Critique on shirt styles & adivce regarding fabric and collar

[Louis XIV]

Good morning gentlemen, to give you a brief introduction of myself, I am a 23 year old student of Mechanical and Process Engineering from Germany. I have always liked classic men's clothing over fashion, yet because of my unusual build, I am only 5'8 = 172cm tall and 123lbs = 56kg heavy, I had a hard time finding approriate fitting clothes as they are usually cut for older and therefore bigger men, which is the reason I only posses 5 MTM shirts to start from. Also I am not yet satisfied with their fit, eventhough the tailors tell me they are fine, but I will post some pics at the approriate topic as soon as all of them are washed, dried and ironed. So now that I am getting older and found SF as a mind-blowing source of information as well as inspiration

I feel the time has come to finally make a change to my wardrobe. As I will stay at university for a few more years, being an avid athlete and not going to formal restaurants and events all that often, I feel I should first expand my stock of shirts rather than going into suits, jackets etc. The overall style I looking for right now can be outlined as shirts tucked into yet to be bought chinos as well as raw denim indigo jeans, brown leather as well as navy boat shoes, merino and cashmere sweaters in muted colors - light grey, charcoal, fawn, navy - covered by an old leather flight jacket of my fathers and a future slim Baracuta G9. What I am looking for in this topic is critique on the details of build and imagined creations of shirts I have come up with as well as advice regarding the right choice of fabric and collars those future shirts should be made of. After studying a whole lot of threads on this forum the parameters I am pretty sure of are the following: No placket/french placket Barrel cuff with rounded edges and one button both at the cuff as well as the gauntlet No Pocket No Pleats Single piece yoke Back darts to support the desired slim and clean look MOP buttons What I am not sure about is the fabrics as well as the collar of the shirts, as I will not wear a tie too frequently and will not cover the shirt with a jacket, should I go for OCBD? Do you feel wearing a medium to wide spread collar shirt made of "dressier" fabric and without a tie as the top layer sounds good for my casual approach? What do you think of this collar for an OC shirt? http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/709...ford75lich.jpg Regarding styles, as I do already own both an OCBD as well as a dress shirt in both white and light blue I think it is time for some patterns and colors. What I was thinking of: 1. White ground, beige stripes, just like this http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ln...leu4o1_400.png 2. White ground, deep purple stripes, not yet sure whether to go for thick http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/DSC00222.jpg or thin http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/3653/img1027i.jpg stripes 3. Just like #2 only with dark blue stripes 4. Just like #2 and #3 only with light blue stripes 5. Just like #2, #3 and #4 only with light grey/silver stripes 6. White ground, very narrow deep brown check, just like this pattern http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/4654/acorngingham.png Too much stripes, to less checks? Also I like herringbone and houndstooth only I feel a bit uncertain if and how they make a nice looking shirt. Maybe you could give some pics so I can get an idea? Thanks a lot in advance

 

[Louis XIV]

Your replies would be highly appreciated!

 

[NakedTruth]

Stripes offer a flattering, classic look, but they should not be your only look.

Wider-spread collars accentuate the shoulders... and the knot of the necktie. If you choose a "wide spread" or "cutaway" collar, I would advise against OCBD.

Regarding construction, a two-piece yoke is preferable for both fitment - and where stripes or checks are involved - looks.

 

[Louis XIV]

Thanks a lot for your reply!

Regarding collars, my question might not have been clear enough, what I wanted to ask was:
Should I go for OCBD shirts which I associate with pointy, at their extremes medium spread collar - or do you think wearing shirts of a "dressier" fabric and with medium to wide spread collars but without a tie, jacket etc. looks fine as a top layer or under a sweater?
Regarding patterns, what do you think thinner stripes or more bold ones?
Somehow the thinner ones have a greater appeal to more, seem to be more classy on the other hand they might not be favourable for my slim build?

 

[NOBD]

Originally Posted by Louis XIV

What do you think of this collar for an OC shirt? http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/709...ford75lich.jpg

Great.

 

[Louis XIV]

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[NOBD]

Originally Posted by Louis XIV

Found this pic in the folded up shirt Appreciation thread, does it happen to be your shirt NOBD?
Would you wear it without a tie?

Yes and yes.

 

[Louis XIV]

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[NOBD]

 

[Louis XIV]

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[NOBD]

Not really, just this one, but you can hardly see the collar because it's a navy shirt.

And thanks. Mrs NOBD makes the clothes though.

 

[TheTukker]

Originally Posted by NOBD

And thanks. Mrs NOBD makes the clothes though.

Congrats - didn't realize you had taken that step.

 

[NOBD]

Originally Posted by Lonneker

Congrats - didn't realize you had taken that step.

Sorry, just a short way to refer to my girlfriend... But thanks, Lonneker.

 

[Louis XIV]

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[NOBD]

Originally Posted by Louis XIV

1) NOBD = No Button Down? Therefore you think I/nobody should wear them but rather collars like the ones on the stripped as well as the plain blue shirt?

I read it as nobody. I don't like BD's though, don't understand them either, but no: everyone should wear what they like. And they're quite popular on this forum, so you may not want to listen to me.

Originally Posted by Louis XIV

2) What do you, as I like your styles a lot, think of the build as well as the desired styles of the shirts?

I'm not sure what you mean by build and styles, but I'll try and answer. I like shirt fabrics with some texture, I really like linen for instance. As to fit/cut: I like them, let's say, relaxed fitted. Not super slim. Details: spread collar, no breast pocket, single one-button rounded cuffs.