5 ESSENTIAL DRESS SHIRTS

Today I want to talk about dress shirts. When it comes to putting together a tailored look, the dress shirt you choose is key. Nailing it will give you a professional and stylish look. I’ll give you my five dress shirts that every guy should have in his wardrobe. When it comes to style, I am all about versatility. These five dress shirts will allow you to dress for every occasion and be the most stylish man in the room.

#1: Obviously, The White Dress Shirt

This is your go to. If you are ever in doubt if a dress shirt goes well with your outfit, don’t wear it. Put on a clean white dress shirt and you can’t go wrong. It goes with everything! It is so clean and crisp that it should be your go to most of the time. Perfect for business meetings, church, weddings, black tie events and the list goes on. You may even want to have a couple to rotate through because you’ll use it so much.

#2: Solid Light Blue Dress Shirt

Sometimes a white dress shirt is just too boring or bland and that’s where a blue dress shirt can liven things up a bit. It’s just as versatile as the white dress shirt, just a little less formal. A soft light blue is the way to go. You have to be careful to not get a blue dress shirt that is too vivid and bright.

#3: Bengal Stripe Dress Shirt

Pattern dress shirts are great for casual looks but can be difficult to dress up and match with a tie. The bengal stripe shirt is the perfect shirt to ease into matching ties with patterned shirts. A Bengal stripe dress shirt has alternating stripes of white and another color and they come in a variety of colors. I prefer blue Bengal stripe dress shirt, but you can pick a color that you like more or that goes with the suits and ties you have. I like blue because it is easy to pair with a lot of different colors so it’s really versatile and takes the stress out of getting ready. Other good colors would be red, green, brown, or even gray.

#4: Chambray Dress Shirt

This is for those days that you need or want to dress up, but you want a more casual, yet sophisticated look. This is a classic look for menswear enthusiast, which I think scares a lot of us every day guys away from it. Don’t be afraid. A Chambray dress shirt looks good on just about everybody and it actually goes well with a variety of different suit fabrics and textures. It’s still a very classy look, but definitely gives off a more relaxed vibe. Pair it with a textured tie and everyone will be wondering who the stylish man is.

#5: White French Cuff Shirt

Sometimes you just gotta dress up and show off some bling. Ok, not exactly like that, but a French cuff dress shirt will definitely come in handy. They are perfect for those special events like weddings, black tie events, or work Christmas parties that you have to dress up for. Throw on the French cuff shirt with your finest suit and your look goes from “Sunday best” to “Dapper Dan.”

If you stick to these 5 shirts, adding a couple fun ones here and there, you can't go wrong. These shirts can all be worn dressed up with a suit and tie and dressed down with a casual look (except for maybe the french cuff shirt). They are each so versatile and each have their own characteristics that make them unique. I have so many different patterned button up shirts that I don't use very often because I am realizing that these basics are so much easier to build outfits around. You know what they say, KISS.

Thanks for reading.

Craig Martineau