How to Choose the Right Dress Shirt for a Suit

How to Choose the Right Dress Shirt for a Suit

A dress shirt can make or break the appearance of a suit. Even if you have a custom-fitted, high-quality suit, you'll still need to choose the right dress shirt to ensure a clean and cohesive appearance. Wearing a cheap button-up shirt with awkward colors isn't going to cut it. But with so many different dress shirts available on the market, how do you know which one to choose?

Stick with a Color Color

One of the many things you'll need to consider when choosing a dress shirt is the color. Wearing a multi-colored dress consisting of a horizontal stripes or plaid is perfectly fine for casual outfits. a suit, however, is formal and not casual; therefore, you should avoid wearing dress shirts with multiple colors and instead choose a single-colored dress shirt.

Don't Wear the Same Color as Your Suit Jacket

With that said, however, you should avoid wearing a dress shirt in the same color as your suit jacket or coat. If you're wearing a traditional black suit (with a black jacket), for instance, you should avoid wearing a black dress shirt. When these two garments are the same color, they'll blend together to create a awkward appearance. This applies to all colors, not just black. Whether your suit jacket is white, brown, navy, gray, etc., avoid wearing a dress shirt in the same color.

Choose a Lighter or Contrasting Tone

So, what color dress shirt should you wear with a suit? A good rule of thumb is to choose a dress shirt color in either a lighter tone or contrasting color as the color of your suit jacket. If you're wearing a navy suit jacket, for example, try wearing a light blue dress shirt. The light blue against the navy helps to define your appearance in a more sophisticated and complete manner. Alternatively, you can wear a dress shirt in a contrasting color.  A white dress shirt would contrast against a black suit jacket to achieve a similar level of sophistication. The bottom line is that your dress shirt should either be a lighter tone than your suit jacket, or it should contrast with the color of your suit jacket.

Check the Collar

Be sure to check the collar when choosing a dress shirt to wear with a suit. Even if the shirt fits your body perfectly, the collar may be too small to close around your neck. Granted, this isn't an issue if you plan on wearing it without a necktie. But a necktie is an essential accessory that's required when wearing a formal suit; therefore, your dress shirt's collar needs to close around your neck without being overly constricting.

Check the Buttons

You can tell a lot about a dress shirt by looking at the buttons. Some companies use cheap plastic buttons that ultimately reflect upon the overall quality of the shirt itself. There's nothing necessarily wrong with plastic buttons on a dress shirt, but they should be designed in a manner that looks seamless. Before buying a new dress shirt, take a few minutes to look at the buttons. Are they properly threaded to the shirt? Can you see the stitching? Do the buttons "hang loose?" These are all questions you should try to answer when watch-2309852_960_720

Fabric

What fabric is the dress shirt made of? Different dress shirts are made of different fabrics, each of which has its own unique characteristics. The single most common fabric in which dress shirts are made is cotton. Cotton dress shirts are light, fluffy, comfortable and easy to maintain. And because cotton is such a readily available material, they are also inexpensive. However, another popular material for men's dress shirts is linen. Linen is actually lighter and thinner than cotton, making it a particularly excellent material for the otherwise hot summer months. Of course, some dress shirts contain two or more fabrics. A popular fabric combination found in dress shirts is cotton and polyester. Using just a small amount of polyester in a cotton dress shirt makes it more elastic while also helping to wick away moisture.

The Fit

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when choosing a dress shirt is the fit. Far too many men wear dress shirts that are either too big or too small. While a substantial portion of your shirt will be covered by your suit jacket, this is still a critical component of your outfit. And wearing a dress shirt that doesn't fit properly will only hurt your appearance. Ideally, you dress shirt should fit snug against your body without squeezing together at the torso. Additionally, there shouldn't be excess fabric swaying to the sides. If you are unable to find a dress shirt that meets this criteria, go ahead and buy one that's just a tad too big, at which point you can take it to a professional tailor for adjusting.

Length

Your dress shirt should also be long enough to tuck into your trousers. Don't assume that your shirt is an appropriate length just because it fits. The fit of a dress shirt has nothing to do with its length. Thankfully, most high-quality dress shirts are designed to be long enough so you can tuck them into your trousers. Nonetheless, there are still some cheap, low-quality dress shirts lacking this feature. The dress shirt doesn't have to be excessively long; it just needs to be long enough to tuck into your trousers.

Brand

Finally, consider the brand when choosing a dress shirt. A brand name speaks volume about the shirt's quality. Of course, there are some lesser known brands that produce high-quality dress shirts -- and there's nothing wrong with choosing or wearing them. But if you're looking to create the perfect outfit, you should stick with a name brand dress shirt. Doing so will help to complete your look while complimenting the style and appearance of your suit.