Q: I'm looking to make a dress shirt. I've made shirts in the past, but never a dress shirt. I like to use patterns and adjust them, but I can't find one I like. I'm looking for a dress shirt with a banded collar patter. Does anyone know where to find one?
A: One of the best men's dress shirt pattern's is Vogue's and it's now out of print. I assume this means that an updated men's shirt will appear soon. They do have a few left found on their web site: http://www.voguepatterns.com/item/V8096.htm?search=mens%20shirt&page=2 It has the classic banded collar and several other high-end details. The instructions are quite easy to follow and if you have pattern adjusting experience you should be able to make several variations on this shirt. In addition you might want to invest in David Page Coffin's Shirtmaking book. It is excellent for anyone who wants to make men's shirts. Not only is there information on sewing and fitting, it has patterns and instructions for variations on collars, cuffs, pockets, and that tricky little sleeve placket. The instructions take two pages but the placket is the finest I've ever seen anywhere. http://www.amazon.com/Shirtmaking-Developing-Skills-Fine-Sewing/dp/1561582646/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221487429&sr=1-1 Burda has several men's shirt patterns, including a few fashion forward styles and a few costumes (casanova anyone?) Their patterns use European measurements and also contain very high end details in collars, cuffs, plackets and yokes, the details that turn a shirt from home made to hand made. http://www.burdafashion.com/FilterAction.do?filter=damen&category=Geschlecht&item=herrenmode&select=true&path=1270778-1128998&cp=1 Those are my favourite sources for men's patterns when I don't have the time or inclination to draft my own from scratch. I have a son who is almost seven feet tall so i need to make most of his clothes, he's just getting into sewing himself. Also Simplicity has two shirts. One is 7030 but it isn't as exquisitely detailed as the vogue shirt. Simplicity has only a bias bound sleeve placket rather than a proper placket, and 4760 has a convertible collar rather than a proper banded collar. Almost forgot about simplicity!