WORN WITH A UNSTRUCTURED jacket and a mullet, it makes you look like a veteran coke dealer. Wear it untucked over denims, with sea-grass flip-flops, and you come across very Calvin Klein. Team it with a grey suit and striped tie and you are transformed into the father of all salarymen.
You get the idea. Every man, whatever his age and station, needs a white shirt. Albert Einstein wore nothing but white shirts, as did Mickey Rourke in 9 1/2 Weeks. The scene where he opens a wardrobe to reveal half a dozen white Comme des Garcons shirts is more arousing than any fridge-fuelled romp with Kim Basinger. Maybe.
The theory of white shirts is so scholastic a roomful of philosophers could debate it for days. But you are time-poor. This column has therefore distilled its essential teachings.
1. Have it tailor-made, especially if it's for business. You can have a $300 shirt run up in no time. According to Roshan Melwani at Sam's Tailor, Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui: 'It's too important to leave to chance. This garment is an essential part of every man's wardrobe. It's clean, crisp and goes with everything. It's fine for every occasion. So do the right thing and get it properly made.' But he would say that.
2. Get French cuffs. Button cuffs are for geeks and schoolboys. Players wear cuff-links.
3. Ensure the sleeves are long enough. Style factions argue whether the shirt sleeve should be half a centimetre (conservative) or a centimetre (flashy) longer than the jacket sleeve. But it must be longer or you'll look naff.
4. Avoid monograms. Nobody wants to read your initials in gothic capitals, thank you.
