Picking a Shirt

Tuesday, 13 May 2008 09:14

Let this be thy guiding rule:

'All Shirts were not created equal'

Most men simply buy a shirt - any shirt. Its used for work, weddings, funerals, office parties, dates, when nothing else is available, family re-unions, christmas.

Okay, so that is what we call getting value for money. But the flip side is a shirt that looks worn, tattered and uncared for - and by extension you. There is a world of difference between the shirt that fits and looks clean and crisp, and the cheery cheap shirt you picked up in the mall along with a gallon of ice-cream and a six pack.

First things first. We should all have three or more shirts at a minimum. At least one should be kept for special occassions. The others can be used to cover the more mundane tasks in life. If you are a regular shirt wearer its likely you'll have ten or more shirts lying about the wardrobe. No matter how many you have, or what style or color they are, the one golden rule you can obey to look fab in a shirt is to have it ironed correctly and cleaned thoroughly. That means no hidden stains beneath the tie area, or leaving the back of the shirt un-ironed as 'nobody sees that area'.

When buying a shirt consider when you'll be wearing it. Social shirts should have a bit more flair about them than the drab shirts of work. For instance, colors, designs and larger collars and cuffs are all good for social shirts. Work shirts should be crisp and clean and unless you work in the offices of ThugVillage you should shy away from bold, brash designs.

Pick a shirt that will suit the rest of you're outfit. White always goes well with jeans, pink will go with a blue suit, blue shirts will go with grey suits and most colors can be matched with black.

To ensure the shirt fits corrects follow these simple rules:

- Every shirt should sit well on your shoulders. The shirt shoulders should never overhang your shoulders.
- For a proper neck fit, you should be able to insert a finger (not you're smallest finger either!) under your collar comfortably. The collar should sit on your neck.
- All shirts should slightly taper towards the waist.

Designs come and go with the changes in the seasons. In 2005 stripes were in. 2006 saw the 'squares' shirt. 2007 was a mix of bright patterns and dare I say it, floral designs.

2008 looks set to be the year of the plain shirt. There is nothing wrong with wearing styles from older years. Unless you're going to a fashion convention, its highley unlikely that anyone but the most fashion conscious will notice.

Finally consider your body shape (it always comes back to this, doesn't it?!). Athletic types should go for a more fitted shirt that tapers as it reaches the waist. It should bring the chest area to prominence. The more generous portioned amonst us should pick fitting, but not tight shirts. We can draw attention away from our midsections by choosing shirts that have large collars, have vertical stripes (make you look taller), that direct the attention to perhaps the tie (bland shirt and bright tie). Skinny types should avoid vertical stripes and go with boxes or circles on the design.

No shirt should be shaped like a box. That is, no shirt should have a right angle from the underarm down. Our natural body shape is somewhat like an inverted 'V'. Our shoulders are broadest and taper down to our narrowest point - the feet. Shirts should mimic this. Cheap shirts in particular, nearly always have this trait of having straight sides rather than slighly tapered. Avoid at all costs. Nothing speaks more of a guy without a clue than an ill-fitting cheap shirt.

Topman Shirt - Casual. Notice the dress down features - shoulder straps, more of a crumpled, slightly denim look.