Put This On

Q and Answer: Wrinkle-Free Shirts?

Dan in Baghdad writes: What is your thought on wrinkle free shirts?  Personally I’m not a big fan:  First, they’re never quite wrinkle free.  They look okay, but still need a little work after washing to make them look crisp.  And many are not really meant to be ironed either—for example one such shirt I purchased from Land’s End, which is 55% cotton and 45% polyester, looks slightly burned/melted after I ironed it.

Wrinkle-free shirts always look worse than natural cotton shirts.  Do not buy them.

There are two kinds of non-iron shirt.  One is as you describe above: a blend of polyester and cotton.  The only time polyester (or almost any petroleum-based fiber) should be in your wardrobe is if you’re buying high-tech “wicking” gym clothes.  Polyester has the super power of making things look cheap and ugly.
The second form of non-iron shirt is all cotton, but impregnated with a chemical bath that makes it resist wrinkling.  This chemical treatment makes the shirt breathe poorly, look weirdly shiny, and feel slick and unpleasant.  It also washes out of the shirt after a few dozen go-rounds with the laundry.  This style of non-iron is marginally better than the the other one, but there’s really no reason not to just jettison the weird chemicals all together.  Maybe if you travel a lot in places where there are no irons in hotels(?), and need one shirt for emergency looking nice duty.  Maybe.

The reality is that for casual wear, most all-cotton oxford shirts look fine without ironing as long as they’re hung dry or at least removed promptly from the drier.  The heavy, textural weave of cotton oxford is resistant to wrinkling on its own - the worst you can expect is rumpling, which I for one find kind of charming.  It’ll basically end up looking like the one above.  I wouldn’t wear a rumpled oxford with a suit, but if I was planning to wear a suit, I’d just iron a proper dress shirt.

If you iron once a week, it will not take you more than the length of one re-run of Seinfeld.  I know, because I do my ironing while watching Seinfeld.  Usually on Sunday afternoons.  Pull your shirts out of the drier while they’re still a bit damp and go to town.  It should be easy going.

One Shirt, Two Shirt, White Shirt, Blue Shirt

Elegance often comes from simplicity.  Our friend MistahWong is one of the best-dressed guys we know, and with his suits he wears plain white and blue shirts.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But when and how should you wear solid blue and white shirts?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

White shirts are the all-time classic.  They came to be regarded as the formal shirting in a time when people had access to far fewer clothes.  The fact that you could wear a “white collar” meant that you were a successful professional or aristocrat who could afford to own and maintain easily-soiled shirts.  That meaning, of course, has faded, but the white shirt remains the standard for formal dress.  If you’re going to a christening or a funeral or a board meeting, you will likely (and reasonably) wear a white shirt.

The white shirt also goes with everything.  It is a neutral ground for almost any tie or coat.  Today, in fact, I’m wearing a white oxford shirt with robin’s-egg blue trousers that would have looked a bit off (not to mention a bit much) with almost any other color shirt.

Of course, the white shirt has its disadvantages as well.  Probably the most significant is that it isn’t complimentary to the coloration of almost anyone.  The complexions of light-skinned white men, in particular, tend to be washed out by white shirts.  A lot of bright white can make a man’s skin look vaguely sickly rather than vibrant.  This is less of an issue if you have dark skin, but it’s dangerous without a marked contrast - you’d probably look better in cream or ecru anyway.

The white shirt is also ubiquitous.  It is the shirt of the poorly-dressed man.  A poorly-fitted or poor-quality white shirt is the quickest route to looking like a bank teller or a teenager selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door to “pay for college.”

The blue shirt is less formal than the white shirt, but it’s still acceptable in almost any formal situation.  You wouldn’t wear a blue shirt with black tie, and you might be less likely to wear it to an art opening or funeral, but it’s certainly acceptable in almost any office.  The reality is that most, outside of England anyway, would accept in in pretty much any situation. 

It’s also much more gentle on the complexion.  No less suitable for the man of color, for most white men it will almost invariably look notably better.  If you happen to have blue eyes, there’s no excuse not to wear it, as it will make you sparkle.

The blue shirt is also just as versatile as the white shirt.  It’s tough to find a combination of tie and suit that would look wrong with a plain blue shirt. 

So, what should you have in your closet?

Certainly use white shirts for important occasions.  Have one or two great white shirts.  My own white shirts include a Barba I bought for my wedding, a Charvet I thrifted and a Corneliani I bought for everyday wear.  All three have rich weaves and soft hands that make it apparent I’m not wearing a $19 shirt from Marshall’s.  They are formal shirts that reflect the significance of the occasions when I will wear them. 

I also have several white oxford-cloth button down shirts for casual wear.  Oxford cloth has a texture which reduces the sheen which can make a white shirt look cheap and can make your face look extra-sickly.  It is particularly important to avoid non-iron finishes in white shirts, which tend to make them look slick, cheap and all-around lousy.  For a casual shirt, there’s nothing wrong with a little rumple.

What do I do?  When I’m grabbing a shirt from my closet to go with a sport coat or suit, it’s usually blue.  A few blue oxfords from Lands’ End and Benjamin Bixby are probably the shirts I wear most.  A few harder-finish nearly solid blues (shirts with a slight pattern that read as solid) are what I grab for suits or more formal sport coat situations. 

Generally, your go-to shirts should be blue, too.  Your more formal shirts should be white.  Particularly with white shirts, keep an eye on quality - it’s easy to look like you went for the white shirt because without it, you couldn’t manage dressing yourself.

tredicielupo:

fraying should be earned, not bought.

It’s On Sale

J. Crew Madras Buttondown

$49.99 from $69.50 on JCrew.com

Q and Answer: Laundering Dress Shirts

Nick asks: Quick question for you. Since it’s the summer time, my dress shirts usually need washing after one wear (it’s been 90 the past few days). However, I just don’t feel right throwing any dress shirt on the floor or in the laundry hamper with my other dirty stuff (exercise clothes, underwear). It just doesn’t seem right. Am I holding my dress shirts in high too high regard, or is there a better way to store them after wearings but before washings? Thanks so much!

This is the same bizarre compulsion that leads men to send their dress shirts out for cleaning.  I don’t understand it.  It is fine to put your dirty laundry in the laundry hamper.

If you want to take care of your dress shirts, wash them yourself.  Feel free to wash them cold and delicate, and use a bit of OxyClean spray on the collars if you’re prone to ring around the collar.  While men wash many garments too frequently, dress shirts should be washed every time you wear them.  They will benefit from being hung to dry, but using the drier will be fine.

This, from “Old Dog,” is a wonderful example of a well-matched combination of patterns and colors.  The solid-color knit tie allows Old Dog to wear a bolder blue striped shirt.  Note that the color, type of pattern and scale are all different on the shirt and coat.  The bolder blue of the shirt and purple/yellow of the square make an outfit built around tan and brown feel Spring-y.