Are you thinking "Didn't she use that same title last week?" Yes, I did. But I lest anyone think that style belongs only to women, or accuse me of sexism, I don't want to leave the guys out. This week's blog is what men should buy (or what their ladies should buy for them) this fall if they only buy one thing. And the answer, again... I don't have amnesia... is the classic white shirt. For men it's the Oxford cloth button-down-collar dress shirt. A classic piece that never goes out of style and, more to the point, is always IN STYLE. Don't believe me? Twenty two out of the "50 Most Stylish Men of the Past 50 Years" article in GQ (from whence I lifted the picture of Paul Newman) are wearing white dress shirts. Albeit not all of them are button-down-collar, and one of them has ruffles down the front, but you get my point.
Button-down-collars on dress shirts normally bring shirts to a more casual level and in the case of this shirt, that is exactly what makes it so versatile. You can wear it with a:
-blazer - leather jacket - vest - hoodie - cardigan - and on, and on, and on....
and some
- jeans - corduroys - tweed trousers - khakis - and on, and on, and on....
Or dress it up with a suit and a tie. Wanna try something new for the fall and winter? Try a knit tie. The texture and style match nicely with the elegant yet casual style of the shirt.
You can find these shirts just about anywhere. The point is to get the right size. The shirt should FIT. That means the shoulder seams should be at your shoulders, the sleeve ends 1/2 an inch from your wrist bone and the body of the shirt is fairly close to your torso. No balloon effect, you should not be able to fit another person in the shirt with you! For this reason it's better to get a shirt that is sized by neck size and sleeve length (for example: 16 x 32/33) as opposed to XS - XL. For more on proper fit check my past blog: Sharp Dressed Man: The Basics of a Man’s Suit Ensemble
Go forth and be handsome!
Want help figuring out the size or style that's best for you? Just ask me!