Over the last half century, the dress shirt has grown from an undergarment to a prominent place in many outfits. This is one of the reasons why today it is available in so many styles, colors and patterns. Whether one’s style is Chinese or suit and tie, shirts are an essential means of expanding one’s wardrobe.
The style of a shirt indicates a lot about the intentions of the wearer. A dress shirt with a button-down collar, left chest pocket, plain front, and single-button cuffs indicates leisure, while a dress shirt with a turn-down collar, no chest pocket, placket front, and French cuffs indicates formality. The beauty of styling a shirt is that you can style it not only for the occasion but also to complement your unique features.
shirt collars
The collar of a men’s dress shirt is the most important style detail, both in determining the level of formality of the garment and in the way it flatters the wearer’s face. Button-down collars are the least formal and extremely versatile; They look great without a tie, but can also complement a tie-and-sweater combo, jacket, or sports coat. The bow tie collar, on the other hand, is reserved for formal wear and should always be worn with its complementary parts. It is the least versatile collar, whose sole purpose is to signal the highest level of clothing.
Most men’s dress shirts sport some sort of pointed collar, but there’s plenty of room for variety here. While the standard point neckline looks good on most men, those with narrower faces feel better with slightly shorter necklines, while round faces are worn much higher than long necklines. As a general rule, the greater the angle between the short sides of the neck points, the more formal the presentation. Open collars, which leave a wide opening between them, are particularly well suited to large tie knots. The edges of the cut-out collar form almost a straight line above the tie knot; this is the most formal neck arrangement. An exception to the parallelism of length and formality is the tabbed collar: here, small tabs of fabric extending from each side connect behind the tie knot, holding the collar together and projecting the knot out for a precise look. and sensible The white contrast collar, in any style, with or without matching white French cuffs, is a power-seeker’s favourite. While it certainly elevates a suit and tie above the masses, the wearer be warned against it if you can’t match the eminence of it.
On most decent dress shirts, the points of the collar are held straight by braces. These 2-3 inch spiked ferrules are inserted into slots at the bottom of the collar after ironing and then removed to wash. In addition to the plastic ones that come with most shirts, you can buy them in brass, silver, and even ivory, but their material has little effect on their function.
shirt cuffs
Standard on most dress shirts, round cuffs come in a variety of styles and, except for the most formal occasions, are never a bad choice. The common variety has a single button; cuffs with two or even three buttons are somewhat more ingenious. French cuffs are of rigor for formal wear; they look good with a suit but are always optional. A button on the sleeve placket helps the sleeve stay closed during wear and can be opened to press the cuffs; it is optional but almost ubiquitous.
shirt pockets
The traditional left chest pocket adds a bit of depth to a dress shirt, especially if worn without a jacket and tie, and can be useful for storing pens, tickets, and the like. A shirt with no pockets may look a bit cleaner with a coat and tie, but since the coat covers the pocket, the difference is minimal when wearing a suit. As with most things, simplicity equals formality, which is why the pocketless shirt is the most elegant.
shirt front and placket
The standard placket is a strip of fabric raised from the front of a men’s dress shirt with stitching on each side; this is what most casual shirts and many dress shirts have. In the more modern French placket, the edge of the shirt front is folded, creased, and attached only at the buttonholes. This cleaner front sharpens up more formal dress shirts; however, it should not be combined with a button-down collar. There are also concealed button plackets, and as the name suggests, they hide the front buttons under a fabric cover.
shirt back
Men’s backs are not flat; that’s why we use pleats on the back of a shirt so that the fabric hangs down from the yoke (the piece that covers the shoulder blades) and fits the body better. There are two common varieties of pleated shirtback styles: the box pleat consists of two pleats an inch and a half apart in the center, while the side pleats sit halfway between each edge and the center of the back. . While the former are more common in ready-to-wear shirts, the latter align better with the actual shape of the back and therefore fit most men better. A well-made custom shirt can be cut and sewn to fit its wearer perfectly without creases, making it cleaner and easier to iron. However, many men prefer to have creases even on their tailored dress shirts.
monograms
A man may choose to have his shirt monogrammed, usually on the edge of the breast pocket or on the cuff of the shirt. Monograms originated as a way to identify one’s shirts in a commercial laundromat, similar to writing a child’s name on the tag of his or her jacket. More recently, as the shirt has taken a more prominent role in men’s clothing, the monogram has emerged as a way to subtly communicate the care a man has taken in sourcing his clothing. While big, bold monograms certainly do more harm than good, many men enjoy the quiet display of their initials, usually in a similar color to the shirt.
