A Reader Writes:
I was in my closet yesterday, lamenting the fact (yet again) that I had nothing to wear, when I had a startling realization. It was that I had all these stupid button down shirts occupying prime visual real estate, so I would walk in the closet, glare at them, then walk out again. My husband thinks button-up shirts are the epitome of stylishness and thinks that I look “more dressy” in them. I have a few that I like (mostly the silk ones) but the rest pull and gap and are just unattractive. However, I can’t seem to ditch them entirely because they can look okay on me with a cami underneath and with the shirt unbuttoned almost to the waist. And the sleeves rolled. Who am I kidding? That’s not the sign of good-fitting clo, is it? Maybe they’ll migrate to the upstairs closet until I can get around to a total purge. But isn’t one white button shirt acceptable?
The short answer is yes: one white button shirt in your closet is acceptable — if you wear it. The long answer is, dude! Why not get rid of everything you don’t wear (surely someone out there can give your button-downs a loving home — women’s businesswear is always an especially appreciated clothing donation). Why keep clothing around that just festers resentment and guilt through your entire closet? Well, because of fashion rules, that’s why. It’s a maxim dilemma: how much do we stick with the “clean your closet and only own what you really wear” maxim– what if that leaves us only old hoodies and jeans from college. It would keep us in a rut that could be saved by embracing the dressy clothes, collecting basic pieces, and breaking out our potential frump cycle. Is a single white shirt an answer to this? A crisp one?
I’m not going to hate on all white today: I’m talking specifically about the long-sleeved, all-season, poplin or other classy-ass fabric you need to iron: the BLOUSE. Some of them are called Oxfords. If anyone is still reading along here, I’d love to know if you have one. I don’t think I have since 1992: the same year my mom got me a blazer from the Gap for Christmas because it looked so “Collegiate” to wear with jeans. Yet, it is a “maxim” that everyone needs one. So much so that Entire Articles like this one: The Classic white shirt: a primer* are premised on the assumption that everyone must and will have a White Shirt — it’s just a matter of finding the proper one for you.
The idea seems to be that a Tailored White Shirt can go anywhere — dress up or down — match anything in a pinch. Okay, maybe. But does it look good? Are you happy in it? Does white make you look sick and bloated? And really, isn’t it a little bit presumptuous to insist that everyone wants to squeeze into some boxy, preppy, wrinkle-prone remnant of Early 20th Century Men’s Tailoring? Personally I find them binding and impossible to keep tucked in (even if I wanted to tuck in — not a great look on us “apples,” honestly). It feels fussy to pull a sweater on over them. And I get that structured pieces give a body shape — seriously I dig that — but I don’t like structure too close to my body like that. It bugs, and it doesn’t look all the great on me.
How about you? If like “Veronica” you are debating whether you should hang onto old button-downs — (or keep feeling guilty because you don’t keep looking for the Perfect White Shirt ) — I offer this quick quiz to help:
IS IT NECESSARY FOR ME TO HAVE A CRISP, WHITE TAILORED SHIRT IN MY CLOSET AT ALL TIMES?
If you answered yes to any one of the above then yes, I get it. You go with your bad white shirt. If you are still rolling your eyes, though, then you’re with me. And you have my full blessing to put the white shirt in the (literal or theoretical, if you don’t really have one) pile of WHATEV clothes. And seriously, another year from now I might be ready to argue that the “collared blouse” ideal is so over it might actually be dated. I will keep a close eye on the continuing tenure of Secretary of State Clinton as a fashion benchmark on this particular point.
But back to Veronica: you’re not off the hook that easily, my friend! Keep looking for comfortable, versatile wardrobe basics that will “dress up” those fabulous New England businesswoman-professional outfits of yours — AND “dress down” for a pizza-and-movies date night. And how about those tricky Saturday events, like bridal shower for someone you barely know in a restaurant you’ve never heard of ? What if a white cotton Oxford would be PERFECT for that? I don’t care, but I will suggest these:
If you genuinely like the “collared blouse” style, Boden has this washable rayon/silk blend in a flattering cream color. Even better they have it in green, cadet blue, gold, pewter and scarlet! But my personal fave tops are strategically-draped knits in a well-grounded (but still interesting) color. Easy to layer, don’t have to tuck in. Other ideas?
Another reason!
I have a white button-down shirt in my closet because I have sung with groups that require members to wear black slacks and a white button-down shirt when we perform. So I keep one around just in case I ever sing with a group like that again, even though I never actually wear it…
Out of guilt to the fashion deities I searched in vain for years for a Crisp White Shirt, buying stuff I didn’t like that didn’t fit, wearing it never and then giving it away. I don’t know when I gave up having one in my closet, but it’s been years. I should get rid of the other oxford-types that I have, as they require ironing and therefore never get worn, sitting in a heap in my closet for that one day when I will iron as I watch TV instead of sitting and knitting. Perhaps this Spring’s clean-out will be the judge — anything not on a hanger will go, whatever the reason.
I work for a Fortune 500 tech company, and the white Oxford reads as old, conservative, and out-of-touch to me. I think I’d be 100 times more likely to see one on a waitress than a colleague around here.
Despite the fact that I tend to dress dressier than my colleagues in my very informal office, I have never owned a white button-down and can’t imagine the need for one.
Also, why have so many manufacturers of women’s clothing forgotten that so-useful feature, the bust-line dart? There’s no need for your shirt to gape, it just needs to be better-designed. Well, and for the dart to hit in the right spot it should probably be pre-fitted, and…forget the shirt.
Interesting! And not just classy Seattle tech ladies but other people have written to agree: A Washington D.C. Senior Policy analyst. Counsel to an elite Chicago law firm. A Boston medical researcher. An HR director for a public utility. And more than one fabulous and stylish woman employed rigorously by the demands of home and family. No white shirts!?
Another problem with Oxford shirts for women is the number of fit points. 1) sleeve length, 2) torso length, 3) bust size, 4) shoulder breadth, 5) waist size. Yet they’re generally only sized along 1, maybe 2, dimensions.
Hear hear. I’m not buying anything that requires an iron until Sept. 2015 (when my youngest enters kindergarten!)