White Dress Shirts

[ferrari360]

Guys,

I needed some advice on white dress shirts. I am writing an article for my local newspaper and wanted to include some valuable and new information about white dress shirts. I have gone through some of the posts as well as websites. Here are a few topics I think are good.


- Formal White Shirts
- Where they can be worn, what shows them as being formal, french cuffs, with/without pockets,
- Ties and suit colors that match

Business White Shirts
- Combinations of collars and cuffs, when it can be worn
- Ties that can be matched

Casual Usage
- match it with jeans, vests, jackets, sweaters,

Can anyone help me out? Any advice/content pieces will be useful.

 

[ManofKent]

Originally Posted by ferrari360

Guys,

I needed some advice on white dress shirts. I am writing an article for my local newspaper and wanted to include some valuable and new information about white dress shirts. I have gone through some of the posts as well as websites. Here are a few topics I think are good.


I've emboldened the difficult bit. Unless you're writing an historical piece on the development of shirt styles I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve.

As to matching - a white shirt can be worn with any colour tie - it's the easiest shirt to co-ordinate.

 

[ferrari360]

I guess I am looking for advice about style and the difference kind of white shirts that can be worn to each occasion.

For example, a white shirt with french cuffs probably wouldn't be ideal for a job interview. However, this would work for formal events.

If there is history as to why the white shirt became dominant, it would be useful. However, I don't think there is any such information.

 

[Schnurretiger]

Have a look at wikipedia. You'll learn a lot about shirts there.

 

[ManofKent]

Originally Posted by ferrari360

I guess I am looking for advice about style and the difference kind of white shirts that can be worn to each occasion.

For example, a white shirt with french cuffs probably wouldn't be ideal for a job interview. However, this would work for formal events.

If there is history as to why the white shirt became dominant, it would be useful. However, I don't think there is any such information.

White shirts with french cuffs are perfectly suited to a job interview in most of the western world.
For formal dress you'd want a true dress shirt not French cuffs.
Button down shirts are rarely worn with a suit in the UK but this seems to be common in the US.

As to history, white clothes showed you could afford to have them laundered - it was a sign of wealth.

Style wise there have been a few changes over the years - this company specialises in period recreations:

http://www.vintageshirt.co.uk/list_shirts.php

Not the new information you were asking for - but this cobers the basics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dress_shirt

 

[khakijeans]

Originally Posted by ferrari360

...If there is history as to why the white shirt became dominant, it would be useful. However, I don't think there is any such information.

I don't think I'd argue that it's not the most important but dominant? I'd bet that if you looked into sales figures you'd find that blue outsells white and that sales of white have been in a long decline.

 

[emc894]

Originally Posted by khakijeans

I don't think I'd argue that it's not the most important but dominant? I'd bet that if you looked into sales figures you'd find that blue outsells white and that sales of white have been in a long decline.

I don't think so. I think if you own one dress shirt for interviews/funerals/weddings it is going to be white.

But as far as fabric goes, broadcloth is most dressy> Royal Oxford is pretty formal> herringbone> Twill >Oxford Cloth

Jacquard and silk suck so I don't know where they go. Linen is nice but relatively casual.

someone else can give a much better list.

 

[ferrari360]

Originally Posted by emc894

I don't think so. I think if you own one dress shirt for interviews/funerals/weddings it is going to be white.

But as far as fabric goes, broadcloth is most dressy> Royal Oxford is pretty formal> herringbone> Twill >Oxford Cloth

Jacquard and silk suck so I don't know where they go. Linen is nice but relatively casual.

someone else can give a much better list.

This is all valuable information. Can you provide some more information about the fabric? I did some research on wikipedia and found some introductory information, but not that much.