Marcella shirt

[HappyStroller]

Well, the single stud "Marcella" shirt was collected about a fortnight or so ago, but due to lack of energy, couldn't be bothered to try it plus take photos which I believed I promised someone on this thread. I've taken some shots, but patience, I need just a little more energy to transfer those shots to a website which will allow reference from this forum.

First, the shirtmaker did not use the original Marcella cloth. Apparently, the word Marcella is a particular name for this type of cloth in the books of Thomas Mason (or Mahon?). The shirt that came used an alternative pique of virtually the same (sized) diamond shape pattern, but I feel I should have been told beforehand that the original Marcella stock had run out. Well, what a bloody fussy customer am I not?

Second, the stud ended up too low on the chest. I had initially decided on a 6 inch separation between the collar button and the stud, but the lady in charge called after a week to propose that it be lowered because she was afraid the shirt would open up between the stud and the button below it. So the stud was lowered so that its vertical separation was 8 1/2 inches from both the neck button and the button below it. Both of us had forgotten to take into account the presence of the cummerbund. If we had, the six inch separation would have worked perfectly, plus the cummerbund would have helped keep the shirt opening flat. Count it due to lack of experience plus because the shirt is M-T-M, not bespoke. So my next order should do the trick.

Third, I decided to install a placket since someone had called that kind of front a black tie front; which made it sound more suitable for a Tuxedo shirt. Manton had mentioned it was difficult for his stud to go through a placket Marcella front. However, the black onxy set in gold stud had a separation of 3/8 inches (4 mm.) which worked with the placket front.

Fourth, due to negligence, I failed to bring along the actual dinner jacket and single striped pants (plus cummerbund) which I would be using with the shirt for the measurements. I wished I had, just to make sure the sleeves were cut the right length to suit the jacket.

Fifth, the width of the pique bib panel was specified to be 9 inches. That turned out quite OK, though I should have first checked for the actual distance between my front braces. In any case, the front of dinner jacket did not open up too much to reveal those braces and there was virtually no separation between brances and bib panel.

Sixth, the rear corners of the French cuffs when folded were rounded; again, apparently another feature someone had mentioned differentiated the cuffs of a semi-formal shirt from those of the single cuff formal shirt.

Seventh, after all the roundness of cuff corner and placket front, I was wondering whether to go for the French collar (similar to a pointed spread collar, but with its points rounded), but decided that might be too much for a semi-formal. So the semi-spread remained the choice.

So, folks, the pics for my pique collar, pique bosom, pique cuffs semi-formal shirt should be coming real soon to this thread.

[HappyStroller]

Dear Rudolf, your wish is granted. Sorry for letting you wait so long.

I apologise for my badly tied bowtie as I have not mastered the required intricacies involved in tying the knot.

Dinner jacket buttoned up:


Dinner jacket with cummerbund:


Dinner jacket without cummerbund:


Other shirt details:


Lower front buttons:


Stud in left stud hole:


Stud type:


Stud thickness:

I suppose the original black tie dress shirt used by the English princes was simply the same formal shirt used for white tie at the beginning of the 20th Century.

This is exactly the case.They used the same stiff fronted shirt in the 1920s/30s for white AND black tie. The shape of the front bib was determined by the cut of the vest - many 1920s Dinner Suits vests resembled their white tie counterparts in cut (four buttons to make a quite high gorge). If you were picky in those days, you would look for the shape of the single starched cuffs: rounded edges for black, straight (or barrel) for white tie, I very much admire the looks of those dinner attires which to me are more attractive than the later (Edward VIII.) versions with a fold-down collar and an unstarched marcella front.
English shirtmakers in the 1930s offered pique, marcella, slightly striped and plain linen fronts (all starched) for their 'dress shirts' (I don't think they made the difference between semi-formal and formal). Those shirts came in 1 and 2 stud varieties, 2 stud being the more common version in England (as I have explained).
To chose a french cuff for a semi-spred fold-down collar is absolutely correct. The single stud bib I would like to see once you wear it without being heavily starched (which I think inappropriate because of the collar/double cuff) and a low-gorge vest.