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I think this has become the general discussion thread of sartorial matters that Derek might write or has written about? He's certainly written a bit about ecru. I thought I would take the plunge on a shirt but it's hard to figure out the right tone. Here are three fabrics photographed against a white sheet of paper. The very yellow fabric is left out since I think that's too yellow to count. I worry that the top Oxford might be too "dirty" but that the twill might be creamy but maybe too yellow. Obviously light matters, but I am focusing on the sliver of white paper between the two fabrics to be "white" View attachment 1672434 . Assuming the colors are close enough to reality...
Thoughts on Ecru? Fabrics that you've like for tweed shirting, non-white options?
I bought an ecru shirt a while ago, and while I like it, I find that I don't wear it as much as my basic options. Meaning, light blue oxfords and white-and-blue stripes.
I think it depends on how your shirt wardrobe is already structured. If you already have things such as tattersall and graph checks in your wardrobe, and you don't find yourself wearing those very often, then I say just accept that you're a more basic shirt wardrobe person. You can still get variations on your favorite shirtings. I like light blue oxford and find that I also like very subtle variations on that fabric, such as brushed oxford or chambray. This still allows me to wear a light blue shirt, but in a slightly different weave.
On the other hand, if you already find that you wear different shirtings, then an ecru can be a nice addition. I agree that it looks nice with brown tweeds.
I remember looking at your photo in the afternoon and thinking that the top one was better. But now that I'm looking at this under a yellow light, the bottom one looks better. TBH, I think both options are good. When in doubt, I always go for the subtler option (which during the day, seemed like the top one to me).
Below is a brushed version of oxford.