more premium than print on business shirts and is the standard choice for corporate, sales and all representative roles. Back print is common with service personnel in hospitality and security services (position, company name, trade marking) – works best on poly-cotton blend and denser weaves. On non-iron treated shirts, please absolutely test before embroidering: some chemical finishes react with embroidery threads or change the embroidery look after the first wash. Cuff and collar embroidery is possible but more expensive and only makes sense on selected models with suitable construction.

The most important difference lies in the button placketⁱ: in women's fashion, blouses classically button from the right (from the wearer's perspective), men's shirts button from the left. On women's blouses you'll also more often find bust and back darts for a body-hugging silhouette, narrower shoulders, a shorter body length and adjusted sleeve widths. Women's shirts in the narrower sense are more likely to be unisexⁱ cuts with feminine adjustments (size range, possibly shorter body) but do without darts and feel more sporty-professional. For corporate reception and business women we recommend genuine blouses with a tailored fitⁱ - for service staff and uniform programmes with women and men, women's shirts in unisex cut are often the more pragmatic choice.

Seidensticker with 31 models is the business classic in the range - a German heritage brand with a broad non-iron programme, the standard for sales teams and executives. SOL'S with 30 models provides the broad value-for-money base for corporate and service staff, with a solid stretch poplinⁱ line. Russell Athletic Collection and Russell Collection (40 models between them) are the corporate uniform specialists focused on non-iron and women's blouses. Kustom Kit (17 models) covers Oxford, slim fitⁱ and pilot shirts for security services. Marvelis (10 models) is the second German business brand with a focus on non-iron and modern fit. For hospitality, Tee Jays and Henbury are also essentials; for outdoor use, Craghoppers Expert with UV and insect protection. As a rule of thumb: business and sales - Seidensticker or Marvelis. Uniform and service - SOL'S or Kustom Kit. Women's corporate blouses - Russell Collection or Daiber.

Classic cottonⁱ shirts tolerate 40-degree machine washing with a fine-fabric detergent, without softener (which coats the fibre and damages the non-iron finish). After spinning, hang non-iron shirts directly on the hanger, pull them into shape and air-dry – not in the tumble dryer, which destroys the finish. Poly-Cotton blends and Superwash-finished shirts for hospitality and uniforms are usually 60-degree capable and industrial-laundry-friendly. Before washing, do up all buttons and stand the collar up – this best preserves the shape. Iron classic shirts at medium temperature, damp or with steam, collar and cuffs first. For stain pre-treatment never rub the finish, but dab the stain remover on precisely. Refresh white shirts occasionally with oxygen bleach – no chlorine, which attacks the finish and seams.