Getting Collared

"I have a ton of dress shirts but they all look awful on me. Thought you can't botch something that simple? I guess I was wrong. What's the deal?"

A lot of guys buy a shirt because they like the color, but they still end up looking bad on them. The biggest mistake is collar selection. In general, if you have a round face, then you should wear a collar that‘s longer in shape. If you have a long face, then you should wear a wider collar. If you have a short neck, then get a low sitting collar. If you have a long neck, then you should consider getting a higher sitting collar. These little differences can make a huge difference.

Assuming you get the collar right you can still screw things up. Never wear a button down collar with a suit and tie, and use all the short sleeve dress shirts in your possession to wax the car. Also, avoid dry cleaning and heavy starch like the plague. It destroys cheap shirts quickly and even your expensive shirts will wear out faster. Next, ditch the plastic collar stiffeners for a set of silver or brass ones.

Another piece of advice is to get measured, and write your collar/sleeve sizes down on a piece of paper that's in your wallet. Lost some weight or maybe gained some? Get your measurements checked out again. No sense in wasting time and money on shirts that might look good in the store but don't fit you. Of course it goes without saying that you should actually try the shirt on in the store. Go ahead and take out all the pins and inserts, and then get in front of a mirror. And bring someone along to get a second opinion.