Yahoo Finance Reports of the shirt’s death have been greatly exaggerated
Time was when a man went to his wardrobe and knew that the first item he’d reach for would be his shirt. The staple, dependable base of men’s uniforms the world over. I don’t think I ever saw my grandfather in anything else and it wasn’t until the Noughties that my own father downgraded ever so slightly to polo shirts. But the pandemic has seen a huge shift in how we dress and, on a more granular level, a few things of note in the men’s style world have come my way in recent weeks.
Exhibit A: the historic British house Dunhill unveiled a new collection this week where shirt collars were detachable so that the starched, upright stance could be loosened up a touch. Shortly after, a Telegraph feature garnered a glut of comments on how formality has become redundant. Then a friend informed me about a shirting brand who create custom-made shirts using a digital algorithm instead of more old-school methods.
The shirting industry has suffered immeasurably because of the push towards casual clothes while everyone worked at home; the gentlemanly, mahogany-lined stores of Jermyn Street had yet to “pivot” to offer loungewear as more structured shirting became obsolete. The shirt did get a shakedown, but that doesn’t mean we should forget its smart presence altogether – I can’t be the only one longing for a bit of form and polish.
Even the most traditional of outfitters in this regards have looked to innovative new cuts and fabrics. Hilditch & Key, the 123-year-old brand beloved by Karl Lagerfeld, has evolved to offer easy linen shirts as well as collarless varieties. In recent years, Turnbull & Asser’s shirting range – so beloved by Winston Churchill that he had his siren suit created by the house – has created a “weekend” and “holiday fit” of shirt that is more casual, even employing wool for a knitted cardigan style shirt. And at Emma Willis, sales of pink shirts are up – a less conventional hue than the more standard white.
Should you be following suit? Certainly, we’re a great deal more at ease in how we dress and, if you’re now returning to the office, it’s worth investing in a good shirt. But it doesn’t have to be garden variety – collarless looks more contemporary and less fettered, negating the debate of whether you add a tie. Likewise, camp-collar varieties – the shirt collar lying over the suit one – can still look smart with a blazer, and button-down collars can lend a more breezy stance.
Reports of the shirt’s death have been greatly exaggerated – it’s just time to revive it a touch.
Get shirty
Top row: Kingsman grandad collar shirt, £195, mrporter.com; Collarless shirt, £125, hilditchandkey.co.uk; Camp collar shirt, £51, communityclothing.co.uk
Bottom row: Superior cotton shirt, £200, emmawillis.com; Chambray Weekend Fit shirt, £250, turnbullandasser.co.uk; Button-down Bengal Stripe shirt, £59.95, charlestyrwhitt.com
