Men's Dress Shirts Buying Guide

Men's dress shirt sizes

Before looking for a dress shirt, you'll need to know your size. Dress shirt sizes have two numbers: the first is your neck size, and the second is your sleeve length. Ill-fitting clothes won't impress anyone and will be uncomfortable, so be sure measure yourself to get an exact fit. For directions on the correct way to measure yourself for a men's dress shirt, read the Men's Measurement Guide from Overstock.com. If you have any more questions about your men's clothing size, be sure to refer to the Overstock.com Sizing Guide.

Dress shirt fits

Dress shirts are commonly available in three different fits: athletic, regular and full. Choose your dress shirt fit based on your body type and personal style.

• Athletic: Also called slim or tailored, this is the narrowest fitting men's dress shirt.
• Regular: This standard dress shirt fit is a little looser than the athletic fit. If a men's dress shirt doesn't have a fit listed, you can assume it is regular fit.
• Full: The loosest of all dress shirt fits, this is appropriate for men with a larger stature. Full fit men's dress shirts are also usually a little longer.

Stripes, solids or prints

With so many choices, you may not be sure which color of men's dress shirt is right for you. Before you start buying every color of dress shirt available, think about a few things:

• How do others dress at your office? Take a cue from others around you to see what would be appropriate. If everyone is wearing a white or blue dress shirt, then you may not be taken seriously in a brightly-colored striped shirt.
• Is there an office dress code? Often, only law offices and financial institutions have official policies about the color of your dress shirts, but there may be an unspoken policy. When you're noticing what others are wearing, you'll want to also notice if there are any unofficial attitudes about what is expected.
• What will you do today? A day spent meeting with clients requires a different outfit than one where you are by yourself in your office. If you have a variety of dress shirts in your closet, make sure you have shirts that are appropriate for what your schedule holds.
• What do you do at your job? While lawyers, bankers and politicians are expected to project a serious image, a graphic designer or a publisher is expected to be more creative. A lawyer in a print shirt may not be taken seriously, and likewise, not much creativity may be expected from a creative director in a solid blue dress shirt.
• What makes you feel confident? Once you have found what is expected in your office, choose dress shirts that you'll feel good wearing. Even if everyone in the office is wearing a wild striped shirt, you can still wear a white shirt if that's what helps you feel self-assured.

The details make the shirt

While the color may be the first thing you notice about a dress shirt, it's the details that will define its style. Be sure to notice the style of the collar, cuffs and pocket of a dress shirt before you buy it. You'll probably find that there are dress shirt details you prefer over others.

Collars

Choose dress shirt collars that complement your face shape. For example, narrow collars with pointed tips look best on men with narrow faces. There are several types of dress shirt collars, and each type has several variations: some tips will be more rounded, and some will have more space in between the front tips. Here are a few:

• Straight-point: The V-shaped points of a straight-point collar are the most common style, and are flattering for most faces.
• Button-down: Less formal than other dress shirt collars, the button-down collar is generally made of a softer fabric and pressed with less starch.
• Spread: With a bigger gap between the tips, a spread collar has many different tips to flatter all but the roundest faces.
• Tab: With a higher collar and a smaller spread, this is most flattering on men with long necks.
• Club: Also known as a rounded collar, the club collar is short, has rounded tips and looks very stylish.
• Pinned: With a high collar much like the tab collar, a pinned collar has a straight pin which fastens the two points.

Collars that don't have buttons or pins will be held in place with either plastic or metal stays to keep them pointed. Don't throw these away when you buy a new shirt, and make sure to remove the stays when you launder your dress shirt.

Cuffs

Like collars, the cuffs on dress shirts come in many varieties, with curves and points and various numbers of closures. Here are the basic types:

• Barrel: Barrel cuffs are also known as a button cuff because they close with at least one button, and possibly more than one. If there are multiple buttons, these can be used to adjust the fit.
• French or Double: A French cuff or double cuff has fabric that is long and folds back. These are closed with a cufflink or silk knot. French cuffs are considered by many to be more formal than a barrel cuff.
• Convertible: A convertible cuff can be closed with buttons or cufflinks.

Pockets

Dress shirt companies design shirts with pockets as they like, but there are a few general expectations about pockets:

• Shirts with button-down collars are more likely to have a chest pocket.
• Shirts with two chest pockets are considered to be less formal.
• Shirts worn with a vest or with suspenders should not have pockets--both would be too bulky.

Remember to limit how much you carry in your dress shirt pocket so you won't look sloppy.

Dress shirt fabrics

The fabric of your men's dress shirt will affect your comfort, the appearance of the shirt and its care. Here are a few things to consider when you are online shopping for men's dress shirts:

Fibers

• Cotton: Cotton breathes well and can be very soft, so you'll be comfortable while you're wearing it. Cotton also holds dye well, so bright colors will look great for a long time.
• Cotton blends: When another fiber is woven in with the cotton, you get the benefits of both fibers. For example, a cotton-Lycra blend will add stretch, and a cotton-polyester won't wrinkle as much.
• Linen: Linen dress shirts breathe well, making them perfect for summer wear. Linen does wrinkle easily, so you'll need to spend a bit more time ironing.

Weaves

• Broadcloth: A tightly-woven fabric with a silky texture, broadcloth cotton has a lustrous finish.
• Poplin: Made of 100-percent cotton, poplin is woven with a horizontal rib effect and can be a bit more expensive.
• Oxford: A few types of Oxford weaves are available, but in general, an Oxford is woven from a heavier yarn, giving it a more rugged texture.
• Twill: The diagonal weave of twills makes it perfect for a solid-color dress shirt.

Caring for men's dress shirts

Now that you've chosen the perfect dress shirts, you'll want to keep them looking great by taking care of them well. The steps are easy:

• As with all of your clothing, be sure to follow the washing instructions on the label.
• If you can, have your shirts professionally laundered and pressed--not dry cleaned.
• If a stain makes it through the wash, don't iron the shirt. Ironing stains sets them for good. Try washing the shirt again after using a stain pretreatment.
• Check the buttons occasionally to see if they are loose. Sewing on buttons is a good skill for men to have, but your cleaners can take care of it for you.
• Hang your dress shirts on wooden hangers--never wire--to maintain their shape.

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