Oxford Cloth

Oxford cloth is a basket weave: thicker and thinner yarns crossed in a checkerboard that gives a soft, textured, slightly lustrous fabric. Standard oxford is casual and rugged; "pinpoint" oxford uses finer yarns for a smoother, dressier hand; "royal oxford" is finer still and reads formal. The weave makes it more durable and forgiving than plain poplin, which is why it defines the everyday OCBD. On a spec sheet, the grade of oxford (standard vs pinpoint vs royal) tells you where on the casual-to-dressy line the shirt actually sits, regardless of styling.