Most dress shirt guides focus on collar styles and cuff options. Nobody talks about fabric weight.
That's a mistake. The weight of your shirt affects how it drapes, how it feels against your skin, how it photographs on video calls, and whether you're comfortable in your climate.
GSM—grams per square meter—is how fabric weight is measured. For dress shirts, it matters more than most people realize.
What GSM Actually Means
GSM tells you how much fabric is packed into each square meter. Higher number = heavier fabric.
For context:
- Lightweight dress shirts: 100-150 GSM (thin, see-through risk)
- Standard dress shirts: 150-180 GSM (most off-the-rack shirts)
- Premium dress shirts: 180-200 GSM (substantial hand feel)
- Heavy shirting: 200+ GSM (oxford cloth, casual shirts)
Most cheap dress shirts run 120-150 GSM. They feel flimsy. They wrinkle immediately. They show your undershirt through the fabric.
Quality dress shirts start around 170 GSM. The fabric has body. It drapes properly. It looks like clothing, not tissue paper.
180gsm: The Year-Round Standard
Our Italian Cotton collection runs 180 GSM. Here's what that means in practice:
Feel: Medium weight. Substantial enough to drape cleanly, light enough for four-season wear. No stiffness, no flimsiness.
Opacity: Fully opaque in white and light colors. No undershirt showing through. No nipple visibility. (Yes, this matters. Cheap shirts fail this test constantly.)
Wrinkle behavior: Resists casual wrinkling. Will crease if you ball it up, but holds shape through a normal workday.
Climate: Works everywhere. Cool enough for summer with AC, substantial enough for cooler months under a blazer.
Best for:
- Daily rotation shirts
- Year-round wardrobes
- People who want one weight that works everywhere
- First custom shirt orders (proven, versatile)
This is the workhorse weight. 14 styles—plains, herringbone, twill, dobby textures, subtle stripes. Foundation pieces that work with everything.
$115 per shirt. Draft fitting included.
190gsm Silky Finish: The Statement Weight
Our Premium Cotton collection runs 190 GSM with a silky finish. The extra 10 GSM doesn't sound like much. You feel it immediately.
Feel: Noticeably more substantial. The silky finish adds smoothness without shine. Feels expensive because it is.
Drape: Heavier fabric hangs better. Less prone to bunching or riding up. Stays tucked more reliably.
Structure: Holds collar shape better. Crisper lines. Photographs exceptionally well—the weight catches light differently than lighter fabrics.
Wrinkle behavior: More resistant than 180 GSM. The extra weight and finish help the fabric recover from compression.
Climate consideration: Slightly warmer. Ideal for climate-controlled environments. May feel heavy in outdoor summer heat.
Best for:
- Statement patterns (bengal stripes, windowpane, bold checks)
- Client-facing roles where appearance is currency
- Video calls and photography (the weight reads as quality on camera)
- People who run cold or work in AC year-round
- Anyone who's worn premium shirting before and wants that hand feel
Extensive pattern variety—bengal stripes, windowpane, candy stripes, gingham, plaid, pinstripe, tattersall, chambray, graph checks, and more. Shirts that get noticed.
$120 per shirt. Draft fitting included.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | 180gsm Italian Cotton | 190gsm Premium Cotton |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Medium | Medium-heavy |
| Finish | Standard premium | Silky |
| Feel | Clean, versatile | Substantial, luxe |
| Best climate | All seasons | AC / cooler weather |
| Pattern focus | Solids, subtle textures | Bold patterns, stripes |
| Price | $115 | $120 |
| Draft fitting | Included | Included |
The $5 difference reflects the fabric finish and sourcing, not a quality gap. Both are Italian cotton. Both get the same construction. Both include draft fitting.
How to Choose
Start with 180gsm if:
- This is your first custom shirt order
- You need versatile year-round shirts
- You prefer subtle patterns or solid colors
- You're building a foundation wardrobe
- You live somewhere with hot summers and no AC
Go with 190gsm if:
- You want statement patterns
- You've worn premium shirts before and want that weight
- You work in climate-controlled environments
- Video presence matters for your work
- You're adding variety to an existing shirt collection
Or get both. Your pattern is stored after the first draft fitting. Reordering in either weight is seamless—same fit, different fabric.
The Fit Matters More Than the Weight
Here's the truth: a perfectly fitted 150 GSM shirt looks better than a poorly fitted 200 GSM shirt.
Weight enhances a good fit. It can't save a bad one.
That's why both collections include draft fitting. Test garment first. Adjustments made. Then your Italian cotton is cut.
A 180 GSM shirt that fits your body precisely will outperform any off-the-rack "premium" shirt with wrong proportions. Weight is the second decision. Fit is the first.
The Bottom Line
180gsm Italian Cotton ($115): Year-round versatility. Foundation wardrobe. 14 styles.
190gsm Premium Cotton ($120): Statement weight with silky finish. Extensive pattern variety.
Both include draft fitting. Both use your stored pattern for effortless reorders.
Pick by climate and pattern preference. You can't go wrong with either weight.
