Collars

The collar is an important part of men’s shirts as it frames the wearer’s face. No matter what the occasion, the collar is always visible. It determines how your face appears to the person looking at you. An appropriately chosen collar can enhance your facial strengths and hide the weaknesses. If you like sporting smaller tie knots, buying a shirt with point collar is advised, as the points of the collar are closely cut. Buy a shirt with a cutaway collar, where the points are spread apart, if you are fond of wearing larger knots on your tie.

Cuffs

The cuffs are another part of the shirt that can mark the wearer’s style.
These are usually of two types: Button cuffs and French cuffs.
Button cuffs are found on ready-made shirts and may have single or double buttons that can be adjusted into place. The more formal option in button cuffs are known as barrel cuffs where there are two vertical buttons and buttonholes.

The classy alternative is the French cuff which has a double cuff that is folded back and tied up with cufflinks.  Such a cuff appears to be very classy yet can be worn every day.

Sleeves

The sleeves of your dress shirts must reach your wrists comfortably and must have good cuffs to complement them. The more casual look can have half sleeve shirts that reach your elbow.

Buttons

Buttons, sadly, are the most ignored detail in men’s shirts. Little preference is given to the choice of buttons while selecting a shirt. However, the next time you decide to buy a shirt, keeping in mind this small detail can make your shirt look better. You can pick a shirt with four-holed buttons, two-holed buttons or engraved buttons. The last option looks quite classy and can make a great style statement. All these buttons are usually made of plastic as the material is strong and can withstand wear and tear while washing. On the other hand, if you want a more formal look, go for Mother-of-Pearl buttons that are rare and expensive but worth the buy.

Pockets

These shirts usually have a single pocket on the left breast; however, most men prefer to wear shirts without pockets as pockets do not serve any purpose in shirts. Nevertheless, if you want to sport a casual look, you must go for a shirt with double pockets with buttoned flaps. For a semi-formal or formal look, you can buy a shirt with a jagged diamond pocket on the left-hand side.

So the next time you decide to buy men’s shirts, along with fabric and patterns, consider the above-mentioned details to add to the style statement you want to make.

Formal Men’s Shirts are the shirts that are suitable for wearing for official and formal occasions. These are elegant and suavely designed, and generally exude an air of class and power. On the other hand, casuals are those  shirts that are suitable for wearing on informal occasions and for personal gatherings. These are more colorful and can have a wide variety of designs that can create an impression of fun and playfulness.

Today, shirts have become a major tool for impression management for men. It is only fair to say that shirts define the fashion outlook of men. Interestingly, this was not been the case until a couple of centuries ago. Till then, shirts had been used as undergarments.

Revealing the shirt had been a taboo act for several centuries. These garments had all the erotic connotations at that time which the undergarments such as lingerie have today. So, men’s shirts have literally come a long way in the manner in which they are worn.

Early History

Shirts have been in use from time immemorial. An early specimen of its use was discovered at the tomb of an Egyptian Pharaoh. As you might be aware of, the Pharaohs popularized the trend of preserving the dead bodies in specially prepared tombs called mummies. Historians have found a sophisticated and neatly designed shirt in one such tomb – the origin of which has been traced back to around 3000 BC.

Until the 20th century, men’s shirts had been used as undergarments, usually worn under some other garment or exclusively in bed. One can find people wearing shirts in the paintings of the 17th century. Up until then,  revealing shirts in paintings was unfashionable. Even on 17th and 18th centuries, only men from low section of the society such as servants or shepherds were portrayed in paintings with a shirt on. No trace of shirt can be found in the paintings of monarchs and ministers. However, shirts were revealed in some paintings exclusively to suggest erotic undertones.

Redemption Of Men’s Shirts

The use of shirts as an outwearing garment started towards the end of 19th century. Shirts became an accepted outerwear during the early stages of 20th century. By 1920, these became widely accepted. Fabric designers started showing more attention to the style elements of shirts as it became the most visible fabric of men. It must be noted that fabric design elements like frills and embroidery were early forms of shirts, even in their undergarment days. However, the growth in design and style was more rapid and pronounced in the last one hundred years or so. By the 1980s, shirts had become one of the most commonly used fabrics.

Today, one can find a mind-boggling array of shirt designs and styles. Different eras are marked by different trends in collar, sleeve, color, and pleats in men’s shirts. It has been a long journey from the obscurity of an undergarment to the prominence of being a major outerwear.