SHIRT TALE: THE GREAT WHITE SHIRT

HOW TO BE A WHITE SHIRT CONNOISSEUR 

(OR FAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH IT)

Back when I was still a newbie in the styling business, the rules of button-downs are very cryptic for me. When choosing shirts, all I care about was if it was small, medium or large.  I definitely noticed the numbers on the tag but I didn’t speak Shirt until now. At 30, I think it’s time for us to be keen and knowledgeable on the most important piece in every man’s wardrobe:  the crisp white shirt. Forget everything else but the shirt. It can bring you places with its versatility. You should know your shirt as much as you know your wine. That’s how huge a deal  it is, big boy! We can not learn the art of choosing the perfect shirt in one purchase, but we could fake our way and pretend like we know what we're looking for when we enter a store. Besides, a perfect white dress shirts can be a real wardrobe investment and can withstand the ever-changing trends for several seasons.

It's very important to know what you're talking about if you actually KNOW what you're talking about. Get yourself familiar with the parts of the shirt so when someone tells you about the "yoke," eggs do not come in mind.

There are 3 things to remember in buying a shirt: Occasion, Fit and Quality.

OCCASION

Occasion will dictate the type of fabric and style. Casual occasions require a less formal fabric and style. Business and Formal occasions is dressier and are very technical.

Not all shirts are made alike (well in RTW, they usually do. haha.). What I'm saying is not all shirts suits every occasion. Fabric dictates the kind of shirt you need. Here are the most common type of fabrics used in shirts:

oxford fabric

The oxford is a coarse fabric that is perfect for casual wear. 

Varieties in the cloth are the plain Oxford, the Pinpoint Oxford and the more formal Royal Oxford. While these first two are more often paired with casual shirt designs like a button-down collar, the third type of Oxford cloth, "Royal Oxford", is a more versatile weave that can be paired with either business or sporty dress codes.

herringbone patern

The herringbone has small v-shaped weaving pattern which is suited for the office.

Not to be confused with the woolen herringbone which is used for pants and coats, the herringbone used for shirts are twill fabrics. The term herringbone used for shirts indicates the texture or pattern woven in such that the direction of the diagonal texture or pattern reverses every so often. Herringbone patterns come in variety of sizes and subtleties. 

broadcloth

Lastly, the broadcloth is a fine fabric that is ideal for formal events. If you’re bent on choosing only one, pick the broadcloth (which is essentially the same as Poplin). It's a tightly woven fabric with a very simple-over weave and slight sheen which makes it very dressy. Broadcloths are generally a thinner lighter fabric  broadcloth. 

Now, if you want to up the ante of your pretend-savviness and act like a sartorial snob,  find out about the thread count. Dress shirts with hight thread count are more expensive to produce and more desirable if you like your shirts silky, soft and thin. 

Thread count is often referred to with a number like 50s, 80's, 120's, 140s to 200s. These  numbers refer to the yarn size not the number of threads per inch.  

FIT

Before looking at the fit these shirts provide, it is important to look at the shapes they are designed to fit.

Although manufacturers may come up with their own terminology for dress shirt sizing, most of them adhere to the same concept of offering three shirt cuts to fit the three most common body types. Some designers offer additional options, and for men who are hard to fit, the answer may lie with one of these less commonly seen fit styles.

Before looking at the fit these shirts provide, it is important to look at the shapes they are designed to fit. Doctors and fitness experts often refer to three somatotypes, or body shapes, that describe most men's bodies; these categories are also helpful when deciding how to dress each body type. I know this will hurt, as truth often does, but at this point we need to really admit to ourselves which body type we fall in. 

Full Fit Dress Shirts

When laid flat, a full-fit dress shirt widens slightly from the base of the yoke to the hem of the shirt. This A-line silhouette is more comfortable and flattering for men who carry extra weight at the abdomen or who have a solid, stocky build. In larger sizes, these shirts typically have larger armholes to accommodate fuller arms comfortably. Many endomorphic body types will find their most comfortable fit with a full-cut dress shirt. This shape is sometimes called comfort fit or relaxed fit by some manufacturers.

Traditional Fit Dress Shirts

When a shirt is labeled traditional fit, it has side seams that are straight or only slightly tapered at the waist. Some manufacturers taper the waist more than others, so it is wise to try on the shirt or pay close attention to waist measurements when buying a shirt with a traditional fit. Many traditional fit shirts feature box pleats at the base of the yoke for more comfortable movement. This silhouette may also be called a straight fit, classic fit, or natural fit.

Slim Fit Dress Shirts

A dress shirt with a slim fit has marked tapering at the waist and may also have a yoke that is narrower from shoulder to shoulder. It is meant to fit a slimmer body comfortably and closely. Slim fit dress shirts almost always have pleating at the yoke and darts at the waist for a more tailored fit at the waistline. When laid flat, this shirt's sides curve inward noticeably.

Athletic Fit Dress Shirts

Cut with a broader yoke and larger armholes to fit a more muscular physique, athletic fit men's dress shirts have a fitted, tapered waist that differentiates them from full-cut dress shirts with the same neck size and sleeve length. Although not all manufacturers carry this fit, those that do are worth finding for men with mesomorphic body types or muscular physiques.

Tailored Fit Dress Shirts

Tailored fit, a commonly used term that overlaps with both slim fit and traditional fit, often refers to a shirt that has a yoke of standard width and a moderately tapered waist. It falls somewhere between a traditional fit and a slim fit shirt, but it is not as wedge-shaped as an athletic fit shirt. Like the tailored fit, the modern fit also falls between a slim fit and a traditional fit dress shirt. An increasingly common term, vintage fit refers to a shirt that has the slim-cut shirt's narrow waist and smaller 

Measure at the chest just below the arms, across the shoulders, and at the natural waistline to get an idea of the underlying body structure. Choose a preliminary fit based on these measurements, but be open to other possibilities; some endomorphs find that a traditional fit is more comfortable, and some slim mesomorphs prefer a slim-cut shirt to the athletic fit that they might otherwise choose.

Many men find that having a range of dress shirts in different fits suits them better than adhering to a single cut. For an occasion that requires lengthy periods of sitting such as a board meeting or long flight, a man might opt for a roomier fit at the waist than he normally would. A cocktail party might call for a slimmer and more body-conscious fit. If he's attending a wedding reception or bachelor party, a man wearing a shirt with an athletic fit will find dancing and raising his arms for a toast 

Men's dress shirts are usually sold with two sizes listed: neck diameter and sleeve length.

These two measurements are key to the overall fit of the garment. If you do not know your measurements, stores usually keep a tape measure. Ask for their assistance.

Do not be intimidated by the numbers on the tag where S,M,L usually appear. They work for our best.

The following tables represent manufacturers' typical sizing, but these sizes may vary from maker to maker. When possible, look for shirts that are measured in inches rather than assigned a letter or word denoting their size for a more accurate fit.

Shirt Size	Neck Size	Sleeve Length
Small	14 - 14 ½	32 - 33
Medium	15 - 15 ½	32 - 33
Large	16 - 16 ½	34 - 35
X-Large	17 - 17 ½	34 - 35
XX-Large	18 - 18 ½	35 - 36

Try it on. A well-fitted dress shirt's collar should button comfortably and leave room for two fingers between the neck and the collar.

Sleeves should be long enough that the yoke does not buckle or pull the tail of the shirt out of the waistband when the arms are extended straight forward at chest height.

Sleeve length is usually listed on manufacturers' labels for shirts, and the right sleeve length is key to getting a proper fit. Men's dress shirts have either French cuffs or barrel cuffs. 

Barrel cuffs (aka standard cuffs) attach with buttons stitched to the shirt and require no cufflinks.

Button cuffs may have a single button or may be adjustable, with two buttons side-by-side. Some have two buttonholes and two vertical buttons- a more formal option often called the “barrel cuff.” Button cuffs may also have a small button on the sleeve, between the cuff and the end of the cuff opening, intended to prevent the area from opening and exposing the gentleman’s wrist.

French cuffs are the most formal option, yet are perfectly appropriate for daily wear in many industries such as finance. The French cuff is a double cuff, folded back and fastened with cufflinks to create a distinctive and distinguished appearance. Cufflinks must always be worn – though there are more subtle options available, such as fabric knots – so the gentleman must be prepared to keep a reasonable selection on hand.

TIPS

• ·         Cuffs should not ride up the forearm when the arms are raised overhead or out to the sides in a T shape.
• ·         When the arms are at the wearer's sides, the sleeves should not have more than an inch of fabric that bunches at the cuff, nor should the edge of the cuff travel to the back of the hand.

The back of the shirt may have pleats at the base of the yoke and vertical darts, sewn folds of fabric to adjust the garment's fit, at the waist.

In front, some shirts have a placket, a vertical length of fabric into which the button-holes are stitched, and others do not.

Plain-fronted shirts have a single fold of fabric on one side of the row of buttons when the shirt is buttoned; placket-fronted shirts have a fold on either side of the button row.

QUALITY

This image pretty much sums up the things you have to look for in a white shirt to ensure the best quality. 

Now where to get the best dress shirts in town? That's worthy of another post. :)

http://propercloth.com/dress-shirt-fabrics

http://www.ebay.com/gds/what-are-the-different-types-of-mens-dress-shirt-fits/27618/g.html

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/04/12/understanding-the-dress-shirt-custom-shirt-

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