The Guide: Standard Placket vs. French Placket

What is a Placket?

The placket is a strip of fabric on a button-front shirt where the buttonholes meet the buttons. The two most common types of plackets are the standard placket and the French placket.

Standard Plackets

In the case of the standard placket, the shirt fabric is folded back over the front and stitched to create a visible strip of raised fabric. The standard placket often has a fused interlining, which gives it more structure.

The standard placket is the more common option. It’s a traditional feature of button down shirts, and its more structured look fits with casual fabrics and styles. Yet, it’s still traditional and conservative enough to be worn in any business situation and with any kind of suiting outside of tuxedos.

French Plackets

French plackets are also created by folded-over fabric—but in this case the fabric is folded behind the shirt front, rather than over it. This creates a seamless, uninterrupted look that continues from one side of the shirt to another.

The smooth, sleek look of the French placket suits it to dressier looks. It’s a great match for spread or cutaway collars, and its uninterrupted lines do a great job of showing off pattern. French placket shirts can still be worn with jeans and no jacket, but when it comes to tuxedos and black tie, the French placket is a natural choice.