The shirt placket is the narrow strip of layered fabric that runs down the front of a men’s dress shirt and serves as a foundation for the buttonholes. It serves the dual role of providing an aesthetically pleasing polish to the shirt front while also helping the shirt maintain its shape and structure.
There are three main types of shirt front plackets – the conventional, French and fly front plackets.
The conventional shirt front placket is typically constructed of at least two or more layers of fabric (may include an interlining as well), with visible stitching on both sides all the way down the front of the shirt from the collar to the hem. This standard placket affords stability to the shirt front, which experiences a lot of stress from wear and pulling and is popular on men’s formal and dress shirts.
The French placket (also known as the no placket shirt front) hides the placket by folding the extra material to the back and using only the buttonholes to hold it in place. There is no visible stitching on the front – though you can see the stitching on the underside. This affords a more ‘downtown’ or urban look and is popular for more casual shirts.
The fly front placket is constructed with a flap of material on the front, covering the buttons. This is a standard choice for more formal wear, especially men’s tuxedo shirts.
Experiment with different types of shirt front plackets to elevate your personal style. Try the conventional shirt front placket on the Classic Dark Blue Oxford and then choose the fly front for the tuxedo shirt to go with our Madison Midnight Blue Tuxedo.