In this article, we have decided to focus on four extremely crucial aspects when choosing a men's shirt. In the second part of our guide, you will learn, among other things, whether to wear an undershirt under a white shirt, what the length of the shirt should be, and how to choose the color and pattern of a men's shirt.
A high-quality shirt starts with a good fabric!
Choosing an elegant shirt is a task of a completely different caliber than choosing a men's T-shirt or popular polo shirts. When selecting a shirt, the material used to make it should be the first thing we pay attention to.
Cotton is a very good choice. However, it is worth remembering that not all cotton is the same. It can have different thicknesses and weaves, which matters depending on your outfit. An elegant shirt can be slightly shiny, but let's remember not to choose shiny polyester, as we will achieve the opposite effect of what was intended. We recommend popular Oxford texture shirts – they are slightly less formal, which is why they are perfect for less formal suits.
Linen is a very good material, especially for summer heat. This material basically has only one drawback – it creases much more. Therefore, it is worth looking for a high-quality shirt that is a blend of linen and cotton or linen and Sorona. Just 50-60% linen in the composition is enough to make a men's shirt much more breathable.
Let's avoid polyester! Men's T-shirts and dress shirts made of this material do not let air through, as a result of which the body starts sweating very quickly and intensely. As for elastane, opinions are divided. Elastane, like polyester, is a synthetic material, but if it makes up 1-2% of a men's shirt's composition, it makes it more flexible, and therefore comfortable. This can be important if your physique changes quite often due to weight fluctuations, e.g., when you work out at the gym. Remember that typically classic shirts do not contain elastane in their composition.
Which collar should you choose?
Anyone who has had the opportunity to have a shirt made to measure knows that there are many types of collars. However, when we go to a store for ready-made shirts, we most often encounter four patterns: button-down, Kent, semi-spread, and spread. So how to choose a collar to fit the shape of your face?
You can find many theories about this online. One of them states that we choose a collar based on contrast. According to this principle, tall, slim men look good in collars that are widely spread, i.e., the spread type. We recommend, first and foremost, trying on different shirts and matching the collar choice to your own preferences.
Regardless of the chosen style, pay attention to how the collar is made. In high-quality shirts, collars have filling, e.g., special removable collar stays, which make the men's shirt look much nicer. If we touch a collar in a store and it turns out to be soft, we are most likely dealing with a sports shirt or simply a poor-quality shirt. Thanks to collar stay inserts, the collar lays very nicely around the face and prevents creases. Remember to remove these inserts before washing, as they can bend, making the collar look less aesthetic.
The button-down collar, i.e., "the one with buttons," is very popular ;) Many men ask what their function is and whether they can be unbuttoned. As a rule, an elegant man's shirt should be buttoned up in this place, because thanks to the buttons, the collar leaves do not spread outward. Thanks to this, the shirt looks good, even in less formal outfits without a tie. Well, unless you know how to break the rules and you know how to do it. ;)
The button placket in an elegant shirt
Here the matter is simple – a good-quality shirt has a reinforced button placket, making it much stiffer. This is of fundamental importance! When we unbutton the top 2 buttons, the collar and the placket covering the button strip lay nicely. In the case of a poor-quality placket, after unbuttoning, the top part of the shirt looks much less aesthetic. When in a store, it is worth touching the shirt to see if the button strip is reinforced in any way.
How to choose a shirt for your physique?
An elegant shirt simply MUST be well-fitted! It is important that the material is as close to the body as possible, while remembering that the shirt should not be too tight or strained. We must feel comfortable in it when, for example, sitting, standing, dancing, or driving a car.
In stores, we generally encounter standard regular cuts and more fitted slim fit ones. Sometimes we will also encounter double-tapered extra slim fit shirts and tailored shirts. You need to know this division, while remembering that a regular shirt may differ in size from a regular shirt of another brand. Manufacturers have their own cuts, so it is worth trying on a shirt in several stores. Even a 1 cm difference in the circumference of the shirt can make us look much better.
If we do not have an ideally sculpted physique (and who among us does?), then even if we know that a regular cut suits us better than a slim fit, buying a fitted shirt can be quite a problem. If you cannot find a perfectly fitted shirt, it is worth using a tailor's alteration. Tapering the shirt on the side or at the back (by deepening the darts) will make the shirt perfectly fitted to your physique.
That is all for this episode. We invite you to the second part of the article: How to choose men's shirts to look fashionable and stylish? You will learn, among other things, what to do when a white shirt is translucent and which colors and patterns are worth paying special attention to when choosing an elegant shirt.
ZOPHIA Stylist
