Understanding the Effect of Contrast on Color Selection

Understanding the Effect of Contrast on Color Selection

The first thing a person notices about a man's dress shirt is its color. In a crowded room of men in suits, your choice of dress shirt color will either help you stand out or blend in. Neither of them is a bad thing, it depends on your intention. The more important question here is: do you know how to mix and match your clothing to fulfill your intention? The only way to do this right is to understand what colors complement you.

The Role of Skin Complexion, Hair, and Eye Color

The two most important factors in selecting dress shirt color are skin tone and hair color. Eye color is a wild-card factor; sometimes it strongly contrasts a man's complexion and hair color. It is the relationship between these three factors that determines what contrast category a man falls into: High, Low or Medium Contrast.

High Contrast Men

These are men whose hair color is a stark contrast to their skin tone; black hair with white skin is a perfect example. For high contrast men the key to looking good is to be able to mimic this color difference in their clothing with the contrast in their facial zone. A dark navy blue suit with a white dress shirt or a charcoal grey suit matched with an ice blue dress shirt are two combinations that complement high contrast men. Dark shirt with light suit is also an option but requires more skillful & careful pairing. High contrast men are always complemented by strong ties that stand out from the shirt.

Low Contrast Men

As the name suggests, these are men with a muted appearance. Light hair and light skin is the most common variant, but men with red hair, bald men, and men with little hair also fall into this category. The strengths of these men are the exact opposite of the high contrast men above. Low contrast men should seek a monochromatic look, as that a strong contrasting outfit will easily overpower their muted tones. Remember the purpose of a frame (your clothing) is to enhance the picture (your face). In general, low contrast men fair well with dark blues and earth tone dress shirts combined with dark suits. When wearing light gray or tan suits, the low contrast gentlemen needs to stay with lighter colored shirts and earth tones; white is permissible here if the suit is light enough to avoid a stark contrast. Be careful in your choice of tie, if the neck-wear stands out too much it can draw attention from your face to your chest and stomach.

Medium Contrast Men

If you don't fall into one of the two extremes, you most likely fit into this group. Brown skinned men with dark hair are common members, along with lighter skinned men and with gray and white hair. With such a wide selection of facial tones and hair colors, it's hard to give specific guidance in this category. To sum it up, medium contrast men can enjoy the best of both worlds, but should be careful when venturing too far in one direction.

An Introduction to Shirt Fabrics

An Introduction to Shirt Fabrics

Shirting is a special term for the fabrics used in making shirts. Cotton is by far the most common shirt fabric for dress shirts, and most fabric names refer to a particular method of weaving it. Oxford, poplin, broadcloth are most often used types of shirt fabrics. Besides, cotton twill & Dobby are also quite popular fabric types with the intention of adding more characteristics to the dress shirt.

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Oxford cloth, the coarsest shirting, is nonetheless quite soft and comfortable. Not like in the past it was only accepted as fabric of casual shirts, these days Oxford cloth is widely used in comfortable but still formal enough dress shirts. In colored and patterned Oxford shirts, only the threads running in one direction are dyed, while the others are left white. This gives the fabric its characteristic textured appearance. Pinpoint Oxford is woven likewise, but of finer yarn, and is thus smoother and more formal. Royal Oxford is finer still, and can stand proudly beside a fine wool suit and expensive tie. 

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Poplin bears a smoother texture but similar weight, the result of a fine yarn running one way with a thicker one interweaving it. It is soft and comfortable, and often used in more casual shirts. Since more & more people are fond of its lightness & smoothness, it is getting more & more popular in the selection of shirt fabrics. Besides, colors find themselves easily at home here; which makes a lot of color & pattern varieties in poplin fabric.

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Finer still is broadcloth, of fine yarn woven so tightly that it gleams. This is the most formal shirting for day-to-day wear. End-on-end (also called Fil-a-fil) is made by interweaving threads of alternating colors for a visual texture, which is so subtle that it appears solid from an arm's length away. Thanks to its tight weave, this cloth displays patterns with exquisite precision.

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Cotton twill, a shimmery diagonal weave, makes for richly textured shirts without sacrificing formality. In herringbone, the direction of the diagonals switches back and forth every quarter inch or so, giving the fabric more depth. If you prefer a solid shirt for certain occasion, or when the cool seasons come, twill certainly comes to the top of the list. 

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Dobby is also a type of shirt fabric often used. It is a woven fabric produced on the dobby loom, characterized by small geometric patterns and extra texture in the cloth. The warp and weft threads may be the same color or different. Satin threads are particularly effective in this kind of weave as their texture will highlight the pattern.

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Besides pure cotton, all the fabrics above can be found in cotton/polyester blends. These are less expensive, and sometimes can be worn without ironing. But they do not look as rich or feel as smooth as pure cotton fabric, and sometimes they make the wearer itchy & uncomfortable in heat or humid. 

Men's Dress Shirt Cuffs: Subtle but Significant Detail of a Dress Shirt

Men's Dress Shirt Cuffs:  Subtle but Significant Detail of a Dress Shirt

The shirt cuffs are a small but very important part of a dress shirt. Besides the collar, they are the second most visible parts of a shirt when a jacket is worn. Shirt cuffs should extend one inch past the jacket sleeves, and they can provide a polished look.  

Button Cuffs
Button cuffs are single cuffs, which wrap around the arm and are buttoned into place. The most common button cuffs have a single button or may be adjustable, with two buttons side-by-side. Button cuffs may also have a small button on the sleeve placket, called the gauntlet button. This small button is intended to prevent the area from opening and exposing the gentleman's wrist. Gauntlet buttons are a sign of a quality made shirt. 

French Cuffs
French cuffs is the most formal cuff option, yet are perfectly appropriate for daily wear in many occasions. The French cuff is a double cuff, folded back and fastened with cufflinks to create a distinctive and distinguished appearance. Cufflinks must always be worn with French cuffs, so the gentleman must be prepared to keep a reasonable selection of cufflinks on hand. Just like jewels to ladies, cufflinks can be a tasteful & personalized accessory to gentlemen. French cuffs are not made to be rolled up; so it becomes a less attractive option to low maintenance men. 

A gentleman should have at least a few French cuffed shirts for those occasions when he wants to appear just a bit more stylish than the ordinary. Embracing this elegant look is an excellent way to declare to all observers that one not only takes pride in his appearance, but also has an appreciation for subtle elegance. 

The choice of cuff type is a very important detail and should be chosen with the intended use of the shirt in mind.

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Men's Shirt Collars: A Frame for the Face

Men's Shirt Collars: A Frame for the Face

Collar is the most important element of a dress shirt. They are the frame for the face. Regardless of the type of suit jacket or tie, ones shirt collar is always visible, and plays a major role in determining how the wearer's face will appear to observers. Choosing the right shirt collar will ensure you enhance your facial strengths while downplaying any irregularities. The detail of the collar also represents a major part of the quality of a dress shirt.

Classic Collar (Point Collar)- It is the most common collar style. Longer, more closely set points tend to draw the eye down towards the tie and away from the face, while a more moderate cut frames the tie and completes the arrow effect pointing at the face.

Italian Collar (Cutaway or Spread Collar) - These collars reveal more of the upper shirt area and leaving additional room for larger tie knots. Like the classic collar, spread collars come in a variety of widths, with more moderate ones resembling slightly flared point collars, while more extreme versions can be nearly horizontal. The particular dimensions are best left to the wearer's preference and body type, with very wide spreads tending to accentuate wider figures while creating a more fully proportioned look on thin gentlemen.

Button Down Collar - It is most often seen on casual shirts. These collars have small buttonholes at the tip of each point, corresponding to a small button on each side of the shirtfront. While this collar can be worn successfully with a tie, it is the least formal of all the collar choices and is an excellent choice for open collar. The buttons on the collar, however, are always fastened; to appear with undone collar buttons would be inappropriate.

Wing Collar
Wing collars – familiar to most as the collar frequently worn with the tuxedo – consists of a short shirt collar with no turndown, and two small "wings" at the front which are tucked behind the bow-tie. Wing collars are reserved for formal wear.

Pin and Tab Collar - Pin collar has small holes in each point, allowing the insertion of a decorative pin or bar behind the tie knot, which thrusts the tie knot forward and up while adding extra decoration to the collar itself. Tab collar employs a small tab extending from the middle of each point, which is fixed together – usually with a hook-and-loop closure – behind the tie. Similar to pin collar, this forces the tie forward and up, creating the "standing" look of more elaborate knots. Neither the pin or tab collar should be worn without a tie; the empty holes and flapping tabs present an untidy appearance.

When choosing the collar of a dress shirt, you need to consider the level of formality; more importantly, how the collar goes with the shape of your face. Those with narrower faces do better with slightly shorter collars, while round faces carry well above long collar points. As a general rule, the greater the angle between the short sides of the collar points, the more formal the presentation.

The white contrast collar, in any style, is a favorite of power-dressers, since it certainly raises a suit-and-tie above the masses.

On most decent dress shirts, the collar's points are kept straight by collar stays. Usually they are made of plastics. These 2- to 3-inch pointed splints are inserted into slots on the underside of the collar.

A Deeper Understanding of Dress Shirts

A Deeper Understanding of Dress Shirts

A lot of details go into the construction of a men's dress shirt, and the more attention one pays to these, the better results one can achieve in purchasing and wearing one. 

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In retail stores, usually men's shirts are sized by collar circumference and sleeve length. Since it is “standard size” for “not-so-standard figures”, most men will agree that it is difficult to find a perfect fitting dress shirt from ready-to-wear brands. If custom-made is not an option, the best bet is to try on a lot of shirts until one finds a particular size of a particular brand that fits him well, then stick to this size of this brand, buying as many colors and patterns of these as he wants.

Aside from fabric and fit, a man has a few matters of construction to consider when picking out or ordering a shirt: collar, cuffs, pocket, placket and pleats. Last but not the least, monogram is an emphasized personal touch of your perfect fitting dress shirt.

Shirt Collars
Shirt collar is the most important, both in determining the garment's level of formality and in flattering the wearer's unique face. Other than classic collar, Italian collar is also very popular these days. Button-down collars are the least formal, and are the best collars to wear without a tie. They also go well with a tie and sweater, blazer, or sport coat. The wing collar, which does not cover the band of the tie around the neck, is reserved for formal wear. 

Shirt Cuffs
Button cuffs, standard on most dress shirts, are never the wrong choice. They come in a variety like angled, square or rounded. The common variety has a single button; cuffs with two or even three buttons are somewhat more artful. French cuffs are for formal wear; they look elegant & dressy along with a suitable choice of cufflinks.

A small button in the sleeve placket helps the sleeve to stay closed during wearing and can be opened to iron the cuffs.

Shirt Pocket
The traditional left breast pocket adds a little depth to a dress shirt, especially if worn without jacket and tie, and can be useful for holding pens, tickets, and the like. A shirt with no pockets can look slightly cleaner with a coat and tie. But the difference is minimal. As with most things, simplicity equals formality, so the pocket less shirt is the dressiest.

Shirt Placket
The placket is the edge of the left front panel, with the button holes on it. The standard placket is a strip of fabric raised off the men's dress shirt front with stitches down each side; this is what most casual shirts and many dress shirts have. In the more modern French placket (seamless placket), the edge of the shirt front is folded over, creased, and held together only by the button holes. This cleaner front sharpens more formal dress shirts.

Shirt Pleats
A man's back is not flat; thus we use pleats on the back panel of a shirt so that the fabric may hang from the yoke (the piece covering the shoulder blades) and better conform to the body. There are two common varieties of pleated shirt back styles: the box pleat consists of two pleats spaced one-and-a-half inches apart at the center, while side pleats lie halfway between each edge and the center of the back. While the former are more common on ready-to-wear shirts, the latter better align with the actual shape of the back, and thus fit most men better. A well-made custom shirt can be cut and sewn to fit its wearer perfectly without pleats, and this makes it cleaner and easier to iron. Nonetheless, many men prefer to have pleats even on their bespoke dress shirts.

Monograms
Finally, a man may have his shirt monogrammed, usually on the edge of the pocket (or in a similar place on a pocket less shirt), or on the left cuff. Monogramming originated as a way to identify one's shirts in a commercial laundry, just like writing a child's name on the tag of their jacket. More recently, as the shirt has taken a more prominent role in men's dress, the monogram has emerged as a way to subtly communicate the care a man has taken in his personal image. While large, garish monograms certainly do more harm than good, many men enjoy the quiet display of their initials, usually in a color similar to the shirt's own.

An Introduction to Dress Shirts

Dress shirt is a button-up shirt with a collar and long sleeves. Usually dress shirt goes with jacket and tie. It can be worn without one or the other, or with neither. Various shirts with different sorts of collars and cuffs are appropriate for different occasions.

Over the past half-century, the dress shirt has gone from being an undergarment to holding a prominent place in many outfits. Nowadays no matter one's style is jeans&chinos or suit-and-tie, dress shirt is a must-have item in his wardrobe. With proper choosing & matching, it coordinates well with every dressing style.

The primary principle of choosing dress shirt is: Whatever it is worn with, a shirt should fit snugly without restricting movement.

The first thing to consider about choosing a shirt is its color and pattern, closely followed by its fabric type. Although the vast majority of men's shirts are solid white or blue, a man with an understanding of his own style should open up to a much wider range of colors and designs. The skillful pairing of a shirt, a suit, a tie or any other items can turn ordinary outfit into an extraordinary personal style. As to fabric type, this depends mostly on your personal preference and needs. All kinds of fabrics can be built into excellent garments.

Just as the shirt protects the jacket's lining from absorbing too much grease and sweat from the skin beneath, an undershirt can take the brunt of perspiration to keep a dress shirt looking fresh all day and extend its life. If you prefer to feel the dress shirt's finer fabric against their skin, then forget about the undershirt & be prepared for a better care & more frequent update of your dress shirts.

There are many key elements to a dress shirt's style. Among those the most important two are the collar & the cuffs. The choice of a monogram puts a significant personal touch to the shirt. The beauty of a custom shirt is that you can design the shirt's style not only for the occasion but also to complement your physical features.

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