The case for black dress shirts?

[aravenel]



I definitely agree with this with one caveat. I do not think eccentricity is the sole domain of the rich and powerful (although it does help). The only thing is, if you are going to do something eccentric you have to totally own it. Do it because it is YOU, and not because you are copying someone famous. That being said, I never try to wear anything eccentric. lol

This is true. The problem is that 99% of the time people doing this don't get the elegance of the whole outfit--they are wearing some super ostentatious too-tight jacket with the cuffs unbuttoned all the way and bright red bracers visible underneath, and then say "well, [insert whoever here] did this one thing and it worked". The difference is that [insert whoever here] was wearing something incredibly elegant and tasteful that would have looked fantastic on its own, and had one eccentric quirk. If you have 10 things going on, it's not eccentric, it's ostentatious poor taste. In order to pull off an eccentricity like that, everything else has to be *perfect*, and it pretty much never is even close.

 

[VRaivio]

Well, I can picture black collar shirts as part of evening romping from city club to another, but certainly there are plenty of better choices. Dark purple or very dark navy will certainly look better, as black shirts are a mainstay of bouncerwear or waiterwear. moseymosey, if you really want to wear black, I'm sure black gingham would make for an interesting choice. Dressy enough for tailored sets.

Here's one Elkann with said shirt:

 

[msulinski]

I am not sure I can really get behind black shirts, even for clubbing. You are likely already going to be wearing black pants, so a black shirt just puts you in the all-black category, which I am not sure anyone wants to be in.

 

[Hiras Fashion]

While a black dress shirt is an unusual choice, if you do have one, you might want to try and pair it with light grey pants or jacket for occasions in the evening. But like what the gentleman here mentioned, not exactly a popular color choice for office wear.

 

[Adam Purcell]

I've several black dress shirts. But I'm a freelance makeup artist and black is de rigueur. If your taste runs to the industrial or gothic, run free bold spirit.

 

[Digmenow]

I am required to wear a black dress or 3 button polo shirt paired with khaki or black pants as part of my daily workwear dress code in a retail environment. In an effort to find quality shirts, I turned to Brooks Brothers to see if I could find something that fit well and presented the best look that I could afford on short notice when the code changed over.

Brooks Brothers does not sell a black dress shirt. The highest quality, somewhat tailored, cotton black dress shirt that I could find was only available online through Jos A. Bank. Does that tell you anything? I don't know but I wasn't encouraged.

Spoiler: The only pic I have available is of an early thrift store purchase from the week that the new code went into effect and I no longer wear it.

End of the work day wrinkles and all.

I now own about a dozen and wash them in Woolite for dark clothes to keep them from fading.

My other dress shirts and my suits weep silently in the closet.

 

[Blackhood]

The trouble with the black dress shirt is that is separates SF from real life.

I too regularly wear one to work because the fashion industry demands it. Going out after work I get hit on more than when I go out dressed like an SF pro.

The funny thing about style is that it is often at odds with fashion, and while one means that in 30 years your photographs will still look good, the other means having your balls licked by fashionable young ladies.

EDIT: Though Digmenow, I'm glad I only have to wear it with a black suit. I'm fairly sure white chinos would be enough to make me throw in the towel.

 

[Caustic Man]

one means that in 30 years your photographs will still look good, the other means having your balls licked by fashionable young ladies.

Some of us don't want to get our balls licked by fashionable ladies. Some of us want to have long term relationships with stylish women. As with clothing itself, fashionable ladies might be for the moment, stylish ladies are forever.

 

[Blackhood]

I wholeheartedly agree. I was making the point that as with everything in life there is a time and a place. Tweed sportscoats are for meeting your girlfriends family, and skinny black suits are for clubbing. The all or nothing approach that is advocated on this forum is unrealistic.

 

[Caustic Man]

I was making the point that as with everything in life there is a time and a place.

The time and place for a black dress shirt is between the ages of 16-20, at your high school prom or a waiter's job. Inappropriate anywhere else.

 

[Blackhood]

Except for the two examples you already have of people asked to wear them by employers of course?

 

[Caustic Man]

Except for the two examples you already have of people asked to wear them by employers of course?

Doesn't make it right.

 

[Blackhood]

No, but it makes it REALITY.

 

[Caustic Man]

No, but it makes it REALITY.

Denim shirts and Metallica t-shirts are also reality, but I say again, it doesn't make it right.

 

[Blackhood]

I'm sure you could make a good argument that for ranchers and people who spend a lot of time with animals that a denim ***** makes much more sense than a cotton shirt. Band-T-Shirts are another question but I can think of at least a couple of places where they would be a good idea - roadies, record-store clerks, staff at gigs, people working at NME.

You don't have to enjoy any element of clothing, and I'm certainly not suggesting that you must now go and buy black shirts, but sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting LA LA LA LA LA doesn't actually make them go away, stop people needing them, stop people wearing them or anything else.