I’ve probably purchased 100 shirts for work over the last 20 years or so. I’ve purchased solid color shirts and shirts with stripes. I’ve purchased shirts with contrasting collars, shirts with French cuffs and shirts that are only worn at the office holiday party. I’ve purchased cotton shirts and cotton blend shirts. I’ve purchased shirts with a spread collar and shirts with a point collar. I’ve purchased shirts on which the sleeves were too short and on which the collars didn’t lay right. I’ve purchased shirts at discount stores, outlet stores, and high end stores. I’ve purchased a lot of shirts. And at a conservative average of $30 per shirt, that’s $3,000 and this does not include the cost of sending them to the laundry. What’s worse, most of those shirts ended up in a bag for Goodwill or in somebody else’s closet. Clearly I had no shirt buying strategy.
Recently, I audited my shirt collection. After Donald Trump questioned President Obama’s birth certificate I thought the least I could do was take the Trump labeled shirts out of my closet. But that lead to a full shirt assessment. I realized that my purchases weren’t consistent. I have better quality shirts now but my collection is still all over the place. I can see the results of desperation and frustration and the occasional impulse purchase. I wear a 36 inch sleeve and I have more than a few 34/35s in my closet. I have two green shirts that see the light of day on St. Patty’s Day. I have a great lavender colored shirt that is too roomy and a dope purple and white gingham shirt that is an extra slim fit. ( I should never be big enough or slim enough to fit either one properly.)
There are a few steps one can take to avoid ending up with a motley crew of shirts. First, get measured by a professional. Most stores will only measure your neck and arms but you should ask to be measured around your chest and belly. If you’re not exercising and watching what you eat, your belly is likely to be bigger than your chest so no need to linger in the slim fit section. Second, know what you’re getting and what looks good on you. For example, I like to wear spread collar shirts with a tie but a point collar with a sport coat. You should decide if you like barrel cuffs or French cuff; chest pocket or no chest pocket; oxford, broadcloth or cotton twill. (More on these fabrics in my next post.) Knowing these things in advance will help you when you get to the store or are talking to your shirt maker. Third, identify a brand or a shirt maker you like and become a loyal customer. Pay as much as you can for the shirts and buy as many as you can at the same time. The reason is retailers can discontinue a line of clothing overnight so if you plan to come back later for more shirts, they may be gone. If you can splurge for custom shirts, you’ll get a discount when ordering more than one shirt.
In the instances when I’ve followed my own rules I’ve been pleased with the results. I have six year old shirts that look almost as good as the day I bought them. On the other hand, not following the rules has resulted in impulse buys of a poorly made shirts that I wear only a handful of times before demoting them to weekend wear.
Check back next week. In my next post I’m going to discuss shirt fabrics and explain why some shirts look better with suits than others.
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