By Katie Brunt
A dress shirt is the centerpiece of any man's smart or formal outfit - when crisp, well-formed and subtly decorated and accessorized, this shirt is effortlessly and timelessly fashionable. This said, many people believe that it's necessary to spend a fortune to get the desired results. In defiance of such claims, let's take a look at the best ways to guarantee that it's you who is in control of the choices, not the price tag.
Materials: A normal dress shirt will most likely be made of a weave such as poplin, twill or of a cotton blend, with the exception of linen (summer) or Oxford (heavier, winter) materials. The massive variation of prices from brand to brand is therefore mainly due to the label, something we don't want to see (or others to see) in this shirt anyway. Be sure to go by the material label, not the immaterial one.
Fit: Many people imagine that only a tailored dress shirts will ever fit perfectly, and yet there are only a few steps to ensuring comfortable and fashionable dress shirts can be bought off the rail. Getting measured properly is a must; the neck is circumference plus one inch - sleeve is shoulder to seam of cuff - chest and waist are taken at the fullest parts - length and back are a little more obvious. Knowing these few measurements crops down the amount of ill-fitting shirts right away, leaving you more time to concentrate on style and personal taste.
Ornamentation: For different occasions, you will want a different thing from a dress shirt. The sneering joke 'where's the wedding?' is common on sight of a rich white dress shirt in a more casual setting, and goes to show the particularity that abounds in smart etiquette. That said, in some professional sectors it is deemed de rigueur to wear a plain white dress shirt. Still, a sharp stripe or luxury print shirt can really set off an outfit and equally hold its own without a suit jacket. With cuffs, barrels (buttons) are deemed more casual than French (links). Less is always more with cufflinks; keep them on the plain side.
When it comes to buying men's dress shirts, remember that, with a few things in mind, you have a lot more control over your choices than you'd think. So, while you may have an eventual dream outfit from Savile Row, you can still be sure that you're getting the best fit and styles from your shop-bought wardrobe.
A dress shirt is the centerpiece of any man's smart or formal outfit - when crisp, well-formed and subtly decorated and accessorized, this shirt is effortlessly and timelessly fashionable. This said, many people believe that it's necessary to spend a fortune to get the desired results. In defiance of such claims, let's take a look at the best ways to guarantee that it's you who is in control of the choices, not the price tag.
Materials: A normal dress shirt will most likely be made of a weave such as poplin, twill or of a cotton blend, with the exception of linen (summer) or Oxford (heavier, winter) materials. The massive variation of prices from brand to brand is therefore mainly due to the label, something we don't want to see (or others to see) in this shirt anyway. Be sure to go by the material label, not the immaterial one.
Fit: Many people imagine that only a tailored dress shirts will ever fit perfectly, and yet there are only a few steps to ensuring comfortable and fashionable dress shirts can be bought off the rail. Getting measured properly is a must; the neck is circumference plus one inch - sleeve is shoulder to seam of cuff - chest and waist are taken at the fullest parts - length and back are a little more obvious. Knowing these few measurements crops down the amount of ill-fitting shirts right away, leaving you more time to concentrate on style and personal taste.
Ornamentation: For different occasions, you will want a different thing from a dress shirt. The sneering joke 'where's the wedding?' is common on sight of a rich white dress shirt in a more casual setting, and goes to show the particularity that abounds in smart etiquette. That said, in some professional sectors it is deemed de rigueur to wear a plain white dress shirt. Still, a sharp stripe or luxury print shirt can really set off an outfit and equally hold its own without a suit jacket. With cuffs, barrels (buttons) are deemed more casual than French (links). Less is always more with cufflinks; keep them on the plain side.
When it comes to buying men's dress shirts, remember that, with a few things in mind, you have a lot more control over your choices than you'd think. So, while you may have an eventual dream outfit from Savile Row, you can still be sure that you're getting the best fit and styles from your shop-bought wardrobe.