The Fashion For Men – A white shirt, navy blue, dark grey, or beige shirt, are all staples. They’re easy to wear, easy to pair, and are basically you’re go-to dress shirts for most occasions. However, there will come a time when you’d want to step out of the box and show a little bit of your personality. The printed dress shirt, once frowned upon and virtually a taboo in corporate or formal attire, has become a worldwide trend in men’s formal wear.
Now you might think that only a certain kind of man can actually pull off a printed dress shirt. But with the following tips, anyone can easily match their suit or business wear with a patterned or printed shirt.
Tips to Wearing the Printed Dress Shirt
Prints and patterns add dimension, texture, and visual interest to your shirts. They evoke an essence of a vibrant and fun personality, of someone who doesn’t go by the books yet still looks sharp and classy. Although these shirts have always and will always be designed to be casual, there are certain tips that you can follow so you can wear that simple touch of personality to the boardroom.
Tip #1: Start Small
If you want to stand out yet also respectable and sharp, starting small will be your fail-proof guide. Start with small prints such as polka dots, stripes, and checks. Stay away from floral or animal prints for now, unless they’re abstract and more or less have the same color of the fabric base.
Printed shirts will definitely get you compliments but if you only want to have a subtle appearance of prints, then small scale prints with a low contrast is best. These prints are those wherein the fabric looks like a solid color from afar, and where details are only seen when up close.
Tip #2: Make the Print Your Focal Point
If you’re wearing a printed dress shirt, let it be the main focal point of your outfit. Stay away from adding other prints to your ensemble, as well as bright colors. Let your printed shirt be the only attention-grabbing piece you’re wearing. As you get used to wearing prints, you can start experimenting with wearing two prints or patterns in one outfit.
How to Wear a Printed Dress Shirt with a Suit
Wearing prints with suits is tricky because suits are incredibly formal and any pattern that’s too loud or too bright can make a perfectly fitted suit futile.
There are two tips to wearing prints with a suit:
1. Choose small scale prints.
2. Wear it with a neutral color suit.
Clashing prints and colors will make you look like a clown and not a risk-taking trendsetter. You’d want compliments and respect, not laughter. Wear a solid color neutral suit with a small-scale pattern printed dress shirt.
When choosing the tie to go with your shirt, you can play around with different prints and patterns, too, to make your outfit even more interesting. The first thing you have to do is establish the main color of your shirt. For example, the main color is blue. So when choosing a tie, you can wear something printed such as a red and blue striped tie. Always remember that the tie color must be darker than the shirt color for contrast and proportion.
One important tip: Keep the patterns to a maximum of two when wearing a suit. You can wear a polka dot shirt with a navy blue tie, and a pinstripe suit, or a blue gingham shirt with a striped blue necktie.
The Bottom Line
Don’t shy away from prints and patterns – they’re a great way to showcase your personality and individuality, and bring about a different level of confidence that allows you to express yourself.
Always start small, stay away from prints and patterns with bright colors, and oh, never, ever wear a bright Hawaiian shirt with a suit.
