Parts of a Shirt – 14 Parts Labeled, Collar to Shirttail

All 14 parts on the diagram

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From the front 11

Collar Frames the face; its leaf folds over the stand.
Collar point The tips of the collar. Their length and spread name the collar style.
Collar stand (collar band) The band that circles the neck and holds the collar up.
Placket The strip down the front opening where the shirt fastens.
Buttons Fasten the shirt; one with long tails has seven or eight.
Buttonhole The slit a button passes through. On the placket they run up and down.
Chest pocket An optional patch pocket, usually on the wearer's left.
Sleeve Covers the arm from shoulder to cuff.
Cuff The band round the wrist, fastened with buttons or cufflinks.
Gusset A small triangle of fabric. It strengthens the side seam where the hem curves up.
Hem (shirttail) The finished bottom edge; its curved tails stay tucked in.

From the back 3

Yoke The piece across the shoulders that the back and fronts hang from.
Back pleat (box pleat) A fold under the yoke that gives the back room to move.
Sleeve placket (gauntlet) The opening above the cuff for the hand to go through.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. (1) A shirt factory's guide, https://www.jiashunclothing.com/articles/parts-of-a-dress-shirt-factory-guide : collar band (stand) and leaf (fall), collar points, yoke, front placket, buttonholes vertical on the placket, chest pocket, sleeves, sleeve placket (gauntlet), cuffs, back box pleat, curved hem with side gussets, buttons. (2) A shirt shop's glossary, https://air-threads.com/blogs/news/airthreads-guide-the-anatomy-of-a-dress-shirt : collar stand, collar, yoke, cuff, placket, gusset. (3) Wikipedia, Dress shirt, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dress_shirt : yoke, placket, buttons and buttonholes, plackets at the wrist, cuff, pleats where the back joins the yoke, collar points, pocket on the wearer's left, long tails with seven or eight buttons. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

These are the parts of a shirt as a shirtmaker names them, on a long-sleeved button-up shirt from the front and the back. Start with the 7 main parts, then the small ones a tailor or factory uses.

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Collar and front

The collar is two pieces: the stand, a band that circles the neck, and the collar leaf folded over it, ending in the collar points. Down the front runs the placket, the strip holding the buttons and buttonholes. The top button is drawn undone to show its hole.

Back and sleeves

Across the shoulders at the back sits the yoke, the piece the whole shirt hangs from. Under it a back pleat gives room to move. Above each cuff a sleeve placket, or gauntlet, opens so the hand can pass through.

A gusset is the small triangle at the foot of each side seam, where the curved hem climbs; it stops the seam tearing open.

Questions and answers

What is the yoke on a shirt?

The piece of fabric across the back of the shoulders, joining the collar to the back and fronts. It makes the shirt hang from the shoulders rather than the neck.

What is the difference between the collar and the collar stand?

The stand is the upright band that circles the neck and is sewn to the shirt. The collar, or leaf, is sewn to the stand and folds down over it.

What is a placket on a shirt?

The strip of fabric down the front opening, where the buttonholes and buttons fasten. The opening above each cuff is also a placket: the sleeve placket, or gauntlet.