Dress Shirts are universally known as one of the ultimate wardrobe classics for men today. In the world of men’s fashion, you will be surprised by the many brands which offer dress shirts at varying price points.
Uniqlo is a widely popular brand carries a wide selection of shirts at a pocket-friendly price range between (S$29 – S$49).
Upmarket brands like Ralph Lauren, and Brooks Brothers offer quality dress shirts (S$150-S$250) with their classic logos embroidered in front.
Finally, luxury brands like Thom Browne, Hugo Boss, and Ermenegildo Zegna offer high-quality ready to wear dress shirts in a range of premium fabrics.
There are multiple ways we can wear our dress shirts to achieve different looks and convert them from day to night, work attire to dinner dates. Wearing dress shirts for casual occasions aren’t just limited to pairing them with jeans.
When it comes to special occasions like your wedding day, an important business meeting, or your first date, you’d sure want to look your best. With that, some TLC (Tender loving care) has to be given when you treat your shirts so that you can look polished and sleek.
With many years of laundry and dry cleaning experience in Singapore, Presto washes at least 10,000 pieces of dress shirts a month. As such, we hope that our 4 simple tips on how to look confident in your dress shirts will help you look smarter and stand taller.
Tip 1: Choose the right material for the right occasion
Dress shirts are made with many different types of fabrics. You may ask, which material is suitable for what type of occasions?
For formal events, we will recommend staying safe with the choice of materials such as Royal Oxford, Broadcloth or Twill. Colour choices like white, light blue or light pink are great for daily wear. As for the saturday outfit, you can choose from Oxford Cloth, Pinpoint Cloth, Chambray, Denim, Flannel, Seersucker or Linen.
Other than the materials, you should also consider the fit, colour choice, pattern of the dress shirts. Pairing them with different accessories such as a funky bow tie or patterned ties will inject some personality and fun in your look.
Based on our drycleaning experience, we found oxford shirts to last longer than broadcloth due to the fabric’s greater tear strength and tensile strength.
Tip 2: Learning the French Tuck (The Casual Chic Look)
(Image from: gq.com)
You might be wondering, what’s french tuck? Different from full tuck, french tuck only requires one to tuck the front of their shirt slightly and leave the rest untuck.
This technique was popularised from the “Queer Eye” show, an American Netflix 2018 original series. Queer Eye is an empowering makeover show rebooted from an American TV series, Bravo. The french tuck is a magical technique that Tan France, the fashion expert has taught his makeover candidates to elevate their looks and increase their confidence.
For some, they might worry about looking sloppy when they tuck out, and stiff looking if they tuck the shirts in! This amazing trick of french tucking will make you look polished, slim, and lengthened. Like what Tan says, “it makes your ordinary outfit look a little smarter.”
In our opinion, this method is more suitable for casual wear. Nevertheless, you should try this amazing trick if you want to look sleek and chic effortlessly!
3. Finding the Right Fit
Ready to wear dress shirts are designed to be a one size fits all solution, some trial and error has to be made to find a brand or model whose cutting fits your body. With this, many have turned to professional tailoring.
In the words of Zegna, “Each element of a man’s personal style can be expressed through made to measure. From the button hole to the collar: the look is built around your wishes, your body and your way of dressing. This experience starts with a meeting: between you and your tailor. This is the beginning of a garment built around you.”
If you’re looking for a local made to measure or tailored brand recommendations, please do see our article – 10 Tailoring Brands in Singapore.
4. Iron with Starch
If you want to look more presentable in your dress shirt, one of the easiest options which you can do is to starch your dress shirt. Starching makes your clothes look crisp and wrinkle-free. Starching might be a little tricky for beginners as over starching can result in an uncomfortable situation!
If you’re worried or you are preparing for an important occasion, you can always depend on us to resolve your woes. At Presto, we offer different levels of starching services to suit your needs.
- No starch: Suitable for casual wear as clothing items will be soft to touch
- Regular Starch: Suitable for all occasions and ensures that you look your best
- High Starch: Suitable for professional settings as it ensures the crisp of your shirt
In all, here are the 4 tips which we have for you on how to look good in your dress shirts! We hope that after reading these, we can help you look and feel better on your important days.
At Presto, we don’t just provide laundry services in Singapore. We also provide dry cleaning, ironing, and starching services! Don’t be hesitant. Simply pick up your phone and dial 6354 3277 or send us a message on Whatsapp and we will help you look your best! You can also drop by any of our outlets and our friendly staff will be at your service!
