Darker dress shirt recommendations
What bolder/darker colour shirts should I get?
I currently like navy and maroon
46 Replies
In my opinion dress shirts look better when they're not in saturated colors.
White, light blue, pale pink
I like the contrast with light khaki pants in particular
I don’t like that personally
I think I am more tolerant of this than the rest of MFA, but even I would concede that 1) this is a more casual look, not something to wear with a suit 2) it's not easy to pull off.
And even given that, the two shirts you already have seems like plenty, and the best color choices.
black and navy are good depending on tonality. Stoffa is a brand that has some pretty interesting colors if you want to check them out, though I say that mostly for inspiration and not value
First picture is a dark green but it is a nice execution of dark shirt and light pants, although we can’t see much of the outfit
Lighting. There’s a better full body picture online but ofc the pictures are inaccessible since the online store is closed for the season…
Really dark saturated colors only work with shirts like that when they're in interesting materials - viscose, silk, denim, all either play w/ light in such a way or contain texture that helps give depth to the color. If your shirt is made of a plain poplin or something else with a very "flat" texture as most dress shirts tend to be, you will look like a middle schooler trying way too hard to stand out at the band rehearsal
Texture absolutely huge
Fit also matters - the louder the color, the uglier it will look if it's too slim and interacts weirdly with all the natural bumps and curves of your torso. There's a world of difference between these two shirts - one catches light in a subtle way due to its crinkled texture and more relaxed fit (you go to cool museums and read complicated philosophical texts!!!) and the other is obnoxiously loud due to its tight fit and shiny surface (you really wanted to be Criss Angel but now you sell used cars to people that will break down in a month!!!)
I own a few but only wear them casually or experimentally.
If not white, ice blue, or pale pink, I'd look at white with stripe and white with check.
Don't necessarily want a velvety shirt
First one in both sets look like you work at staples or best buy
I don't like the fit at all, just the colour combination of these particular pictures
The navy one in the bottom right is quite nice - I think it's made of a linen or chambray, and it's a nice casual collar. The interesting belt and accessories also help make the fit good
The thing about pairing burgundy with khaki is that it's very in-your-face. Like, "look at me and my bold color choices!" I think if you throw a jacket on top to help balance the fit it could look nice, but just the shirt tucked into khakis isn't a good move imo
Yeah it's probably better off paired with denims
Although I think you could pull of a short sleeved burgundy and khaki pants
Are you talking about "dress shirts" still though, or just all casual tops now?
You could give it a try - J.crew and Gap might have something like this. The important thing is to look for 100% cotton and a casual fabric (aim for chambray, denim, flannel, twill). Any poly or nylon content will give the shirts that sheen which moves it from workable to ugly
I don't think he's going to listen
I tried looking for the exact look I had in mind but just couldn't find it. I only see skinny fit shirts on google with velvety finishes, or ugly reds
Uniqlo U might also do this sort of thing in overshirts. It's often easier to pull off bolder colors in outer layers vs inner layers
Just be patient. The colors you're looking for are hard to pull off, so the options are going to be a) the shitty stuff you see on Google marketed to people who don't realize or care it's hard to pull off or b) stuff made with more thought put into the design. The latter are fewer and farther between (if Uniqlo U constantly made a dark burgundy shirt it would never sell) - don't succumb to the temptation of getting something you know in your heart isn't right
Doesn't necessarily have to be dark, just darker than the white, pale blue etc that people suggest
I think it’s mostly jewel tone dress shirts that people are warning people off of
Yeah I’m confused what a “dress shirt” is now
I think your title of "Dress shirt" has confused us because none of your inspo photos are dress shirts.
If you're looking for a casual shirt in darker colors olives and navy are certainly good options to wear. can be worn with denims too
The first ones are dress shirts, aren't they?
Different people define a dress shirt differently. Let me ask you this: how specifically do you plan to wear them?
Plan to wear them in most situations that don't require a suit and/or tie
Let's be clear. Do you mean literally a suit, or do you mean any jacket (suit, sport coat)?
A literal suit
To me, a real, honest-to-god dress shirt is something intended to be worn with a jacket (including suit) and tie, and looks a bit off if worn without them.
I would call something like an OCBD a button-up shirt.
but now we're getting very pedantic.
Okay. Darker colored shirts are difficult to wear with any jacket. Suit or blazer or sport coat. Keep this in mind.
Don't normally wear those kinda jackets anyway.
I have a navy suit i almost never wear and a dinner jacket? Which I also almost never wear
What's this called
Looks like an orphaned tuxedo jacket but I'm not sure
When I bought it, pretty sure it came by itself
Is it black velvet?
Yes
Dinner jacket is a tux right
Tuxedo would come with matching pants. Again, not sure since I'm no expert on this stuff
Button down, I guess
That’s a shawl collar dinner jacket. Generally would be worn for formal events with the full black tie ensemble. As a young guy you could put it to alternative uses I guess and get away with it. On the original subject of shirts chambray is a wonderful fabric to add a bit of interest and casual flavour to smarter outfits.
Dinner suit is a tux. Dinner jackets can come separately. You would almost never see a velvet jacket or an ivory jacket as a "suit," it would be sold separately or sold with black trousers most of the time. @rebound2
Shawl lapel.
Good to know!
Some will say the tux is the suit + the rest of the attire. Terms used interchangeably. "Black Tie rig" is fairly unambiguous in meaning the entire kit and caboodle.