Nothing says refined style more than the crisp white dress shirt. From the pure white color to the stiff collar, the dress shirt embodies timeless style and sophistication. The white shirt is a wardrobe staple and is an essential piece that should be in your closet. You'll get a ton of use out of your white dress shirts as you can dress them up or down and they pair well with most clothing. The white dress shirt dates back hundreds of years and the clean white fabric was prized by the wealthy. Of course the shirt has evolved from it's early days but it still remains a constant in most men's wardrobes today.

The white shirt works in business settings and for formal occasions but you can also make it work with casual looks. One way to translate the white dress shirt into a casual look is to pair it with jeans or shorts. You can also opt to wear the button-down shirt. The button-down shirt was created for polo players but was soon popular among non-polo players after a few tweaks were made to appeal to the masses. The button-down shirt is a form of the dress shirt but it can also easily be adapted for casual looks. Wearing the collar buttoned or not, the shirt just looks good.

I recommend having several white shirts with different cuffs and collars to keep things interesting but if you must have only one style, make it the traditional collared shirt. Caring for your white shirts is simple, use a laundry soap like The Laundress to keep the inside of the collar and cuffs clean and fresh. To use, just wet the collar and cuffs and apply the soap with a light scrub then launder as you normally would. Also, wearing a slim fit undershirt between your body and dress shirt will help to preserve your dress shirt. Replace your white shirts when the color doesn't seem as bright as when you first purchased it to ensure your wardrobe is fresh. Let me know how you wear your white shirts. Stay stylish friends...