Men and Shirts, Part 1

Sometimes when I'm walking around in public I get... disturbed... at the huge numbers of fashionably clueless men out there. The percentage gets especially bad when I visit the suburbs or certain parts of the East Coast (and I'm sure the midwest and the south have some MAJOR winners.) But even in good ole' So Cal - L.A. to be exact - I see some things that utterly appall me.

And you know, I'm one of those gals who is relatively relenting in what I deem acceptable attire on the male species. I don't have as high an expectation as say, certain Carsons or Stacys or Clintons of the world, but I DO like to see our men putting some miniscule amount of effort in knowing what looks good on them. I don't expect every man out there to be carbon-copy metros, but still... you know?

So, as the TAG of the group (i.e. Token Attached Girl), I feel it is my duty to submit the following to the wonderful men of the country.


Gentlemen, for the next few days we'll be talking about SHIRTS. In order from the most flattering, I present to you what I think is the most BASIC of primers on men's shirts, based on a little experience and a lot of opinion. Go forth and style-ify!!!! (And puhleez - add to this list, my sexy super-stylish ladies!)

Flattering Shirt Option #1: The tailored button-down shirt
By FAR The Most Flattering Option Out There. This is like the little black dress of men's shirts. No matter what your body size and shape, you cannot go wrong. And by tailored I mean TAILORED - not off the rack, but actually getting another person to pin and hem to order. If you cannot afford to get a shirt professionally tailored, at least attempt to purchase one that you can get a lot of mileage out of, preferably one fitted enough to wear under a blazer without bunching, but - unless you're very very slim - not so fitted as to look like you had a run in with a dryer. It should still look great without a jacket, with dress slacks AND with jeans. The dress shirt is your true dressing staple. When finding the right fit, where the seam hits on the shoulder and where the cuff lands on your wrist is key. Collar types (yes there are different shirt collars) should also complement your neck length and face shape. White is most classic and versatile of choices, but there's a plethora of patterns and colors out there. This, however, does NOT give one license to rock the casbah of free choice.

Based on your body type, height, structure, size, and yes, skin and hair color, some shirt styles, patterns and colors will look better on you than others. Ask a professional tailor or menswear associate ... or your girlfriend or female friend for help!

Some lovely examples below. The first one under a jacket:



Here's another one without. Notice that the slimmer cut of this shirt suits his body type (very slim) as well as general style. Note to guys: NOT EVERYONE CAN PULL THIS OFF.



And you know... NOTHING is sexier than a man in a crisp white dress shirt, hanging out at home, tails pulled out of the trousers, top buttons undone, cuffs unbuttoned... walking around barefoot, still in his black dress slacks...





But maybe that's just me...

Coming Soon: Flattering Shirt Options #2 and #3