Men’s shirt pattern names – The Easiest Guide

Last Updated on 5 years by Naveen Kumar

How often have you men given importance to the patterns on the shirt you choose or wear? And how many patterns are you actually familiar with, apart from broadly classifying them as plain, striped or checked?

Here is a simple and easy guide to tell you more about the different shirt patterns for men.

What are the different shirt patterns?

Well, we know there are some men’s shirt patterns that look absolutely great but are not fit to wear to office or formals, but do you know which are which? This guide will tell you all about some of the popular patterns in men’s shirts, and which are the ones perfect for formals and casuals.

Plain or Solid

Incredibly versatile and easy to match and style, plain or solid shirts are the most common type of men’s shirts. It means the whole shirt is of the same single color excluding the buttons.

Know why they are so popular? Because of their versatility, imagine the innumerable styling options for a simple plain white or light blue shirt. Easily transformable from work to play, you can pair them with trousers, chinos, jeans and shorts.

Chalk Stripes

The name ‘chalk’ stripes came from the fact that these stripe lines resemble the lines of a tailor’s chalk. Almost two to five yarns wide, this woven stripe pattern slightly resembles a rope pattern and are much less defined than pinstripes. The width of the stripes varies but is always wider than the pinstripes.

Chalk stripes are much more conventional style pattern and has an old school charm to it. Though they were, initially, thought of as a style followed by businessmen and bankers for their suiting, today, they have evolved to be much more fashionable and casual.

Pencil Stripes

A pattern every man needs in his wardrobe, pencil stripes are thin and narrow stripes, similar to the width of lines drawn by a pencil. Wider than pinstripes but thinner than candy stripes, the width between the stripes varies from shirt to shirt. They are also called dress stripes.

Gingham

Mostly in dual colored patterns, Gingham is a check fabric where the vertical & horizontal stripes of equal width intersect to make a checkered pattern. Found in both large and small patterns, with generally larger the patterns, louder and casual it appears, making it perfect for sporty shirts to be worn with jeans or shorts. And the smaller ones are considered more appropriate for business or formal occasions.

Completely versatile, they can be worn for formal and casual occasions.

Best part?! they will look totally fine even when worn without ironing, because the pattern is capable of hiding all wrinkles and draws the attention away from any extra weight. And are perfect to be worn with almost all kinds of trousers and jeans.

Tartan

Mostly associated with Scottish, these patterns are quite commonly found on Scottish kilts. Tartan in Scotland is what is often termed ‘plaid’ in the US. Though these patterns originated in woven wool, today, they are made in so many different materials. Tartan is nothing but multiple colored vertical and horizontal bands in a criss-crossed pattern.

Tartan and plaids are a timeless and stylish addition to a man’s closet. A perfect choice for a casual day, you can dress up and dress down with it and can easily be paired with denims, chinos or shorts.

Polka Dots

Polka dots are a bold and loud pattern, consisting of an array of filled circles of the same size. The size of polka dots may differ from shirt to shirt, and is perfect to create a statement look for men.

Pulling off the polka dot style can be a bit tricky, especially for men. The size of the polka dots play quite a role in the appearance of the whole look, which means that the biggest part is choosing the polka dot size. Men who are slightly on the heavier side should ideally opt for smaller polka dots. And also remember that polka dots are quite a loud pattern, hence, it is best to keep the rest of the look neutral so as not to overpower your look.

Shepherd’s Check

A pattern similar to Gingham, with alternating colored stripes crossing each other to form a checkered pattern, set against a twill weave backdrop. The only difference being this is set against a twill background. It derived its name from the plaid design worn by shepherds in the hills of the Scottish borders.  And is a perfect formal wear pattern.