Pique and Pinwale Tuxedo Shirts

Overview
Pique and Pinwale tuxedo shirts are formal shirts that have a special stitching or pattern to the fabric or bib of the garment. Pique tuxedo shirts are worn at ultra formal evening weddings and white tie events while pinwale simply adds a bit of depth to the styling of the shirt. Both styles accentuate sophistication and elegance more than any other shirt, formal or not. They are the pinnacle of formal shirts. Styles
Both pique tuxedo shirts and pinwale tuxedo shirts are available in wing collar, laydown collar and sometimes banded / mandarin collar. 100% cotton pique or pinwale shirts typically have French cuffs while the poly/cotton blends have barrel cuffs.

Pique
The pique tuxedo shirts fabric is made with a tightly woven fabric with various raised patterns. Typically these patters are diamond like shapes that continue through either the bib of the shirt or the entire shirt. The less expensive formal pique shirt will have only the pique on the bib (front of shirt) while higher end tux shirts will be made entirely of a pique cotton.

Pinwale
The term used for "pinwale" refers to pinwale corduroy with is a fabric that is made with narrow ribs. Don't worry, it doesn't make noise when you walk like corduroy pants do. The ribs are so tight that they it's hard to notice beyond a few feet, but they certainly add sophistication and elegance to the tuxedo shirt.

Fabric and Blends
The actual fabric used to make pique and pinwale formal shits is almost always 100% cotton, though you may find them in poly/cotton blends. We recommend all cotton. The cotton accentuates the details of the pique and pinwale fabric and provides a more elegant and sophisticated look.

Colors
Pique tuxedo shirts are available in white only. Pinwale formal shirts are available in white and at times other colors. Since these are ultra formal shirts, adding color changes their formal level to simply formal and not ultra formal.

Durability and Comfort
In 100% cotton both of these shirts are long lasting and very comfortable, in blends (if you can find one), they are highly durable but a little rigid. We suggest all cotton.