For a formal black tie event, always choose white and buy an actual dress shirt, a normal shirt will not do.

All prices are correct at time of publishing

The Bib

The better made dress shirts will have a bib front i.e. a double layer of fabric at the front where it is exposed by the jacket and ending just above the waist. The bib can be plain, pleated or in the traditional Marcella pique pattern. Marcella pique is cotton with a textured appearance and is heavily starched. The placket (the strip of fabric down your shirt with the buttons) will either have an extra layer of fabric to conceal the buttons or will have black stud buttons to give contrast.

Favourbrook’s Pleated Pintuck Dress Shirt  features a pleated front panel with a concealed placket to hide the buttons underneath, while the rest of the shirt is cut from lightweight two fold fine poplin made from 100% cotton  Has a spread collar. £180.00. Oliver Brown’s Pleated Dress Shirt has a wide pleated front with a concealed placket. Made from 100% Swiss  cotton supplied by Alumo £195.00. Brunello Cucinelli’s  Tuxedo shirt features narrow pleats with black mother of pearl stud buttons.Made from 100% Sea Island cotton. Has a spread collar. Also available with white mother of pearl buttons and a plain bib with white mother of pearl buttons. £1200.00 Be traditional with Favourbrook’s Marcella Bib Front Dress Shirt in crisp white Marcella cotton poplin. Featuring a classic bib front panel, structured collar and double cuffs. Finished with a concealed button front. £175.00

What style of collar?

Before WWII, stiff shirts with winged detachable collars were common, but now the classic turn down collars are acceptable for the modern dress shirt. For the traditionalists and more formal black tie events, the dress shirt with an attached wing collar is the best option. Remember to always tuck the pointed wing tips behind your bow tie. Gieves and Hawkes Dalton Double Cuff Wing Tip Collar Dress Shirt features a smooth bib front and complimentary mother of pearl stud buttons. Made from 100% cotton by the Canclini mill in Italy, £171.50. Classic turn down collar styles can be worn at black tie events are the cutaway, spread and the semi–spread, because all suit a bow tie. The Cutaway Collar is the modern choice for a black tie event. The spread of the cutaway collar is much wider than other collars, spreading outwards rather than pointing downwards. The wide spread can vary from being just a little wider than the spread collar to almost being horizontal. This style suits men with slim or long faces as the horizontal line of the spread balances out the vertical line of the face. Gieves and Hawkes Wynn Cut Away Collar Double Cuff Shirt features a plain bib front and complimentary mother of pearl stud buttons. Made from 100% cotton by the Canclini mill in Italy, £171.50. Spread Collar is usually wide enough that the collar tips are hidden underneath the jacket lapel. It is the most popular collar type and suits most face shapes. Dunhill’s Spread Collar Pleated Front Evening Shirt features a spread collar and removable stiffeners with a concealed placket and pleated bib. Was £625.00 now £415.00. The Point Collar (about 3 inches apart ) and the Semi Spread (about 4 inches apart) suit the more rounded face as the horizontal line of the collar is not as prominent. If you have a very round or wide face go for the longest collar tips you can find on a semi spread collar as these create vertical lines which will balance more with your face. Dunhill’s Oxford Bib Point Collar Evening Shirt   in Oxford cotton features a rounded plain bib and heavily fused point collar with removable stiffeners. £575.00

Cufflinks & Studs

Dress shirts always have French cuffs (double cuffs), therefore you will need to wear a pair of cufflinks. Keep them classic and simple, do not go for novelty. They should be monochrome, silver or gold and if wearing dress studs should either match or harmonise with them. Wearing studs instead of the top 2/3 buttons of the shirt is traditional and good quality dress shirts will have eyelets to accommodate them.Deakin & Francis have a variety of dress sets Dress Sets – Deakin & Francis to choose from. A classic is their Sterling Silver Onyx Inlay Dress Set In Rose Gold with 4 dress studs and matching cufflink with a black onyx inlay set in sterling silver with rose gold finish £785.00. Also available in silver Sterling Silver Round Onyx Dress Set £690.00

Gieves and Hawkes images provided by pr agency Purple PR

Brunello Cucinelli, Dunhill and Favourbrook images provided by pr agency LM Communications

Oliver Brown images provided by Oliver Brown

Deakin & Francis images provided by Deakin & Francis

Background Images from Canva.com

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