Overview
Polyester-cotton blended tuxedo shirts are available in every style, more
colors than 100% cotton and have the longest lasting durability of any
formal shirt. You'll also save about $20 per shirt.
Styles
You will find that poly/cotton tuxedo shirts are available in every
imaginable style. Wing tipped
collar, laydown collar and
banded mandarin collar. There are a few differences between the poly/cotton and 100%
cotton versions. For instance it is not common to see a French cuff or a
rolled wing collar on a blend shirt. You will however find those options
on many 100% cotton shirts. The idea is that if you are trying to save
money on a shirt, those options would just ad to the cost. Therefore,
they are not common, but are available. When these options are added to
a cotton / poly blend shirt, the price goes up so you might as well
purchase the 100% cotton version.
Fabric and Blends
Poly/Cotton refers to the blended fabric that is used to make this type
of tuxedo shirt (or any fabric based product). The numbers that you see
on a blended shirt tag refers to the percentage of each material that is
used in the making of the tuxedo shirt. Typically the larger number is
shown first and the tag should indicate which material is for which
number. So in an instance of a 65/35 polyester and cotton blended shirt,
the "65" refers to the polyester and the "35" refers
to the cotton. So you would have a 65/35 Poly-Cotton Blend tuxedo shirt.
Other blends (ratios of each material) are also available such as 50/50
and 80/20.
Colors
Tuxedo shirts made of a poly-cotton blend can have a very large number
of color offerings. You can find tuxedo shirts in white, ivory, black,
red, teal, blue and so many more. This fabric is used largely in the
service industry where companies need different colors. For you that
means more option for tuxedo shirts in blended materials.
Durability and Comfort
The most important feature of a tuxedo shirt is you liking it. The most
important feature of you enjoying your tux shirt is you being
comfortable when you wear it. A poly/cotton tuxedo shirt is more durable
but also more rigid. Blended shirts do not typically drape as well as
their 100% cotton versions do. This means that the fabric is a little
stiffer and less conforming to your body. Visually it will be covered by
a tuxedo jacket and possibly a formal vest, so you won't need to worry
about seeing any stiffness of the shirt. It's not that much different
that anyone will notice, but you will feel it.
Price
There are two reasons why one would purchase a poly/cotton tuxedo shirt.
Price and colors. You'll save a minimum of $20 by purchasing a blend
shirt instead of a cotton shirt. You'll compromise comfort, but save
some money. The colors as we mentioned are another reason to choose this
fabric in a tux shirt.
If you need to save money, don't mind a little bit of comfort loss and
colors are something you need then the poly/cotton tuxedo shirts are the
right choice for you.
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