DRESS (SHIRT) TO IMPRESS

Living in a tropical country with enough year-round humidity, I always anticipate the return of rainy days. When rains starts pouring down and temperature simply becomes cooler,  it is the best time to whip out my dress shirts and play the art of layering. I know most of you would raise an eyebrow, but dress shirts are one of the most flexible clothing item out there for men. The beauty of a classic shirt like this is that it can fit with almost any style, from preppy to bohemian. Gone are the days when dress shirts are stuffy and baggy. There are dime a dozen of brands in the market today that offer this classic in semi-fit cut and would definitely bring any man's powerful masculine silhouette.

So what is a Dress Shirt?

A proper dress shirt is a button-up shirt with a collar, long sleeves, and wrist cuffs. It is usually made from a cotton fabric woven and dyed into various, non-obtrusive patterns and colors. By altering these characteristics, a dress shirt can either send the message its wearer is ready for sport or ready to meet the President of the Free World.

Tips in Choosing Your Dress Shirt

1. For beginners, stick to the basic. This means that when unsure with what color will suit you, start with white since it compliment all skin color/tone. To this day, white still reigns as the most formal color, and its popularity has safely placed it among the iconic garments a man can wear. Where ever you may be, a man can safely assume a white shirt will never be out of place.

2. Look for the simple details, like quality stitching, the fabric and buttons must be made from Mother of Pearls (not actually pearl, these buttons are made from shell and are so hard that they can break needles).

3. A well fitted dress shirt should first and foremost be comfortable, this is different for every man. Larger men are usually complimented by a looser fit while petite and thin men are complimented by a more form cut. In general, though, a shirt should:

• Allow two fingers in the collar when buttoned.
• Be tight enough around the wrist so that the cuffs must be unbuttoned to slip them off.
• Have long enough sleeves so that you can raise your arms like wings and not pull the cuffs down the forearm; they should be short enough so that you don’t have more than 1 inch of fabric bunching near the cuff when your arms hang.
• Shoulder points that extend to the end of the shoulder and no farther.
• Have room in the chest and waist to pinch out 1-3 inches of fabric. 

For some, wearing a dress shirt isn't only being uptight, but downright geeky - so they say, but there is something romantic in an Old World sort of way about it . The ability of  a Dress shirt to add a little something special to the wearer and it's capacity of turning every man into a "gentleman", is definitely undeniable. The truth remains that, it's still up to the individual to wear the shirt out of it... as in bring their own style to it, because true style isn't something you can just buy in any retail shops. Style is something that comes from within.