The case for black dress shirts?

[cold war painter]



^ I agree, though I'd personally include artists/creatives who make a conscious (or even unconscious) choice to wear black under my earlier accepted exception for "...those whose work uniform mandates one (officially or unofficially)."

Oh, good point, I'd never thought of it like that.

Although, are uniforms about "getting the clothes out of the way"? I suppose they are sometimes, although sometimes it's about getting the person out of the way so that you only see a policeman, a soldier, etc. Along those lines and at the risk of Godwin-ing the thread, one of the first things I think of with black dress shirts is Oswald Mosley.

Anyway as far as dress shirts go I generally just stick to light blue, it is very rare that I think the fit would be improved with something different.

 

[Holdfast]

Yeah, uniforms are very interesting things. They're about creating a role/identity that subsumes both the person and the clothes. Instead of a man wearing a black shirt, you're a Blackshirt, using your example. When you combine a uniform with the associated attitude, you can really start having fun with people. There are some classic psychological experiments where unqualified people were given uniforms and they rapidly assumed the social role associated with the uniform, and others automatically started obeying them even though they knew they weren't qualified. Now imagine the potential when others don't know about the lack of actual qualification...

 

[wojt]

Quote:
interesting, will try btw someone in this thread mentioned silk black shirt, that's an interesting idea too

 

[Suit of Nettles]

By way of proving Holdfast's Maxim (and cwp's extension), every classical musician I know owns a ton of black clothing -- none of which gets worn longer than the performance and time-in-transit, with the possible exception of the odd soloist who insists on wearing black-tie.

In fact, I'd say it's almost axiomatic that people who do wear black uniforms can't wait to get out of them. Especially clergymen.

Full disclosure: one of my absolute favourite blazers is a black Ben Silver 3/2; it just doesn't find its way onto my back all that often.

 

[hayaoyamaneko]

(upon closer inspection that's probably a polo)

 

[wojt]

^they go with med/dark grey jacket no tie, imo that's a good look if everything else is good (though without a jacket it's just too plain
)I saw on one blog grey jacket with black gingham and white chino- which was tbh better,
so perhaps instead of black shirt black/white gingham would be better for casual shirt

 

[Erichmax]

What is the firm you work for requires you to wear black dress-shirt, black pants, and black shoes to work? And please don't say get a different job.

 

[Erichmax]

What if the firm you work for requires you to wear black dress-shirt, black pants, and black shoes to work? And please don't say get a different job.

 

[archibaldleach]



What is the firm you work for requires you to wear black dress-shirt, black pants, and black shoes to work? And please don't say get a different job.

Then you wear it, just like you'd wear any other uniform. It being required, however, does not make it look good.

 

[Erichmax]

Also, no jacket and no tie. Is there some way that I can actually make this look good?

 

[archibaldleach]

^ A black "dress" shirt IMO looks far better without a jacket or a tie, so in that sense you're lucky. A tie should be darker than one's shirt (basically impossible with black) and the jacket just makes things worse. The best way to make it look good is to buy shirts and trousers that fit well. You really can't do too much more than that.

 

[Erichmax]

Well, I still have control over the belt and (whether I wear a) watch. Remember, I also gotta wear black pants and shoes too. So could I add some color to it or does the being entirely dressed in black looks better?

 

[archibaldleach]

At that point, I think all black is going to look better than any subtle changes you could execute. Black belt too and shine your shoes well.

 

[msulinski]

Don't buy black cotton pants. Go with wool. Not sure why, but cotton does not seem to be able to hold the black dye very well and ends up fading.

 

[archibaldleach]

^ Excellent point. I find in general that cotton does not take to dark colors as well as wool in the long-term. It is probably most egregious with black, though.