How To Buy Men's Dress Shirts

January 02, 2020

How To Buy Men's Dress Shirts - An Ultimate Guide

Home Men's Fashion Blog How To Buy Men's Dress Shirts - An Ultimate Guide

Have you ever wondered " how to buy men's dress shirts"?

What comes to your mind when you hear about a dress shirt? Most guys consider a dress shirt as anything that button-up the front with long sleeves and a collar.

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Well, to make it quite simple, a shirt has a collar, buttons and long sleeves. It has a barrel and can button-up or button-down the front depending on how formal you want to get.

A good mens dress shirt is regarded to be buttoned up, and with a collar, long sleeves, and wrist cuffs. Mens contrast shirt is customed from a cotton fabric weave which is dyed into various patterns of various colors.

Mens dress shirts range from semi-formal to super formal depending on the style you choose.

They are commonly worn in a formal way, usually paired with a jacket, collar sleeves, and a tie. Some of them contain stiff fronts which have detachable collars fastened with collar studs.

Dress shirts can also be worn casually. Initially, these shirts were worn as formalwear by both boys and men. However, from mid- 1800, dress shirts became a choice in women's clothing and are nowadays worn by males and females.

Why Men’s dress shirts?
Dress Shirt Collar Styles
What is the Purpose of a Men’s Dress Shirt?
Types of men’s dress shirts
Dress shirts cuff styles
Difference between a formal shirt and a casual shirt
Fit guide for men’s dress shirt
Types of fabrics
Matching your dress shirt with pants
Dress shirt outfit inspiration

Mens dress shirt outfit ideas

Shirt Collar Styles Infographic

Shirt collar styles Infographic

Source

What is the Purpose of a Men's Dress Shirt?

Dress shirts are a usually an essential part of every guy’s wardrobe essential, whether you choose to wear a suit or want to attend those big meetings in your diary. Besides making you presentable, they also act as your status symbol.

The dress shirt you wear has a powerful signal to those people around you. Therefore, make sure you get your taste in your wardrobe. The following purposes of dress shirts are essential for every guy aspiring to feed his wardrobe with modern and attractive styles.

1. Looks and Style

Dress shirts play a good role in framing a man’s shape. A good dress shirt can support a man by enhancing his suit or a sports jacket, giving him a good look.

Besides, it can also stand alone and be a centrepiece of man’s outfit. It comes with multiple colour choices that are the best choice for your complete work of art.

2. Design

A men's dress shirt is branded in unique designs that fit your desires. With various collar styles, colours, and changeable sleeve fabrics, they give you the most attracted design options needed for essential wardrobe.

3. Best Fit

The best fit is basically the reason behind anyone who looks into custom clothing. Therefore, these men's choice is arguably the epitome tailored garment when it comes to providing the best fitting models in the market. Fitted dress shirts make you look presentable with confident.

4. Best Price

Price is usually a concern in buying cycle of anything in the market. Dress shirts come with different prices, favouring all level of people.

Types of Mens Dress Shirts.

1. Tuxedo Dress Shirts

It’s well known that the suit can make a man, but the right shirt is vital for completing the look. When an occasion calls for looking your best dress shirt, Tuxedo dress shirts may seem confusing at first.

Therefore, with a little knowledge, you can make the right choice when it comes to the selection of your Tuxedo.

For you to settle down with the type and colour of your best tuxedo, there are a few basics styles you should consider before picking your tuxedo dress shirt.

These styles mostly depend on how formal or casual you want your look to be. They include:

Fabric and Color

The best colour choice for Tuxedo dress shirt is opaque white in fabric like broadcloth or twill fabric. As it will be seen later, a twill fabric is smooth to touch hence making it a good choice.

Tux Shirt Collars

There are various options for Tux shirt collars. These include spread collar which in most cases is the best option for you.

A classic wingtip collar is the best option when it comes to the most of the formal white tie events. However, cutaway tux shirt collars are not recommended for office meetings as it has a more casual look.

French Cuffs

You should consider wearing your Tuxedo shirt with cufflinks which require French cuffs. French cuffs come in a rounded and squared variety. Both the varieties are recommended for formal events.

The common barrel cuffs are typically too casual and are only best for your semi-formal styles.

Tux Dress Shirt Studs and Buttons

Most of the Tux shirts are designed in a way that their button strips are removable.

This makes it easy for you to substitute the buttons with studs whenever you want. Studs are decorative and help to close the stiffer front of your tux shirt.

Plain Front Tuxedo Dress Shirts

If you’re wearing your straight tie, plain front tux shirt should be one of your top items in your wardrobe. It’s featured with French placket. However, it is the least formal of the option available in the market.

Pleated Front Tuxedo Shirts

This is the most formal option available and is commonly worn with a bow tie. They can make your perfect match with a sports jacket outfitted with a shawl collar.

2. Oxford Dress Shirts

What makes Oxford shirt looks different from the other dress shirt is that they usually have a button down-style collars which flip around or lay flat and disappear underneath a collar of your jacket. These shirts are made from Oxford fabric weave.

The bottomed-down collar feature makes this dress shirt to look more casual, which takes away the attention of formalwear. These shirts are preferably worn without a tie when you choose to go with a suit.

If your choice is Oxford dress shirt, then prefer to match them with grey notch lapel suit (no tie), a blazer, sweater or Harrington Jacket.

These shirts also make one of your wardrobe essentials. Since they are made from Oxford fabric, which is soft and less prone to wrinkling, they are very comfortable.

Oxford is also a heavy fabric. This makes Oxford dress shirts to be very durable. You can wear them for over 5 and they will still look good.

Light Blue or white Oxford dress shirt can look good to every skin colour. They will also match easily with the rest of your essential wardrobe.

3. Button-Down Collar Dress Shirt

These type of men’s dress shirt is classic and never go out of style. From polo player to the CEO, this classic dress is a go-to for every guy.

Their matching code ranges from black pants, basic white tie, and dark wash pants. What is making the vibes of button down dress shirt timeless is its versatility features.

It’s mostly associated with casual styles due to its historical connection to the sport. However, some few guys can consider a combination of a suit and a button down collar dress shirt and can look pretty good when they do it in a right way.

To keep your swag more casual, pair your button-down dress shirt with a knit cardigan or a denim pant. But for a formal fashion-ward look, sport it with a checkered suit and a dotted knit tie. However, doing it with a more casual jacket will rock your style.

4. Slim Fit Dress Shirt

If you are a fit or slim build individual, these slim fit dress shirts are a great deal in your wardrobe. But there is a need to be keen when doing your slim fit dress selection because coming up with a fitted dress that matches your body can be a challenging experience.

There are a number of factors need to be considered when choosing your best Slim Fit Dress Shirts. These include:

Midsection: - You should ensure that the mid-section is not too loose and too close around your waist. Think about how the midsection will fit at your sitting position. Very slim fit tends to pull the bottom button when seated.

Chest: - It’s also important to make sure that your chest width is not too loose and too tight. If you make it too lose, you will have excess fabric bouncing up in all places. Also, if you get it too tight, you will stubbornly be pulling on the bottom button which also can result in darting your shirt.

Armhole: - Armpit fits is mostly a matter of personal preference, however, a higher armhole is preferred since it eliminates excess fabric from hanging up armhole.

Dress Shirt Cuff Styles

Shirt cuff styles

What is the Difference Between Formal Dress Shirts and Casual Shirts

ShirtsWhen we consider the functionality of the dress shirt, Formal Dress Shirts are commonly worn as formalwear with business suit or tuxedo while the Casual Dress Shirts are worn semi-formal. Main features that distinguish Formal Dress Shirts from Casual ones are as follows:

Features of Formal Dress Shirts

They are always plain-white or any other plain colour
Formal dress shirts have a firm collar which comes in various folded styles
They are mostly worn with a tie
They have French cuffs
Formal dress shirts have a high quality of the fabric
6. They have a tail bottom hem because they are made to be tucked

Features of Casual Dress Shirts

The casual dress shirt has patterns and is not usually white unless its linen.
They have less structured buttons down the collar
They can be worn without a tie
It can have a contrasting fabric in the cuff and collar
They have a pocket or two on the front side6. They have no tail bottom hem because they are made to untuck

How A Men's Dress Shirt Should Fit

How men's dress shirts should fit

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How A Men's Dress Shirt Should Fit

What are the Types of Fabrics Used in Mens Dress Shirts?

When making a buying decision, type of fabric used to make dress shirts determines the weight, texture and the feel of the shirt.

These are the main factors most guys consider before purchasing their dream dress shirt.

Therefore, we have narrowed down the main types of fabric used in men's dress shirts which will help you have a proper knowledge of your great looking dress shirt:

1. Twill/Herringbone Fabric

What distinguishes twill fabric from the other fabrics is that they have a diagonal texture. It’s woven and very tightly but softer than poplin.

Twill dress shirts are generally wrinkle resistant. Its tight weave feature makes good dress shirts that are less transparent.

Twill dress shirts can be worn all year round but they tend to be warmer, making them an ideal choice for the winter seasons.

2. Poplin/Broadcloth

Poplin is one of the substantial shirt fabric which has a classic crisp characteristic. It’s woven with a simple over and under weave. This fabric is strong, very smooth and lightweight.

Dress shirts made from poplin fabric is cool and breathable. They are good for formal occasions, business looks, and ceremonies.

3. Oxford Fabric

Oxford fabric is considered more casual because it’s rougher material than other fabrics. It uses a heavier thread and isn't woven very tightly. Despite this, it still comfortable to wear when used for dress shirts.

This fabric doesn't need much ironing therefore you can wear it straight after washing. Its heavier thread also makes oxford dress shirts very sustainable for summer seasons.

Oxford dress shirts are the most affordable and are the great pick for evening meetings and casual weekend wear.

Types Of Shirt Fabric

Shirt fabric infographic

Which Shirt Color Looks Good with which Pants or Suits?

We have seen how men’s dress shirts can play a big role in framing their shapes. Recalling the factors considered when making your dress shirt buying decision, like the type of fabric used, colour has also been one of the factors need not be considered when it comes to your wardrobe essentials.

Most men have found themselves at a crossroad when it comes to which colour shirt goes well with which colour pants or suit. Colour-matching your clothes can be a challenging experience.

Generally, colour black is very versatile. You can wear almost anything with a black suit or black pant. However, if you want to know which other colours will make you look good with which pants or suits, we have narrowed down the list of dress shirt matching guide for you.

1. What Color Shirt goes Best with Cream Color Pants?

There are pretty amazing colours that taste sweet with cream. Black is arguably the most common colour people wear around to match their cream pants.

The following are colours shirts that match best with cream pants. Try them out so that you stand out from the lot.

Olive Green
Navy Blue, Sky Blue, or Purple tones
Grey
Light Brown
Wine Colored tones or maroons 6. White
Pink
Most common: “Black”

2. What Color Shirt goes Best with Indigo Pants?

Best colours that will suit your Indigo pants are White, Light Blue Black, and Grey. These colours are safe with your Indigo pants because they don’t clash.

However, White, Black and blue is batted to be the best suit for indigo coloured pants.

3. Which Color Shirt will Suit with a Black Suit?

In case you just want to go for a dashing look, any light coloured shirt such as maroon will look fabulous with your black suit.

But if you are that guy who wants to rock your office in with serious formal styles, then consider the following black suits matching colours:

White which is the most common, and makes the best match
Light blue, which always looks good

However, if you want to look different from a lot of people, then:

Red and white check printed can do well
Black and White check printed will also suit your suit

Mens Dress Shirts Outfit Inspiration

Now that you know enough about the mens dress shirts, let's look at some outfit inspiration. You can take cues from these outfits and create your own outfit combinations to look great.

Following outfits via - Dapper.One

Mens dress shirts outfit ideas