Simple Ways to Style Your Classic White Shirt This Summer

The white shirt, whether you are the classic or the daring guy in blue jeans, is the biggest staple of summer fashion.

Read any actor/model/designer/industrialist/whatchamacallit interview, and we guarantee their answer to What’s your wardrobe essential? is a white button-up shirt and blue jeans.

Whether it’s real-life ambassadors like Tom Ford, always seen in a white button-down shirt and black suit, or pinwheel-style icons (who can forget Don Draper and his emergency drawer filled with fresh, crisp white shirts in his office in Mad Men?), a white shirt will never go out of style. It’s suitable for everyone, there’s a fit and style for everyone, and you can wear it to your office or on a last-minute date. In fact, it’s that item of clothing from your closet that your date can borrow, wear the next morning, and still look fabulous. Also. A white dress shirt and a white shirt dress are just a pun apart. This approximates what an LBD means for a woman.

Pandemic mode

Since 2020, working and surviving from home has made us lazy to get dressed. So much so that matching sets and pajamas are always in demand, with plenty of premium and luxury options to buy. As luxurious as they are, sweatpants still belong on one end of the style spectrum. And the other big style trend for men and women in 2023 is stealth wealth or understated luxury, where you don’t care about going all out with your price and, sometimes, your style. This brought tailored pieces and classic silhouettes back into fashion. Sum it down to an attitude of I-don’t care, because two years at home has pushed many of us into a constant carpe diem mood, because you never know if another lockdown awaits.

Post-pandemic, the fashion market is heading to opposite ends of the spectrum. This has been seen in consumer habits and trends. A group of buyers like leisure and relaxation sets. While many of us missed out on the maximalist era of the red carpet during the pandemic, and once the world opened up, we saw a resurgence in couture as everyone raved about dressing up and dressing up. having fun with fashion, comments celebrity and editorial stylist Divyak DSouza. And a white button-up shirt fits both spaces perfectly. This means that an Rs 80,000 Gucci shirt is something you can wear under a tuxedo, or with a denim jacket and joggers for your coffee.

Since the pandemic, in addition to the casual or maximalist style, people have started to believe in serious investment in wardrobe must-haves and are building an enduring wardrobe that is seasonless and filled with classic and versatile pieces that can be reused and worn again. Re-wearing is gaining momentum and the white shirt has regained its place as the most enduring wardrobe staple, says DSouza.

Indian designers, too, are reinventing the white shirt in a brilliant way, with Indian textiles as well, for occasion outfits, such as designer Urvashi Kaur, explains the stylist. Perhaps the silhouette is not always the shirt, but the original inspiration comes from the void and the making of a white shirt. There is repetition value.

Independent designers DSouza suggests you check out include Sand by Shirins organic cotton and linen shirts with an off-center crew neck. Spacelines also offers neutral cotton and poplin co-ords, which are staples in DSouza’s work wardrobe for shoots. Effortless and comfortable, a white shirt can be teamed and accessorized to make it your own look.

I recently purchased a cropped women’s shirt from the JW Anderson and Uniqlo collaboration, and it works for men too. The interpretations are different. For pop culture references, check out Diljit Dosanjh’s recent performance at Coachella in a white lungi and kurta true to his roots, but stark white, and he accessorized it with some cool streetwear brands. It’s an interpretation of the white shirt, which crosses cultures, and easy to mix in a wardrobe that can be local, summarizes DSouza. Whichever you choose, the collar should fit snugly, the shirt shouldn’t be tight, but snug, and playing with proportions is the easiest way to stand out in a room full of white shirts (think jeans baggy with an oversized white shirt).