Meditations on a new shirt wardrobe

[Lightbringer]

I am struck with this sudden idea:

A shirt wardrobe. 80% plain white poplin, 20% plain blue poplin. Collars mostly a standard wide spread, some with a classic button-down (for wear without ties). Cuffs all a plain French cuff or basic barrel.

Discard all other shirts.

Am I mad?

 

[edmorel]

No, you're not mad, you're foofing mad!

In all seriousness, my shirts consist of 80% solid blue/15% white and a few stripes thrown in. White and blue shirts are going to go with everything, for me, that kind of shirt wardrobe requires magnificent (yet soporific) ties and a predominance of grey shade suits. If you are like me and wear more coats than suits, I would tend to the louder end of sport coats.

 

[Lightbringer]

Originally Posted by edmorel

No, you're not mad, you're foofing mad!

In all seriousness, my shirts consist of 80% solid blue/15% white and a few stripes thrown in. White and blue shirts are going to go with everything, for me, that kind of shirt wardrobe requires magnificent (yet soporific) ties and a predominance of grey shade suits. If you are like me and wear more coats than suits, I would tend to the louder end of sport coats.

I might keep about 5% stripes for variety as well. I generally prefer white shirts as I think that they flatter my skin-tone more. I sometimes wear a coat, but it's generally a blazer. I like stern, classic, conservative, and plain.

But I somehow can't see myself unhappy grabbing one of a rotation of plain shirts and smiling crazily at myself. I am this close to ordering 30 meters of cloth and issuing the command to my tailors.

 

[comrade]

Originally Posted by Lightbringer

I am struck with this sudden idea: A shirt wardrobe. 80% plain white poplin, 20% plain blue poplin. Collars mostly a standard wide spread, some with a classic button-down (for wear without ties). Cuffs all a plain French cuff or basic barrel. Discard all other shirts. Am I mad?
No, you are risk averse. I own no white dress shirts. I do have some ecru or cream. Most are blue or pink. Also,a high percentage of stripes and checks. All in exquisite taste. I do not have a regular office job.

 

[Simplicio]

Originally Posted by Lightbringer

I might keep about 5% stripes for variety as well. I generally prefer white shirts as I think that they flatter my skin-tone more. I sometimes wear a coat, but it's generally a blazer. I like stern, classic, conservative, and plain.

But I somehow can't see myself unhappy grabbing one of a rotation of plain shirts and smiling crazily at myself. I am this close to ordering 30 meters of cloth and issuing the command to my tailors.

The look might be fine. But does this mean you have tired of the clothes-coordination challenge? Over time it could lead to a slippage in standards. I've seen it happen.

 

[landshark]

I'm working toward 100% white, not including the non-white shirts I already have. Poplin, royal oxford,thick oxford cloth, and linen. A mix of French, and barrel cuffs. Spread and button down collars.

 

[Parker]

4 out of 5 times I grab a solid blue shirt. The other 1 time is a patterned blue shirt.

 

[Lightbringer]

Originally Posted by landshark

I'm working toward 100% white, not including the non-white shirts I already have. Poplin, royal oxford,thick oxford cloth, and linen. A mix of French, and barrel cuffs. Spread and button down collars.

I'd almost do this except I really don't need that much variation in cloth. I did this through elimination -- oxfords are too warm for where I am going to live, and I dislike linens. This really leaves only light poplins of some sort. I might keep a few oxfords for winter trips, but that's that.

 

[TheWraith]

Most of my shirts are white or blue (including a blue oxford). I still need to get a few striped varieties. I'm working on building my shirt wardrobe up.

 

[Lightbringer]

Originally Posted by comrade

No, you are risk averse.

I own no white dress shirts. I do have some ecru or cream. Most are blue or pink.
Also,a high percentage of stripes and checks. All in exquisite taste. I do not have a regular
office job.

I unfortunately will have to hold down a regular office job!

I like clean and geometric stripes and checks, but not too much. Blue looks good when I've gotten a bit more of a tan. Pink just never has been to my taste. Cream feels waffly to me -- it's whitish, but just doesn't want to be white! A very light ivory -- maybe.

But at the end of the day, too heavy a pattern is just too busy and cluttered.

White is punchy. White is crisp. White is plain and clean and flawless and perfect. It fits my modernist aesthetic perfectly.

 

[Lightbringer]

Originally Posted by Parker

4 out of 5 times I grab a solid blue shirt. The other 1 time is a patterned blue shirt.

I understand the popularity of blue here. Part of the problem is that I often enjoy wearing some sort of blue suit or blazer. As such, I often feel that wearing a blue shirt has the effect of wearing too much blue, even if the shades may differ.

 

[Lightbringer]

Originally Posted by Simplicio

The look might be fine. But does this mean you have tired of the clothes-coordination challenge? Over time it could lead to a slippage in standards. I've seen it happen.

I will guard vigilantly against this.

To be honest though, this is in part a response to the wear and tear on my current wardrobe. I commissioned a variety of shirts before this, but I end up wearing my white shirts almost all of the time -- resulting in undue wear and tear on the shirts. They're starting to look ratty. I might as well give up the illusion of choice!

 

[Journeyman]

Originally Posted by Lightbringer

I am struck with this sudden idea:

A shirt wardrobe. 80% plain white poplin, 20% plain blue poplin. Collars mostly a standard wide spread, some with a classic button-down (for wear without ties). Cuffs all a plain French cuff or basic barrel.

Discard all other shirts.

Am I mad?


I'd go the other way - 80% blue, with 20% white.

Also, I'd introduce some mini-gingham check shirts and fine, pencil stripe shirts into your blue shirt rotation - very subtle patterns that still allow you to mix-and-match patterns on jackets and ties, but which provide a bit of visual interest up close.

I wear a lot of blue jackets - plain, herringbone weave, check and so on, and I've never had a problem with wearing a lighter blue shirt with such jackets. I'd only feel odd if I was wearing a light blue jacket - I have a light blue, mini-houndstooth check jacket and I wouldn't wear that with a light blue shirt, as the colour is too similar, and thus I wear it with a white or a pink shirt.

 

[Don Carlos]

The urge to reduce style to dress-by-numbers, and to eschew bad choices by removing choice altogether, seldom has struck a chord with me.

It's fine if you want to keep the vast bulk of your dress shirts plain blue or white. In fact, that's probably how it should be. I always find myself somehow needing more blue or white shirts. At the same time, variety. Spice of life. And all that.