Question regarding the formality of color of my first shirt purchase

[duckfriend99]

Hello everyone

I am looking to buy a couple of business shirts for my job in finance and while I will definitely make sure to purchase classic white and blue coloured shirts, I also saw websites offering ivory/creme colored business shirts which is why I was wondering if those are considered just as formal as a classic white shirt or not?
I never really saw anyone wearing shirts in that colorway as most people seem to buy classic white shirts, but as I like to wear ivory colored shirts casually, i was also wondering whether or not they can be worn in a business setting at a bank/consulting firm without making me look like a clown.

(I will attach an image so you can see what shirt i am talking about)

Im very new to this and just bought my first suits, so any replies are greatly appreciated!

 

[LVEsq]

In my opinion your tie and suit combinations would be a bit limited with this color - for example may be with a light brown/dark brown suit and a dark solid tie it could be ok.

Have you thought about Winchester style shirts? white collar and cuff and the main shirt color is blue/pink, etc.? I wear a lot of those with my suits.

 

[comrade]

I love Ivory/ Creme. To me it is a subtle departure from white.
Your example looks white to me. My Ivory shirts came from Harvie
& Hudson more than 10 years ago. Very decent quality for the
price.

 

[JFWR]

Perhaps on my computer screen it isn't showing up correctly, but I can hardly tell the difference between this and "white"?

It probably is one of those differences that show up more in contrast to "true" white than in isolation. If so, it would probably not be a major enough departure.

 

[duckfriend99]

Thank you everybody for the quick replies!
Regarding the color, I will upload a side by side image for you to see the difference between the ivory and white shirts the brand offers. Its Hawes and Curtis.
I felt like the ivory might look a little odd when worn with a navy or grey suit which would be the suit colors I would be wearing. My main concern was however the formality level of the color.

Thank you again!

 

[JFWR]

Thank you everybody for the quick replies!
Regarding the color, I will upload a side by side image for you to see the difference between the ivory and white shirts the brand offers. Its Hawes and Curtis.
I felt like the ivory might look a little odd when worn with a navy or grey suit which would be the suit colors I would be wearing. My main concern was however the formality level of the color.

Thank you again!





View attachment 1971579

Given it doesn't have the yellowish tint that would make the shirt really seem informal and slovenly (think of Detective Cyrus Lupo on Law and Order - dude looked like a drunk and a slob), I think the slight difference in brightness would hardly qualify it as extremely less formal. I'd also have a hard time imagining it would clash with navy or grey suits, especially the navy.

Formality, I sincerely don't think the difference is big enough. Aesthetically, where's the difference? It's a slightly more dense shade of white.

 

[JFWR]

I am changing my opinion.

The off white shirts look slovenly as hell. I am watching an episode of Law and Order from the 2000s and the defendant is wearing a notably off-white shirt compared to the white shirt of the prosecutor and it looked like hell.

You can totally tell the difference and it looks like your shirt is yellowed with age. Yuck.

 

[gimpwiz]

IMO, barely off-white in the "brown" or "gray" directions can look dirty. Less subtle is obviously not dirty. I saw a guy wearing a champagne button-front shirt and I liked it.

 

[JFWR]

IMO, barely off-white in the "brown" or "gray" directions can look dirty. Less subtle is obviously not dirty. I saw a guy wearing a champagne button-front shirt and I liked it.

I'd avoid the subtle yellow - like a milky yellow.

 

[rjc149]

White, blue, off-white, gray, and pink are all acceptable shirt colors in conservative business environments, but your question really comes down to how conservative your company's culture is.

If your company's culture is very conservative, and you are lower-ranking, avoid shirts that are not solid white or blue.

If your company's culture is not that conservative, or you're a rainmaker, you'd be fine with off-white/cream.

If you're in high finance, I recommend also avoiding French cuffs for business. That goes for banker collars and suspenders. You don't want to look like another Gordon Gekko wannabe.

Again, this is all subject to your specific environment. If lower-ranking guys are going around wearing pink banker collar shirts and no-break trousers, you're fine with an off-white shirt.

 

[ForwardPleats]

I think ivory and cream shirts are perfect acceptable in a traditional, conservative business environment. They can be more flattering than blue or white on someone with a warmer complexion. Connery, Moore, and Brosnan all wore cream, ecru, or other off-white shirts with conservative city suits as James Bond:

 

[comrade]

More important than Connery or Moore, I own several ecru dress shirts
ands well as an off-white pleated silk evening shirt which no longer fits.

 

[gimpwiz]

That does sound important. Are you working to make it fit by the end of the year?

 

[ForwardPleats]

More important than Connery or Moore, I own several ecru dress shirts
ands well as an off-white pleated silk evening shirt which no longer fits.

While you are clearly a man of great taste, since the OP is likely from the UK (given the brand of shirt), I referenced Bond as an example given his strict adherence to the conservative British business dress code rules (no brown in town, etc.).

 

[LVEsq]

White, blue, off-white, gray, and pink are all acceptable shirt colors in conservative business environments, but your question really comes down to how conservative your company's culture is.

If your company's culture is very conservative, and you are lower-ranking, avoid shirts that are not solid white or blue.

If your company's culture is not that conservative, or you're a rainmaker, you'd be fine with off-white/cream.

If you're in high finance, I recommend also avoiding French cuffs for business. That goes for banker collars and suspenders. You don't want to look like another Gordon Gekko wannabe.

Again, this is all subject to your specific environment. If lower-ranking guys are going around wearing pink banker collar shirts and no-break trousers, you're fine with an off-white shirt.

I am not sure why the French cuff gets this much negative press. In my environment (law), nearly everyone wears French cuff shirts and I personally have almost no regular cuff shirts and order everything from Propercloth in French cuff. I strongly believe that a French cuff shirt is the height of traditional business attire. Maybe I am a style dinosaur, but in my line of work, the only people that I see wearing regular cuff shirts are brand new associates that are learning about proper traditional style or older lawyers that are simply unconcerned about their looks. A proper conservative dark suit pairs perfectly with a starch white French cuff shirt and a solid somber color tie.