…why not try a man’s shirt on for size?
It is one of the eternal images of sexiness. Girl awakes in a foreign king-sized bed and reaches for the first item of clothing that she can get her hands on to cover her modesty. Dishevelled on the floor is a slightly tousled white shirt, still baring the faint perfume of sex, smoke and cocktails sipped the night before. She pulls it over her head, loosely enveloping her curves and creeps out to retrieve her belongings before the man at her side awakes.
The men’s white shirt is one of the most understated but effective wardrobe steals. The animal kingdom mark by scent, the female of this species dons her partners shirt and heads out to do the shopping. Audrey Hepburn swanned about Rome in one, a young Julia Roberts preserved her questionable modesty in Richard Gere’s, Uma Thurman caught Travolta’s eye in hers and today Rihanna and Mila Kunis sip on their skinny lattes in very little else.
Apart from its oversized nature, a man’s shirt can be distinguished by its buttons on the right hand side. This is inherited from the days of duelling, when a gentleman’s armoury needed to allow for a stance in favour of the defensive side of the body – the left. As women weren’t bowling around with sharp objects, their clothes buttoned right over left, allowing them to be dressed by their hired help and it stuck.
Now you can leave lipstick on your own collar, with these models below:
Brooks Brothers Oxford Cloth Button Down Shirt
The Classic
Founded in 1818, Brooks Brothers is the oldest men’s clothier chain in the US and have pioneered trends in men’s shirts since their foundation. A particular favourite innovation of their’s is the OCBD (Oxford Cloth Button Down) – or the Classic Shirt to you and me.
Rugger Kick Ass Oxford Shirt
The Oh-so Casual
The Gant Rugger Kick Ass Oxford Shirt, is the perfect ‘What this? I just threw this on’ white shirt for Sunday brunch or sunset cocktails on the beach (feat me in Ibiza). As it’s fitted and shorter on the body (they call this the Hugger fit), it allows for an oversized look without drowning you.
ASOS Smart Shirt With Cutaway Collar
The Stylish Collar
This slim fit shirt sports a cutaway collar which will look gorgeous playing peekaboo from under a v-neck fitted sweater or a low buttoned cardigan, with the two button sleeve cuffs on show. It’s available in XXS for those with a more petite (32in chest) frame.
