Dark dress shirts

CharlesAlexander · Sep 9, 2008

Am I the only one that doesn't care for dark colored dress shirts?

I was looking through my closet today and noticed that all of my dress shirts are light colors. White, light blues, light blue with stripes, white shirts with blue stripes, light purple, etc. I just don't light the way dark colored shirts go with suits or even with just slacks.

Is there something wrong with me?

embowafa · Sep 9, 2008

Nope!! I'm with ya.

Mostly whites and light blues (solid & patterned).

PandArts · Sep 9, 2008

I don't think so. I've tried the look and to be perfectly honest didn't like it at all either...

Golf_Nerd · Sep 9, 2008

Originally Posted by CharlesAlexander

Is there something wrong with me?

I can't tell.

Why don't you try these shirts, make pics and post them?

garmentmerchant · Sep 9, 2008

I agree they dont go with everything thats for sure, but i did have a light blue suit that looked great with a dark denim blue colored shirt I owned. I own mostly white and lights as well but this is my one exception. Looks rather nice.

Metlin · Sep 9, 2008

Depends, I guess.

Most of my formal dress shirts (read: dress shirts worn for work) tend to be patterns or shades of blue or white. Of course, I do have a handful few brightly colored ones (maroon, dark purple, pink, yellow etc) because I've an olive skin tone, and these colors look good on me.

However, that said, a lot of the dress shirts that I'd wear to clubs or for the nightlife tend to be dark or gray.

Sir James · Sep 9, 2008

The shirt is suppose to provide contrast. Nothing makes more contrast than white followed by light blue. Dark color shirts are good only if they have contrasting collars and sleeves. Otherwise the dark tones of the shirt will overpower the color of the suit.

JayJay · Sep 9, 2008

Originally Posted by embowafa

Nope!! I'm with ya.

Mostly whites and light blues (solid & patterned).
I'm not a fan of dark dress shirts, either.

R-H · Sep 9, 2008

Most (not all) dark dress shirts are terrible. Mustard, red, green, purple, black etc.

It is very much a Men's Warehouse/Moores look.

But there are exceptions.

Dewey · Sep 9, 2008

If you are not wearing a coat, then I think a good-fitting dark dress shirt looks a bit less like underwear than a good-fitting light dress shirt.

If you are wearing a jacket, there's no good reason to wear a dark dress shirt. Dark dress shirts, esp. black ones, have become one of the worst cliches.

Ten years it might have been cool. Now the novelty has worn off, and it just looks bad.

tlmusic · Sep 9, 2008

I also favor dress shirts in light colors. For example solid french blue (although a popular "look&quot

is not to my taste.

I might be ok with one dark color on a patterned shirt, but I still like it if the overall effect is light.

Shraka · Sep 9, 2008

I don't like them either, although the exception is when you're wearing them with a lighter suit. That can look good.

EL72 · Sep 9, 2008

In the early to mid-90s, I bought a black shirt that I would wear with a grey nailhead suit and a silver tie in the evenings for that goodfellas look.

Tomasso · Sep 9, 2008

Originally Posted by Shraka

the exception is when you're wearing them with a lighter suit. That can look good.
True, but always sans tie.

This looks good:

This, not so much:

Dewey · Sep 9, 2008

^ I've seen Clooney's outfit on average-looking, slightly overweight men, in average-looking suits with washed-once/out black shirts. And it does not look good -- especially if they have gray/silver hair.

If you are a gorgeous man with a great smile and a near-perfect body, it might like good on you -- as in this example. But everything looks good on you.

Just my opinion of course

Dark dress shirts

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