Merino flannel shirts

What makes a flannel shirt merino flannel

Flannel is a finish, not a fibre. Any woven cloth becomes flannel once its surface is brushed or washed to raise a soft nap. Most flannel shirts start from cotton, which is why they feel cosy in October and damp by December. Ours start from 100% superfine merino wool, woven and finished by an Italian mill, and sewn in Portugal. The nap gives you the familiar softness of a flannel shirt; the merino underneath gives you everything cotton can't: warmth without weight, moisture that leaves rather than lingers, and a shirt that still smells of nothing at the end of a long day.

Merino flannel vs cotton flannel

Side by side, the difference is obvious. A cotton flannel needs to be thick to be warm, so it's bulky under a jacket and sags after a few washes. Merino insulates through the fibre itself, so a 280 g/m² merino flannel keeps you warmer than a heavier cotton one while sitting cleanly under a coat. Cotton flannel absorbs sweat and holds it against your skin; merino moves it out, so you don't get that clammy chill when you step from a cold street into a heated room. Cotton flannel pills, fades and loses its shape. Merino flannel keeps its nap and its colour, and the fibre's natural elasticity means the shirt looks the same after a season as it did on day one.

A wool flannel shirt you can wear indoors

The classic winter problem: dress for the walk to the station and you're sweating by the second meeting. Merino solves it because it regulates rather than just insulates. Outdoors, the brushed surface traps warm air against you. Indoors, the fibre releases excess heat and moisture, so a merino flannel shirt is comfortable at a desk in a way a heavy cotton flannel never is. That's why our customers wear the Arne as an actual shirt all day, not only as an outer layer they take off at the door.

Shirt or overshirt, your call

Worn buttoned and tucked, the Arne is a smart winter shirt with a chest pocket and a classic collar. Worn open over a merino T-shirt, it turns into a light overshirt that replaces a cardigan or a light jacket from autumn through spring. Add a merino sweater on top in January and you have a three-layer system, all wool, all breathing together, with none of the bulk of a padded jacket.

Checks, plaids and plain navy

Flannel and checks belong together, so the Arne comes in a small gingham, a bold check and a plaid, each woven from dyed yarns so the pattern goes right through the cloth rather than sitting on top. For a plain flannel shirt that pairs with anything, there's the navy mélange, a two-tone yarn that gives depth without a pattern. Corozo buttons on all of them: natural, hard-wearing, and matched to the colour of each shirt.

Regular fit, tucked or untucked

The Arne is cut in our regular fit, roomier than the slim fit through the chest and shoulders so it layers over a T-shirt without pulling, but trimmer than the relaxed fit at the waist so it doesn't balloon when tucked. The length is set to work both ways. The back pleat gives you room to move when you reach forward, which matters more in a shirt you'll wear over a layer. If you're used to a slim fit in our other shirts, stay with your usual size; the extra room is built into the pattern.

For lighter shirts, all year round

Flannel is our winter fabric. When the weather turns, the same Italian weavers make our lightweight merino shirting, and the full range of merino wool dress shirts covers everything from a white business shirt to a merino denim shirt in the same regular fit as the Arne.