All About The White Shirt

WHAT'S IN A WHITE SHIRT!

A white shirt is a white shirt is a white shirt. What’s the big deal, right?

Wrong.

A white shirt can totally change the way you are perceived when you wear one, and more importantly, what you feel when you wear one. In the universe of fashion, a white shirt is considered one of the most versatile pieces of clothing that any person can own in their wardrobe. For a woman, especially, this becomes the go-to-choice on days when it’s hard to decide what to wear. She can choose to wear it formally or casually and it will always make her look elegant.

THE VERSATALITY OF THE WHITE SHIRT

A white shirt can look good with all kinds of lowers – skirts, jeans, formal pants, casual pants, shorts and even track pants. A white shirt is the perfect choice for the Work-to-Weekend look. Team it with a blazer to attend your client meetings and open an extra button and roll up your sleeves for the evening out with friends. And the best part is, if you want to make a statement, a white shirt can even be worn with a saree and grab all attention!

You can choose a crisp darted formal shirt, or you can choose a beautiful, oversized piece to go with your denim. Wear it on a vacation, wear it to a conference, wear it for a brunch, wear it for a play date, wear it to go shopping with your MIL, wear it for the concert, wear to the school PTM, wear it (and may be only it) on that couple’s getaway. Wear it all day long, it still is super comfortable and super easy to carry.

And it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, a white shirt will still work for you. If you are a lawyer or a doctor or a journalist or a project manager, a white shirt will be your best bet for a look of sobriety and respect. If you are a photographer or a chef or a blogger or a musician, you will still have lovely casual white shirts to choose from to add oomph and coolness to your look. It doesn’t matter if you are a working professional who spends most days at a desk or a dynamic free-lancer with a field job or a stay-at-home mom with a crazy busy schedule – there will always be a perfect white shirt that will make you look like the super woman that you are.

It’s for a reason that the white shirt is considered a wardrobe essential. A White Shirt is timeless and effortlessly smart at the same time.

WOMEN IN SHIRTS

A white shirt, once upon a time, was considered the attire of a high-class, well-bred, and wealthy men. But in the early 20’s, as the War took away many men to the frontlines, the women stepped in to do their tasks back home. They chose to wear men’s pants and comfortable shirts or blouses to have ease while working in the factories or offices. Soon, women adopted the shirts as a part of their wardrobe and gave them a feminine and stylish twist – think Audrey Hepburn in her short sleeves and a scarf in the iconic Roman Holiday – and thus the shirt, and especially a white shirt, became the classic wardrobe staple for a stylish woman.

Image Courtesy - liveabout.com. Image Copyright - Paramount Pictures.

A shirt also gives the woman a sense of equal footing with men. A shirt was once considered a highly masculine piece of clothing and is now a symbol of androgenous and even feminine style statement for women. A woman need not consider her gender any more to choose clothes to wear that she likes to wear. In a way, the shirt stands for her liberation and a stoic rejection of the society’s gender barriers.

When a woman chooses to wear a shirt, she is communicating many things as the same time. In a shirt, a woman stands for independence, gender equality and individuality. She is a then a force to reckon with. She knows who she is and what she wants in her life. She is confident, bold, unafraid to say her thoughts clearly and loudly. She is unstoppable. She is a #PunchPackedPersonality.

A WHITE SHIRT BRINGS ATTENTION

A white shirt stands for sophistication, poise and style. It’s worn when you want to look professional and want to be taken seriously. It’s worn when you want to look casually chic and elegant even in a non-office setting.

We would like that people shouldn’t judge us by the clothes we wear, but the truth is that this the first thing people see on us and there is a perception we immediately create. In fact, knowingly or unknowingly, we also judge others by the clothes they wear.

If you wear a shirt, and if it’s a white shirt, then people tend take you seriously. Period. The collar has the profound and innate ability to frame your jaws and draw the onlooker’s eye upwards towards your face. The collar adds structure and definition to the shirt and to the wearer. This automatically gives the onlooker a sense of respect and the wearer, a sense of power.

Try putting on a white shirt in a highly formal way like with a suit or even casually with just some smart accessories. You will feel the energy within and without. When you walk out onto the street or walk into a meeting room, you will automatically communicate confidence and force. You will be able to sense it by the immediate turning of heads to look at you. And you will even feel it in your own posture when you look at the mirror.

WHY WHITE?

White stands for purity, simplicity, and understated elegance. White stands for confidence, class and good taste. White evokes trust, respect, and seriousness from an onlooker. White also stands for affluence as once upon a time, only a person of substantial prosperity could afford to wash and maintain a white garment as he or she had access to help to take the extra care that was required for cleaning and maintaining the delicate white. The colour White became a mark of social distinction.

In the 1930’s, the educated and salaried professionals came to be called as the “white collared workers” and thus the white shirt became a symbol of status and professionalism. From businessmen to politicians to movie stars – all those who wanted to make a personality statement and create an image of high social standing, chose to wear a white shirt. It’s only later that the ubiquitous white shirt also became a style statement of the masses, owing to its sophisticated and crisp looks.

FIND THE PERFECT WHITE SHIRT

It’s obvious then, that a white shirt, is your best friend in the wardrobe. You can choose to have different kinds of white shirts in your collection. A Giza Cotton white shirt is super formal, super elegant and truly luxurious. It’s board room worthy and often undermines the need of a suit or a blazer. If you wish to wear something equally formal but easier to carry, you can choose to wear a stretch poplin shirt or an oxford formal white shirt. You can team that with formal pants and light stud earrings, and you are ready to power through the day at work.

An oversized white Poplin shirt can be your work wear as well as Casual wear. It can look beautiful and classy with a pair of trendy jeans. A linen white shirt can be perfect for comfort and a light and easy day. You can choose to wear it with shorts on a vacation or with cotton capris for your shopping spree. A viscose twill white shirt is perfect for an easy breezy experience. Feel the softness of the fabric and be comfortable even on a long day!

Whatever your occasion and whatever your mood, there will always be a perfect white shirt to match your mood. Check out a full range of white shirts, formal and casual, from Gazillion.

WASH CARE TIPS

If you ask us about how to wash and maintain your white shirt, we will say that the best option is to dry clean it. But we understand that this is not always the most affordable choice. So here are some suggestions from our end.

Wash your white shirt in a machine in warm water (not too high temperature). It’s a good idea to use a bleach or a whitener for your whites, but please remember that such chemicals tend to erode fibres, especially cotton, and therefore its advisable to use such agents only once in three or four cycles. Remember to wash your whites separately so no other colour bleed can spoil your pristine whites.

For the collars, do not use a hand brush as this can lead to erosion of the collars. We suggest that if the collars are too dirty, soak the shirt in water. Add detergent, whitening agent and squeeze half a lemon in it. You can choose to rub the collar lightly with hands. Soak for 30 mins and then transfer the shirt to the machine for washing.

If possible, line dry your white shirt, but not in the sun. Strong sunrays can ruin fibres, especially cotton fibres and will reduce the life of your shirt. If tumble drying, set on a gentle cycle.

Press and store shirts inside out in your wardrobe to avoid dust or accidental stains on the correct side. Better to steam iron than iron directly, unless you want the fold lines to show as part of your crisp look.