Many 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. Shirt fabrics are given their own separate article; this article deals chiefly with the construction and design features of men's dress shirts. If you haven't yet read our introduction to dress shirts, we advise doing so as that it lays a foundation for this article's topics.In retail stores, men's shirts are sized by collar circumference and sleeve length.
Most are cut to fit the most corpulent members of each size, and thus look blousy on most men. Those with an uncommon pairing of neck size and arm length have difficulty even finding a shirt that fits in these two places. Since even the simplest alterations can add 25-50% to the price of a dress shirt, it is often more economical to have shirts made to one's exact measurements. For a man starting out who is unable to afford custom-made, 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 in the chest, stomach, neck, and sleeves, and then buy as many colors and patterns of these as he can find.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. As with fit, in retail these are standardized to the lowest common denominator and one has little choice in the matter. Even in a store with thousands and thousands of shirts, you will likely be able to count on one hand the few that are really what you want.
Most men's dress shirts sport some sort of pointed collar, but there is huge room for variety here. While the standard point collar looks good on most men, those with narrower faces do better with slightly shorter ones, 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. Spread collars, which leave a wide opening between them, take large tie knots especially well. The edges of the cut-away collar nearly form a straight line above the tie knot; this is the most formal collar arrangement. An exception to the parallelism of spread and formality is the tab collar: here little tabs of fabric extending from each side connect behind the tie knot, holding the collar close together and projecting the knot outward for a precise, no-nonsense look. The white contrast collar, in any style, with or without matching white French cuffs, is a favorite of power-dressers. While it certainly raises a suit-and-tie above the masses, let the wearer be warned against it if he cannot equal its eminence.
On most decent dress shirts, the collar's points are kept straight by collar stays. These 2- to 3-inch pointed splints are inserted into slots on the underside of the collar after ironing, and later removed for washing. Besides the plastic ones that come with most shirts, you can buy them in brass, silver, and even ivory, but their material has negligible effect on their function. For a in depth look at dress shirt collars, click here.
Shirt Collars
The men's dress shirt collar is the most important, both in determining the garment's level of formality and in flattering the wearer's unique face. 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.
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