The Fickle World Of Men’s Fashion: Shirts

Fashion is a fickle creature. Even when it comes to men’s shirts, styles are ever changing. Some styles of shirt stay in fashion longer than others but the fashion industry moves with such speed it is hard to keep track. Until the nineteen eighties shirts barely changed at all but now there are more styles than can be cataloged. New fabrics and innovative styles are introduced to the industry all the time. Nevertheless, classic shirt designs, like patterned shirts remain at the heart of all modern shirt concepts.

New fabrics and sophisticated production techniques ensure that shirt designs are constantly changing. Here is an overview of some of the more modern shirt designs.

Most people will buy their shirts in store or from a catalog. These shirts come ready made and are designed to fit certain sizes of man. But not everybody is the same. We’re all different and our dimensions change. Because of this, it is sometimes better to have your shirts made to order. This means having them specially made to fit your unique requirements. Made to order shirts will undoubtedly fit you better than store bought shirts, but they are much more expensive. If you are one of the fortunate men that fit the measurements of the average person, for which most shirts are designed, this won’t be an issue and you can go ahead and buy regular shirts.
 
On the other hand, you might trust your tailor to make a better fitting shirt. This is often true but shirt designers do know what they are doing. They make a living from designing shirts to fit men of all sizes and they are known as experts for a good reason. It is rare to find a tailor that knows more about shirt design and men’s fashion than the designers driving that fashion.

This is a question that has dogged men for many years. Some prefer to leave their shirts hanging loose. An untucked shirt can look good in certain circumstances. Others prefer to err on the side of caution and tuck their shirts in at all times. Many modern shirts are designed not to be tucked in and are cut short for this reason. Some people would say that people over forty should always wear their shirts tucked in, this being because an untucked shirt is associated with youth, but this is nonsense; it’s just what we are accustomed to seeing. The answer to the tucking issue really depends more on the situation and on the particular shirt than it does on the person. Long shirts should be tucked in to avoid looking like dresses. Shirts that are cut short are most likely designed to be casually left untucked.
 
Of course, in a formal occasion, shirts should always be tucked in. This is simply because it is the social norm. Recently, fashion designers have come to realize that an untucked shirt can look good with a suit. But at a formal dinner or job interview people would call you a slob for adopting this look. In many senses, society is still governed by the expectations of last century. When it comes to T-shirts, the answer is definitely never tuck. T-shirts are designed to be casual and attempting to look smart by tucking them into your pants is nothing short of a fashion crime.

Traditionally, both natural fibers and artificial fibers have been used to manufacture shirts for men. Typically, most shirts are still made from either cotton or polyester. Cotton, being a natural fiber is the more expensive of the two.

These days, a blend of both cotton and polyester is popular, being both comfortable and cost effective. But shirt fabrics don’t stop there. Fashion designers have come to realize that a major way to change the design of a shirt is simply to apply a new material to its creation. Designers have experimented with several materials. Silk is increasingly popular, as a luxurious material for formal occasions including weddings.