How to style it: The Great White

Monsieur Man, is the new style contribute for NeonPunch Hong Kong. This is our first featured post, enjoy:

Kemi Olaofe tells us how to do the great white.




Kemi Olaofe is the chief stylist at menswear site- Monsieur Man. As Neonpunch.com’s new style contributor, she tell us how to wear the white shirt.

Every man, boy and child without question needs a great white shirt in his wardrobe, it is an indispensable must-have! I mean, Thomas Pink has even come up with a concept called ‘The white shirt bar’ providing customers with a shirt menu, and staff to help them choose the correct shirt, guess the only disappointment is, there is no alcohol involved.
 
Kemi’s tips in selecting white shirts: 

• The key to white shirt selection is that  it should be 100% cotton — accept nothing else.  No polyester, poly-blends, or silks.
• One white shirt is not enough; the minimum is three in your wardrobe.
• When choosing these shirts, there is one ultimate element you need to get right….the FIT!

The 4 key essential white shirts to have in your wardrobe are: 
1.  A simple oxford cotton shirt is great for the office. Oxford shirts almost always use two different threads of different colour and thickness to create rich textures and colours without resorting to synthetic fibres.
2. A cotton poplin shirt is one of the simplest weaves out there, just one-under/one-over weaves. Crisp poplin, works well under a, blazer, a casual jacket and even with a pair of shorts, for a relaxed weekend look.

3. A bespoke shirt is definitely worth the investment, as it will be tailored completely for your shape, and designed to your taste. I would opt for a sea island cotton, it is the most prestigious fabric and will last you a long time.

4. Finally, a dress shirt, with either a pique bib, or pleats (depending on how daring you are) for when you need to whip out the penguin suit.

Four little pointers to ensure your shirt fits properly:

• Collar – should be just enough room in the collar for you to slip you index finger in and comfortably move it around.
• Shoulders -the shoulder seam should fit just right, so that there is enough movement, the fabric shouldn’t stretch across the chest, to create a gap. You don’t want to be blinding someone with a flying button.
• Sleeves- should be 1.5 inches longer than your jacket (around thumb) so the shirt can be seen beneath a suit jacket etc.
• Tapered at waist – they is no need for excess fabric. I would rec­om­mend finding a slim fit­ted shirt, as it’s much eas­ier to tuck in and stay tucked, along with giv­ing you an overall slim­mer appear­ance.

Where to buy white shirts in Hong Kong?

• In need of a casual shirt- G2000
• In need of a formal shirt- PHERES
• Treat yourself to a bespoke shirt at Ascot Chang
• In need of a dress shirt- Gieves & Hawkes

Should you need help in finding the trends, styles that suit your personality and shape, contact Monsieur Man for style and shop consultancy at info@monsieurman.com