So this week we'll be talking about shirts.
Now, this is a very broad topic. There are a lot of things that go into a shirt, like thread count, collar spreads, but I'm pretty sure most of you don't have the means to buy a handmade shirt, which would cost at least $400. So, we'll keep it simple and stick with department store shirts—small, medium, and large sizes—because that's what most of us buy anyway. I'll break it down into two categories: size and color. We'll start with size.
Make sure you buy yourself a slim fit. Now, I don't want to say "fat people," but bigger people seem to think that slim fit or a shirt that fits them isn't for them just because they're bigger. But in reality, what a regular fit shirt does is all that extra fabric makes you look bigger. It even makes me look bigger. It does that to everybody. There's fabric there that's not even necessary. I'll show you the difference. I'm going to put on two shirts so you can see. You need your measurements to know what size to buy. To measure your neck, find your Adam's apple and go for the thickest part of your neck, right below your Adam's apple. Usually, get a friend to help because it's hard. Wrap the measuring tape around and jot down the measurement, whether it's 14, 14 1/2, 15, 15 1/2, 16, etc. For your arm, start in the middle of your neck at the shoulder blade, go along your shoulder line until your wrist, and get that size.
Now, I will show you the difference this shirt makes. This is the regular cut shirt. You can see the difference. No matter how well I tuck it in, there's still a lot of unnecessary fabric. It makes you look bigger than you are, and no matter how expensive the shirt is, it just looks cheap. This shirt wasn't expensive, but you can tell by the flimsy small buttons. Now, I'll show you what a slim fit does. This is my H&M shirt. It was $14 on sale, and you can already see the difference. It looks much better quality. A perfectly fitting shirt looks high quality. There's a huge difference with this one. I've already seen unnecessary fabric. It's to the body; it accents your muscles.
There are ways to see if the shirt fits you properly. The shoulder seams should hug your shoulders. If it's down here, it's too big. When you stand up, unbutton your sleeves and let them fall. Your sleeve should be between your wrist and your knuckle. If it's past your knuckle, it's too big; if it's like this, too small. For your neck, button it all the way up as if you were going to put a tie on. This is the one-finger rule. You should fit one finger in here comfortably. If you can fit two or three, it's too big. If you can't fit any, you're probably choking.
If you buy a shirt that fits perfectly, it looks like a very expensive high-end shirt. You just need to shop right for your size. If the buttons are small, tailor them and put on thicker buttons. It makes it seem like you have a more expensive shirt. As I told you, this is a $14 H&M shirt, and it's a really nice shirt. So, that's for size.
Now, color. Before I get started, men need two colors in their wardrobe. The first two you need are white and pink. No matter your skin color, these will always go well. Let's start with white. White is what bosses wear. You've heard the saying, "Bosses wear white, drones wear blue." That's where White Collar and Blue Collar come from. White shows an executive position. Make sure it's a well-fitted white shirt. No matter how expensive it is, if it doesn't fit well, it will look cheap.
Pink is that color that always looks good, no matter your skin tone or undertone. We're not talking about fuchsia or bubblegum pink, but a light rose color pink. It complements any skin tone and shows confidence. Those are the two shirts you always need in your wardrobe. Match them with a dark tie.
Now, undertones. There are three types: warm, neutral, and cool. To determine your undertone, grab a piece of silver and gold jewelry and put it against your skin. See which one looks better. If you can't figure it out, go to a cosmetic stand; they'll tell you. If you look better with silver, you're cool; if with gold, you're warm. If both, you're neutral. Warm colors include dark blues, reds, dark purples, oranges, and yellows. Cool colors include light pink, light blue, and lavender.
You can also go with the seasons. For fall, wear warmer colors. In spring and summer, bring out the bold colors.
That's about it today for shirts.