Mens Dress Shirt Basics

There's nothing wrong with a plain solid dress shirt. If you work in a professional office were its expected to wear dress shirts; blue, Grey, and white are the safest colors. Colorful pastel like colors are more popular but considerably more with younger generations. As to how to determine which colors are best to wear you might want to consider the season. Colors like many other things are seasonal.

Are there manuals for men on how to pick out dress shirts? I don't think so but the following are simple yet safe rules to follow:

White

Every professional man should have his fair share of white dress shirts hanging up in his closet. These go with everything no matter what time of year, and for what occasion. Similar to women needing that cocktail dress, men need to have a white dress shirt available at all times.

Blue

As far as versatility in shirts light blue probably takes the cake, and also a must have where you can get to easily preferably placed next to the whites. Blue comes off as a trustworthy color, and also says you're serious yet professional in what you do. Light blues are the most commonly used colors with whites.

Grey

The Grey dress shirt is often seen as the more sophisticated older brother of light blue. It is equally adaptable in both formal and casual environments. Grey allows other colors to come into play. The intensity of Grey is much less than a dark navy blue or a solid white, which makes way for things like colored ties, and accessories to stand out without looking gaudy.

Black

An enigmatic color that comes in many tones, the color instantly slims down the figure and adds a sense of style and class. Because they can have different underlying colors, it is hard to match black on black. Outdoors the color of black can vary significantly, but this is usually not noticeable indoors.

Yellow Shirts

Yellow dress shirts are a little more risky, especially in the corporate world. It's very easy to wear yellow and show everyone you have no clue how to match. Yellow in it's most mellow shade (pastel) is the usually the safest choice for dress shirts. When paired with charcoals and light greys it can become a great look for the spring.