Dress shirts
Tips and advices
Wear a dress shirt
What are the different fabric textures for dress shirts ?
2006-10-08
Most dress shirts are made of cotton. You can also find some in linen, polyester or silk.
Cotton shirts can have a variety of fabric textures, most common are :
- poplin: the fabric is wrap lighter than its weft, which makes the fabric smooth and delicate. Very light, poplin dress shirts do not have any patterns in the material.
- twill: the fabric has a unique weft with diagonal stripes. Twill dress shirt are heavier than popelin ones.
- oxford: the fabric has a thread of weft every two threads of wrap, it gives a soft elevated pattern. Oxford dress shirt are heavier but strong cloth.
- pinpoint: the fabric is quite like an oxford fabric but it is weaven lighter ans smoother.
Various collars for your dress shirts !
2006-10-08
A variety of collars is available for your dress shirts:
- Regular: it is a narrow collar, also called the straight collar, the most standard of men's collars.
- Cut-away: it is a spread collar , there is a large visible space between collar tips. There is a variety of spread distances.
- Button-down: it is a narrow collar with buttonholes on the points to fasten it to the body of the shirt. Better for casual shirt, not really suitable for formal occasions. An advice: Never wear the collar unbuttoned.
You can also find some collars with a small snap-tab connecting the two collar sides together. The tab goes behind the necktie. It makes your collar perfectly fit your neck.
The point in having so many collars is that you get to choose one that suits you.
It's often said that men with narrow faces should choose collars that are wider, to help broaden their faces; conversely, men with wider faces should choose collars that are narrower, to help lengthen their faces.
Personal style is really the best route, though: don't choose a collar that isn't you!
Which size for you dress shirts ?
2006-10-08
When you buy a dress shirt, the most important thing to know is your size.
It means knowing the length of your arms and the girth of your neck. Start wrapping yourself with measuring tape, and memorize your sizing!
When looking at dress shirt size the first number on the size tag refers to the neck size, the second number to the sleeve length.
As an example a shirt marked ''15 - 33'' would mean the shirt has a 15 inch neck size and a 33 inch sleeve length.
Neck size:
Measure the circumference of your neck at the point where you would normally close the top button of your shirt (just under your Adam's Apple) placing an index finger between the tape measure and your neck.
If the measurement is between two sizes, select the larger size.
Sleeve Length:
Keeping your arm straight, have someone measure from the middle of the back of your neck, along your shoulder and down the outside of your arm to the start of your thumb (the first knuckle).
If your measurement is between two sizes, select the longer length.
Standard shirts are now frequently seen with average sizes, as 16- 16 1/2. In this example, it means that the shirt fit for people with a neck size of 16 or 16 1/2.
Standard shirts can also be categorized with sizes as small, medium, large, XL, XXL. But pay attention, the sizing can vary between manufacturers.
How to wear dress shirt ?
2006-10-08
A shirt must be ironed free of wrinkles.
For more smoothness and stiffness you can treat you shirt with starch.
For formal occasion, tuck the hem inside the waistband of your trousers.
If you wear a necktie, you must button the dress shirt to the top. While the shirt is buttoned, you should be able to slide two fingers between your neck and collar.
For informal usage, you can leave the top button unfastened.
When you bend your arm, sleeves should be long enough so that cuffs do not ride up your wrist when you move your arm.
Don't be afraid to roll your sleeves up when necessary.
In general, a shirt will last two years. Chili parties, leaky pens, sip-tops, the world is full of ways to ruin good fabrics!
Which color for my dress shirt ?
2006-10-08
For the color of your shirt, there is no standard.
White and blue shirts are the most common.
But men are no longer limited to the standard white dress shirt. While it remains a classic choice, options have expanded to include many more colors and styles. So try new colors, to inject some fun in your daily life!
Nevertheless, it is sometimes useful to wear traditional conservative colors that are acceptable in nearly any circumstances. Here is two tips:
- a plain light-blue shirt with a navy-blue tie,
- or a shirt with blue and white bengal stripes and a red- or wine-coloured tie.
What is a dress shirt ?
2006-10-08
A dress shirt is a men's shirt which a collar and a full length opening fastened closed with buttons.
In general you will find seven buttons on the front of a button-down.
The shirt part with buttonholes is called the placket (on the wearer's left side for men, on the other side for women dress shirts or blouses).
There are usually pleats on the center of the back and on the sleeves just above the cuffs.
The most formal type of shirt will have no pockets, but the standard dress shirt has a single discreet pocket on the wearer's left side.
The best shirts have removable stays, which hold the collar's points and keep them in place.
In striped shirts, check how stripes are aligned. They should match making a straight line. The design of the fabric should match where any two pieces of fabrics meet.
What is a two-ply dress shirt ?
2006-10-08
Finer dress shirts are made of two-ply, not single-ply.
Two-ply shirts are usually designated as such on the label, while single-ply shirts will probably not mention ply at all.
Two-ply fabrics feel silkier and make a comfortable shirt because two individual threads are twisted together to make one yarn and tightly woven creating a very smooth, strong fabric.
Which dress shirts for your neckties ?
2006-10-13
Solid color dress shirts can match easily with most neckties.
On the contrary, patterned shirts, such as plaid, striped and checkered, can be difficult to match with your neckties.
For a classic look, prefer a solid white or a pale blue dress shirt.
Here is some tips to match perfectly your dress shirts with your other clothes:
- you can wear a striped shirt with a striped tie as long as the stripes aren't identical in size. You can have a pattern on pattern when one pattern is much bolder than the other.
- Make sure at least one color in your tie matches either your suit, shirt, or your belt and shoes.
- Avoid wearing a striped shirt with a striped tie and a pinstriped suit. Matching three similar patterns together is rarely a winning combination. in general, avoid pairing three similar patterns.
Short-Sleeved Shirts: nerdy or fashion ?
2006-10-13
Little wonder the short-sleeved dress shirt can't get any respect. It is considered as the Dilbert or the Homer Simson of men's wear.
But when summer comes, the shirt is rolling up its invisible sleeves to get into the fashion fray.
Short-sleeved shirts are really looking cool again according to designers who see this kind of shirts as an indispensable part of a man wardrobe.
Even if you will never going to be chic in it, you can look very cool.
In the past the sleeves, shortened versions of long sleeves, were big and blousy. Nowadays, designers have trimmed the arms and cut the torso close to the body for a sharper fit.
Sleeves don't make the price of a shirt, short sleeved shirts are almost as expensive as normal shirts.
Shirts are getting even more trendy
2006-10-13
It's time to to revive the all-too-quiet dress-shirt area. Dress shirts designers have well understood that.
There's no question that the basic white-and-pastel-tone shirt business is eroding. Shirts manufacturers have to show more fashion.
That's why the infusion of color that's ignited the men's neckwear business has spread to the colar and cuff of your dress shirts.
Today, shirts designers try to blur the line between casual and dress shirts.
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