Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
In today's video, we discuss the 10 first dress shirts every man should own.
Dress shirts are one of the most important style basics in your wardrobe and most men
have dress shirts but often, they don't quite work with the rest of their
wardrobe and so over the years, I have had hundreds of dress shirts and I learned a thing
or two, so if I would have to do it all over again, these are the 10 first dress shirts
I would start with in a collection.
This is based on how timeless something is, how versatile it is, and how complete it is.
While dress shirts form the foundation of a classic man’s wardrobe, they're often
overlooked in favor of suits, shoes, or accessories, however, if you get your first dress shirts
wrong, it's much harder to combine them with other things and you may not get the wear
out of them you desire.
So with these 10 dress shirts, you'll basically be equipped for all classic men's style outfits
yet you really cover just the basics so you don't spend more money than you ultimately
have to.
Basically, there are always three main considerations; one is the color shirt, then the type of fabric,
as well as the shirt details.
The very first I would suggest you invest in is a plain white solid dress shirt in a
plain weave.
I suggest to go with a medium spread collar as well as barrel cuffs because it allows
you to wear it in more formal and less formal settings but it's something you can pair with
jeans or denim, as well as with a very formal business suit.
I suggest to go with a medium weight fabric because it's something you can wear year-round.
If it's too thin, it's just appropriate for summer.
If it's too thick, you can only wear it during the colder months of the year and overall,
you want something that's as versatile as possible when you're just starting out.
Personally, I'm a big fan of cufflinks and for that, you need a double cuff or a French
cuff, however, I suggest not to opt for those in your very first shirt because it's an additional
expense and you're just starting out, you're better off investing money in your first shirt.
For a traditional placket, I suggest you get a French style which means there's no additional
piece of fabric; it is sewn underneath the buttons, it's just a clean very neat seam.
On top of that, I suggest you skip the pocket simply because a shirt pocket is really not
meant to be used and it will always destroy the seal of either your shirt or your jacket
so there's really no need to have shirt pockets in the first place.
That being said, a lot of off-the-rack shirts come with shirt pockets.
I have a few shirts in my wardrobe that I got vintage or used that have the shirt pockets
but if I go custom and I have the option, I always skip the pocket.
The second shirt I would invest in would be a fancy weave white dress shirt with double
cuffs or French cuffs.
I'm wearing one like that right now.
It has a subtle waffle pattern weave which makes it slightly different than a plain weave
in the sense that if you look at it very closely and the light shines in a certain direction,
you can see it has a pattern, however, from a few feet away or a few meters away, you
think it's a solid shirt with a nice depth of color.
Again, skip the pocket and if you went with a French placket before, go with a shirt placket
around this time simply so you have a range of different things in your wardrobe.
It just creates a more symmetrical look especially when you wear a bowtie.
If you wear a necktie, it doesn't matter because your shirt placket is covered up anyways.
If you don't want a waffle weave, a very popular pattern is a small herringbone pattern weave.
Look for a very fine weave because that's something that will stand the test of time.
Again, for a collar I would go with a classic medium spread collar because it suits every
face shape, it works with tie knots, bow ties, or as an open collar.
The third dress shirt should be a light blue dress shirt.
It should be made of a medium fabric, ideally, plain weave.
Again, barrel cuffs, no pocket and French placket.
If I say light blue, you'll encounter probably 500 different shades of light blue and what
you choose is ultimately up to you and your taste.
I find a lighter shade of light blue that is more pastel in color is more versatile
especially in the beginning.
Your fourth dress shirt should again be a light blue shirt but now, make sure that the
color shade is slightly different than the one you had previously.
You can go darker, you can go lighter, just make sure it's different.
Also, for the fabric itself, I suggest you get maybe something in a twill weave because
it's a new small weave pattern that you don't already have and it's a very classic thing,
it is hard wearing and it's particularly good in a slightly heavier fabric maybe for winter
because you want to have a variety of shirts in your wardrobe.
Of course, if you live in a place where it's always cold, you should get shirts that are
heavier with a fabric.
If you live in a tropical climate, only get shirts that are lighter in weight.
I'll suggest you go with double cuffs and if you want to experiment with a collar here,
you can do so.
Maybe you get a slightly larger collar, not a small collar, and make sure overall, it's
just something that works out well for you.
If your other light blue shirt has barrel cuffs or button cuffs, opt for a French cuff
here just to give you more versatility.
To learn more about dress shirt styles and how to choose a collar, please check out this
video here.
The fifth dress shirt I would invest in would be an ivory color.
It should be distinctly different from white if you hold them next to each other, however,
it's so close to white on its own that most people would never realize you're not wearing
a plain white dress shirt, however, plain white works really best with dark colors.
It could be a dark green, dark blue, dark charcoal, or black, however, when you pair
it with warmer colors such as brown, all of a sudden, the white just looks wrong.
It's especially true if you pair a white dress shirt with tweed, the contrast is too stark
and it doesn't work as well.
This is when the ivory shirt really shines, it's super versatile because you can wear
it with a business suit in charcoal or a navy but you can also wear it with much warmer
tones or summer suits and it will always look more appropriate than the plain white shirt.
In terms of details, the choice here is really up to you.
If you wear more cufflinks, go with a French cuff.
If you don't have cufflinks, go with a barrel cuff.
If you already got the basics covered, the ivory shirt is just a shirt that I would bring
when I travel and because of that, I would probably get it in a barrel cuff because that
would allow me to with more casual outfits as well as formal business suits.
The sixth shirt you should invest in is a striped shirt with a white background in a
blue stripe.
The size of the blue stripe is up to you.
I'd stay away from extreme fine ones or extreme bold ones, go with something in the middle
down the line because that will work well with all kinds of solid suits.
It adds another pattern and you can then either go with a solid tie or have a patterned tie
as well.
Something that works particularly well are small Macclesfield neats micro patterns and
you can learn more about what ties I would recommend in this video here and we also talk
about how to combine your shirt with your accessories so head over here you want to
learn more about that.
The seventh shirt is likewise a striped shirt but this time, I'd suggest you go with a light
blue background and a white stripe.
Ideally, the stripe should be different from what you already had so I'd suggest go more
with a finer stripe rather than with a bolder stripe because you want it to be super versatile.
Again, a finer stripe will look more like a solid from afar but it will add a different
color depth; it works well from close-up because even if you have a pattern, let's say a stripe
and a tie, the stripe is so fine that it works really well together.
The eighth shirt I would invest in would be a checked shirt and can either be a light
blue check on a white background or you can maybe go with a red and blue check on a white
background.
It just adds an additional color to your shirt wardrobe and red and blue are staples in a
classic man's wardrobe so you'll always be able to wear it, it never looks out of place,
it'll look good with a blazer.
If you wear it more casually, again, go with a button-down collar because it works well
with checked shirts.
I would also opt for the button cuffs, not the French cuffs because you will likely be
wearing this kind of shirt more in a casual environment.
The ninth shirt I would suggest you invest in is an Oxford cloth button-down shirt.
It's an American staple, it's a very hard-wearing cloth.
I'll get it in a light blue color because the Oxford fabric has strands of different
colors in white and blue so it gives a nice color effect in the light but you can also
wear it with a suit or without a suit when you work.
It's just a shirt that will stay in your wardrobe for a long time and to learn more about the
Oxford cloth button-down shirt all its details what to look for what to skip you can check
out this in-depth video guide here.
Last but not least, the 10th dress shirt I would invest in, in this day and age, is a
soft washed denim dress shirt.
10-15 years ago, it wasn't really something that men would actually wear.
In recent years, it has become so popular that men stock loads of them.
In general, a soft washed denim dress shirt really tones down any kind of formal garment
you have.
So if you are only in a white collar environment, it may not be the ideal thing for work but
it's definitely something you could wear in your off time, otherwise, you can always tone
down your suits or basically any kind of outfit with this kind of soft washed denim shirt.
I know one could argue that is a fairly recent invention and it may not stand the test of
time and while you were right about that, with the general casualization of men's wardrobe,
I'm pretty sure it'll still be around in 10 years, we'll see.
in today's video I am wearing a classic white fancy weave shirt with a small waffle pattern
it has a shirt placket French cuffs and a medium spread collar as well as mother of
pearl buttons if you want to learn more about what distinguishes a low end shirt from a
high-end shirt please check out this video here my cufflinks are gold monkey-fist cufflinks
from Fort Belvedere which you can find at our shop here they are very timeless and classic
and if you invest in your first 10 dress shirts this would be the cufflink I would wear with
it because you can always wear it if there was one other pair I would get one in silver
because you can really wear it for very formal evening events or not so formal board meetings
or even to the office it's just a cufflink that you will never regret having bought my
jacket is green and it's part of a suit it's single breasted it's a slightly heavier fabric
with a really nice color depth I combined it with a dark green madder silk tie from
Fort Belvedere which you can find in our shop there's enough contrast there especially because
of the white shirt and I combined it with a pocket square that picks up the green tones
and just ties it all together my slacks are also part of a suit they're kind of brown
and off-white houndstooth flannel and they contrast well the texture of my jacket but
because the colors are all so soft and warm it all works together my shoes are dark green
suede tassel loafers that pick up the brown tones of my pants as well as the green tones
of my jacket and tie thus tying it all together the socks I'm wearing here are brown and green
shadow stripe socks from Fort Belvedere picking up the brown tones and green tones once again
thus creating an harmonious outfit
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