How much should I spend on a shirt?
For $40, you can buy a 100% cotton shirt made of fine, two-ply yarn from
Land's End – one of the best values we could find and the minimum standard for any man. Double your budget and you`ll get more comfort from higher-quality cotton, and frankly, more choices. We like this version from
Polo Ralph Lauren at this price point , but there are plenty of other chain brands and department stores with solid choices – choose your shirt based on how fine the fabric feels and make sure to always buy 100% cotton. After $150, you may as well save up to get a custom dress shirt - at this point you`re paying for the brand name or design. If you`re going the custom-made route, most major shirtmakers start at $250 a piece, but the price can easily climb to more than $500. If you`re just starting out,
Thomas Pink`s Personally Pink program doesn`t require a minimum order like other luxury tailors.
How should a dress shirt fit?
Aesthetics are important, but comfort is king. Pay particular attention to the way a shirt feels around your neck and through the shoulders – if it`s constricting or baggy in any area it will look sloppy and you should find other options. Think about your lifestyle too. “If you`re going to sit at a computer all day, you`ll probably not be comfortable in a slim fit model,” says John Liguori, General Manager at Thomas Pink`s Madison Avenue store. A great way to determine the best fit is to try the shirt on under a suit jacket. “Aesthetically, two fingers between the top of your collar and top of your suit jacket is the perfect balance between strangulation and sagginess,” says Liguori. “As for your cuffs, no more than ¼ to ½ of an inch of shirt should be visible beyond the coat sleeve.” Don`t think that means you have to buy longer than you need though. “In most instances, a man`s jacket sleeve is too long rather than the shirt being too short.”
Are non-iron shirts of inferior quality?
It depends on the fabric. Labeling a shirt as “non-iron” is a proven way for companies to unload cheap clothing made of polyester, acrylic, or just low-grade cotton. Upscale brands, on the other hand, start with better fabric and then apply their own chemical treatments to battle wrinkles. If you need the convenience of non-iron dress shirts, don`t settle for anything less than 100% cotton from a respected shirtmaker such as
Brooks Brothers or Jos A. Bank.
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