Build on your business shirt – helpful tips to wear a pocket square to add to your look!
photo by georgia.kral
When you’re trying to put a suit together, you have tons of options. Little details will give you the look and comfort and, in the end, your overall impression. The details you do can make you look like a genius. Consider a quality business shirt or adding in a pocket square that will boost your appearance and give you some elegance.
Why have pocket squares made such a comeback? Mad Men’s star Sterling Cooper resurrected this four-decade fashion loss. Any slim tailored suit with a somber tone can be complimented with cuff links, pocket squares and a premium business shirt.
Don’t distract your look: how to wear pocket squares
How do you wear a pocket square? You have several options to do this but you want to make sure it’s simple and doesn’t take away from the look you’re trying to portray. One of the best is the basic flat pocket square fold. Other options include:
Wear the pocket square to match either the business shirt or the suit’s patterns and colours. There’s no reason that it must match perfectly but have it be very similar. If you’re not sure what colour to use, go with the standard white, as it works with most colours and makes a huge impact visually.
Use silk, linen or cotton pocket squares. Silk can slip from slight, which gives off the impression of someone storing something. Make sure, to avoid this problem, that you go for a puff kind of fold so support is maintained.
Make sure you use pocket squares discreetly. You don’t have to wear one with every single suit; just when the circumstance warrants it. When you’re in a causal setting and not wearing a tie, a pocket square can give some formality. Make sure to use it carefully so you don’t distract your overall look.
Premium Business Shirts – Know what you’re wearing
photo by cuttlefish
When you’re looking at business shirts, you need to remember it’s a mixture of three things: fibre, thread count and weave. These three things will produce the shirt’s look and feel; they will be what determine the end product.
A look at the fabrics of business shirts
Twill – When you decide to use twill business shirts, you’ll notice that it has a diagonal pattern, which gives it a unique look. However, the texture is tough and only looks good on shirts that have one colour; thus the patterns are far more evident. It’s lighter than Broadcloth and Oxford but very robust; it also doesn’t soil as easily.
Cotton (fibres) – These kinds of shirts breathe quite well, are generally soft and are the most comfortable of any material. It’s a good heat conductor; it feels and looks natural and has the greatest overall quality. For those reasons, it can be quite costly at checkout time. Bear in mind that cotton wrinkles very easily. Thus, blended shirts (which are more common) are less expensive, free of wrinkles and can keep you plenty warm. However, it’s less comfortable than 100 percent cotton. Also, these should not be worn in the summer because they rarely breathe.
Oxford (weaves) – Oxford type clothing is very soft and durable, which makes it a very popular weave. It may be worn for either casual or formal events. It’s also got a basket weave appearance, which means the fabrics cross over in pairs. Pinpoint Oxfords are a high quality type of Oxford; it’s lightweight with a fine texture. Royal Oxford clothing is geared toward the finer, formal occasions.
Broadcloth – This type of fabric is tightly woven and has a silky texture, which gives the clothing a smooth and formal look. In fact, this is the most formal business shirt you can have in your wardrobe; it can be found in a variety of styles, colours and patterns. It’s wonderful to wear in the autumn and spring months.
Poplin – This material consists of 100 percent cotton and has a soft content feel to it. You don’t have to do much ironing to it either. This is the kind of shirt you want to wear. It’s got a smooth look to it although the shirt gives a visibly seen fine horizontal ribbed effect. Since it can drape the body well, it’s important that you get the right size.
Herringbone – If you want a custom business shirt, you can’t do much better than the Herringbone, which is a tightly woven fabric that also gives a fine ribbed effect. It’s used in conjunction with twill, which creates a weave that has rows going in opposing directions (zigzag pattern). This patterns looks best on solid coloured shirts since it can clearly bring out the shirt details. When compared with the Oxford shirt, the Herringbone is smoother and classier. It’s not a commonly seen weave but certainly original.
Understanding a shirt’s thread count
On your tag, you’re going to see an odd number; this is your thread count number. It lets you know just how many pieces of thread were used to design your shirt. The majority of business shirts use between 40 and 160 threads to make a shirt. The higher the number is, the better the quality (meaning the softer and finer the finished shirt will be). A lower thread count tends to mean the shirt is low quality. However, don’t be entirely fooled since it could mean it’s heavy fabrics used in the wintertime.
Ply is another factor when considering the thread count of the business shirt. Ply means the amount of thread that was twisted together just before the shirt was designed. Two ply means two strands twisted together to create a tough and smooth fabric. One ply is just one strand… this is usually found in low quality made shirts. It basically boils down to this scenario:
2-ply, 80 thread count business shirt is going to be better than the 1-ply, 120 thread count.
Our top tips you should apply when buying business shirts, suits and more
photo by sovett
When you want a successful business wardrobe, sometimes it’s more than the business suit, shirt and tie. Don’t get me wrong these aspects are vitally important however there are a number of things you need to have in your wardrobe.
Our top tips to dress successfully
Tip 1
Make sure to buy clothing that’s going to last. You want clothing that’s not going to go out of style that next season so you’ll need to purchase contemporary yet classic suits. Be sure that your premium men’s business shirts and ties personalize the statement you’re trying to make.
Tip 2
When you find yourself a good tailor, make sure to treat him/her right. After all, they can help you alter those suits and pants when you need something to look right on you.
Tip 3
Get creative when you’re trying to match your business shirts and ties. If you have a large patterned tie, it works wonders with a small pattered shirt. You can also do a small patterned tie with a large patterned shirt.
Tip 4
Be sure you always shine your shoes and wear shoes that are appropriate to what you are wearing. For instance, you don’t want to wear loafers with your suit, well you might if you’re going to see the latest instalment of Wall Street.
Tip 5
Any accessories you wear should work together; thus, your shoes, belt and socks should work with your pants.
Tip 6
Try to imitate your boss (not to the letter) but see how they dress to give you an idea of how you should be dressing.
Tip 7
Don’t wear something if you feel uncomfortable.
Make men’s business shirts last longer: Six tips to help extend the life of your clothes
photo by rileyroxx
Most people are trying to save money these days, so it’s likely they are spending only on items they actually need (not want). Regardless of what the world’s economy is like, this should always be done. One of the best ways to save money in the long run is to care for your clothes such as your business shirts, suits and ties properly. When you can do this, you can slash your budget and put more money toward something else… perhaps that holiday you’ve been thinking about?
Now you’re going to need a few tips to help you lengthen the life of your clothes. Many people already apply the tips below but if you don’t…perhaps you should. A big way men’s business shirts start to wear down is through washing. Every time you wash, the colour will fade and their fibers weaken. You must wash your clothes… that’s a given, as you don’t want to scare anybody (including women) off with your stains and odours. However, you can wash your business shirts and still be gentle with them. Use the six tips listed below:
- Always use cold water to wash men’s business shirts
- Separate colours from your whites before you wash. Dark coloured clothes often have lint on them when washed with lighter coloured clothes; plus dark clothes have a tendency to bleed onto white clothes.
- Use the gentle cycle to wash shirts
- Wash soft and rough clothes separately from each other
- Use a gentle detergent for your clothes
- Turn business shirts inside out so the colour won’t fade; important when you’re dealing with jeans.
Don’t wash your clothes every time you get done wearing them. Wear them more than once to lengthen their lifespan. If it’s stained then do wash it but if there are no odours and stains, then it certainly doesn’t hurt to wear it more than once before you wash it. Of course, you do this mainly for jeans/pants, not underwear, socks and some shirts.
If you notice a small stain on your business shirt, spot clean it rather than washing the whole thing. Not only can washers cause damage to your shirts but your dryer can as well. The low heat setting can still cause harm to the dryer. You know the lint trap you clean out every time you go to start your dryer? That’s the clothing fibres. If you’ve got really expensive business shirts, and jeans, consider air drying them. While you’re doing that, you’ll save money and energy.