“Will never go out of style” is term banded about by editors and product copy-writers far too often, but when it comes to the classic white shirt it carries some actual, verified weight.
Exempt from seasonal-silhouettes and the fast-changing currents of fashions colour de jour, the white shirt is your forever friend. The type you can go a few months without calling, but then comfortably slip back into your enduring-relationship with. It goes with anything.
Jeans and a pair of obnoxious dad-sneakers? Pistachio green double-breasted suit? Head-to-toe fire-engine red leather co-ord? The white shirt can elevate a look or (should you be shoosing the red leather) tone it down. You’d be harder pushed to find an ensemble it didn’t compliment.
The options on the market are quite literally endless; Oxford, Chambray, textured or dress are just a few variations of what you may some 30 seconds ago thought was an impossible-to-get-wrong buy. You want your white shirt, however simple it sounds, to have character and finesse, not look like the stiff school-uniform of your secondary-school years. Getting the fit and fabric is essential here.
With something to simple, all the focus will be on the quality of textile and how it sits on your body, from collar size to sleeve-length. A polyester blend will reek of a cheap fit, no matter what you’re no matter how expensive what you’re layering over it may be.
Whether you want something genteel and classic that you can wear in your largely tailored wardrobe or fervor something a little more exotic that will elevate your more off-beat style, investing heavy into a signature white shirt will leave you feeling firmly white-collared for years to come. Or until you spill red wine down your front and try to rub instead of dab, of course.
Alexander McQueen, Botanical Harness Shirt, AED2,550
Burberry, Embroidered EKD Poplin Shirt, AED1,350
Comme Des Garcon at Matches Fashion, Poplin Shirt, AED845
Dolce and Gabbana, Gold-Fit Tuxedo Shirt, AED2,605
Givenchy, Oxford Shirt with Piercing Jewellery, AED2,150
Gucci, Embroidered Collar Shirt, AED2,500
Prada, Strech Poplin Shirt, AED2,020
Saint Laurent, Pique Plastron Yves Collar Shirt, AED2,700
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