The Ten Commandments of Men’s Dress Shirts

[Guest]

The Ten Commandments were delivered to me from a pillar of fire in the desert. I pass them on to you, that your shirts may look divine.

[B]1. Thou shall own at least 1 amazing white shirt.[/B]
Is there anything more flattering, or versatile? It can be paired with an old pair of jeans, or with your best suit. If you can swing it, have it custom made. Shoot for a bit of texture, or a sheen to the fabric, to make it stand out from all the lesser white shirts. Wear it proudly, because this shirt WILL make you look like a million bucks.

[B]2. Thou shall buy brands that fit you well.[/B]
Some brands are tailored differently, depending on where the designer is from. Shop around until you have a couple of designers that just simply work for you. After you find them, this makes subsequent shirt selection much easier. I’m a huge fan of Hugo Boss and Ted Baker.

[B]3. Thou shall wear colors that compliment thy complexion.[/B]
There are charts, diagrams and whatnot for this. Some men look better in certain colors. Find yours and buy many of your shirts in these colors. Ask a woman for help on what looks best on you.

[B]4. Thou shall avoid contrast collar shirts.[/B]
Name a guy in a movie that wears contrast collars, that’s not a complete jerkwad. Seriously. Lumberg from Office Space, and Mr. “greed is good” himself come to most people’s minds when you wear one. Unless that’s the image you want to portray, steer clear. Want suspenders with that?

[B]5. Thou shall wear V-neck or no undershirt.[/B]
The open shirt collar and crew neck t underneath was fine in high school. But your a man now, and should dress like one. Either get V-necks, or go without if the climate warrants it. No undershirt is sexier. Women WILL notice.

[B]6. Thou shall not be afraid of wearing colors or stripes.[/B]
There are colors for a dress shirt, that are not solid blue or white. There are worse things than being the “blue shirt guy” at the office, but unless your in accounting, you may come off as boring or worse. Throw in some grey, turquoise, pink, pale green, pale yellow, and even a pale purple. A little won’t hurt. Promise.

[B]7. Thou shall pick a collar that compliments thy face.[/B]
The traditional point collar the the tradition and mainstay of shirt collars, and works for nearly every great dress shirt. If you’re a thin, wiry guy, try out a narrow collar. If you’re a bigger guy, try out a spread collar to balance out your visage.

[B]8. Thou shall own at least 1 French cuff shirt.[/B]
The French cuff shirt is the cream of of the crop, then it comes to upscale dressing. This is the dressiest shirt a man can own, short of wearing a tuxedo shirt in full black tie. When you HAVE to go beyond, and take it to the nines, no other type of shirt will do. Make sure you don’t shirk on getting interisting cuff links to complete the look. Great cuff links are a conversation starter in themselves.

[B]9. Thou shall not have visible monograms on your shirt, unless thy name be Thurston Howell III.[/B]
This falls in the no-fly-zone of men’s shirts. The last time most people had their names written on their shirts was summer camp, or high school gym class. Having your initials on your shirt as an adult smacks of something beyond snobbish elitism. If you’re important, people already know, you don’t have to proclaim it with letters on your chest. Unless you’re Superman…………

[B]10. Thou shall own several custom made shirts.[/B]
Custom made shirts can be relatively affordable. For the price of a very nice off the rack dress shirt, you can have shirts custom made. Think $125 on up, depending on the fabric, style, design. If you live in a big city, there are several places that can do it for a price that won’t break the bank. No shirt you will ever own, will look quite as good, as one custom made just for you. A few of these may be one of the best style purchases a man can make.

[B]A few Good Men’s Shirts:[/B]
J. Hilburn (I have shirts from here. Custom for a great price.)

[Guest]

For those that can't buy off the rack like myself(or even for others that want some custom made in their size) and don't have hundreds to spend per shirt, i've had a lot of success buying reasonably priced custom shirts from Paul Fredrick where you can specify everything. A little customizing can go a long way, and you really can feel great in them. Nothing is worse than a poor fitting shirt, suit, etc.

just a few comments on some of these recent Fenix posts on styling.

This stuff IS noticed, whether its work or play. This isn't just PU related. About 5-6 years ago, I made a conscious effort to start "dressing for the job I want", and I can't begin to describe the effect that has had on my career. It's well worth looking sharp, especially in the office setting.

I know B R, you mentioned you don't like french cuffs...i'm personally a fan.... I have several that I wear to work, that I just feel really good wearing and gives that extra something. Although i do NOT like any flashy cufflinks with them, just something subdued. Paired with a nice watch, it just feels like a good power look...

[Guest]

[QUOTE=El Fenix;34443]

[B]A few Good Men’s Shirts:[/B]
J. Hilburn (I have shirts from here. Custom for a great price.)[/QUOTE]

I was out at a wine tasting and was actually in one of my custom dress shirts and was approached by a J Hilburn rep who commented that it looks like I liked custom shirts( shows the value in wearing custom...it does get noticed) and should check them out.

I gave them a call and am going to get a fitting. Glad to hear your recommendation with them..

[Guest]

Topdog, thanks for the comments. I've enjoyed writing the articles, and enjoy crossposting them here for the community.

I found about J. Hilburn at a benefit event at Bengal Coast restaurant. I was very attracted by the prices. I had been to Q shirtmakers before, and found their pricepoints to be a bit high for my personal budget.

I went over to their offices near Love field, and incidentally talked to one of the founders. She also did my fitting, and helped me pick out my fabric and details.

Thanks for the Paul Fredrick recomendation, I may try them out also. J. Hilburn is what I got for Christmas ;)

[Guest]

Just picked up a J. Hilburn shirt a few days ago, and wore it out tonight to Sherlock's Northpark.

I can't tell you how many Ioi's I got tonight. It was awesome.
It's not a flashy shirt. It's just cut right, and fit great.

I'm really thinking that the fit of a quality shirt is probably more important than over the top peacocking details.

Guys, if your on the fence, don't be. Grab a custom shirt, and design it for you. It sounds like a too good to be true thing, but the benefits are great.

Call Jane Williams at J. Hilburn. These shirts are 100% legit.

[Guest]

What's the price range on these custom shirts?

[Guest]

[QUOTE=Prodigy;34513]What's the price range on these custom shirts?[/QUOTE]

I just hopped on the website. Looks like they run about a buck fifty. Not too bad.

[Guest]

$79 through $150. The one I just got was $114 including taxes.

[Guest]

I came in here to berate you, but I agree with everything but #8. French-cuffery looks like shit and its for amateur trash begging for an excuse to wear links.

Good post though.