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Womens Dress Shirts

"Strategies to Buying Dress Shirts that Fit"


Stylish womens dres shirt
Striped Dress Shirt from Charles Tyrwhitt
Are you new to womens dress shirts and don't have a clue on where to begin? Or maybe your previous shirt purchases were a disaster (terrible fit, just didn't look right)? Then this page will be the first step in steering you in the right direction to choosing the best dress shirt for your body shape, style, budget and wardrobe!

You can find a wide variety in womens shirts, from ruffle shirts to short sleeved womens blouses, and I absolutely advise you to experiment with the different styles to spiff up your office work look. However your first choice and purchase should be the white dress shirt which is considered a fashion essential that go with everything.

Now let's move forward and take a look at the vital steps to finding the right dress shirt for you.

Choose a Versatile Color and Cut

Make sure you secure at least one or preferably two dress shirts in classic white. A casual one (like for example tunic) and a tailored, sophisticated one.

Essential white womens dress shirt
White dress shirt from Savile Row Company Ltd .


The white dress shirt can be interchanged with so many pieces in your wardrobe. And you can wear it to casual and formal events. It's almost a funny thing really because there are many who look at white dress shirts as something stiff and corporate when they can be created into something very chic.

Other classic colors for this type of clothing are light pink and light blue.

For your first purchase, I recommend buying tailored office shirts. That means, simple and clean in cut. Wearing something loose-fitted to "hide" your bulges won't help. In fact it will only draw attention to that area. So choose something fitted to semi-fitted. This will skim your figure in a flattering way. No one wants to look like a potato sack at work (remember, you're wearing it to give a good and presentable impression).

Want to learn more about how to dress for your body shape? Then click here!

Tip: If you're uncomfortable wearing a tight-fitted shirt, top it off with a looser-fitted vest or cardigan.

Choose Dress Shirts in Your Best Colors

Often the wrong colors can hurt your appearance.

You need to find out what colors suit you best first and choose dress shirts according to that. here.

Don't have time for a color analyis, and just want to get to the chase? Here's a simple guideline to how it works:

  • If you're cool-colored with bluish-pinkish skin then crisp white and colors with a "cool" blue undertone will suit you
  • If you're a warm-colored woman with golden-peachy skin tone with dirty/strawberry blond to reddish-black hair you'll look good in warm colors such as ivory and off-white, or anything with a red/yellow undertone.
Tip: Ivory and off-white are slightly harder to find, but you can always top it off with earrings, necklace, scarves and makeup from your color palette.

Have Your Body Measurements Done

Pink Womens Dress Shirt with White Bib
Pink Dress Shirt with White Bib
from Savile Row Company Ltd
A dress shirt will look great on you if it fits and flatters your shape. If it sits too tight, it won't look appropriate for the occasion (over-emphasized love handles and boobies are a no-no at most office settings) and you might end up spending your energy on making sure it sits perfectly instead of focusing on your work tasks.

Or if it's slightly loose it will only disfigure your shape, making you look chubbier around the middle or making it look like you're hiding something. It just won't look good.

When it comes to womens dress shirts, an inch of difference can make or break your look. So always have your measurements in mind.

Compare your body measurements with the online store's size chart. Please don't skip checking their chart, as sizes vary from brand to brand. There are also few women who fit the "average" size. For example, American fit tends to be baggier than the European/English fit (average body weight in the US is bigger than in Europe) even though they're both have the same tag!



If you're in doubt, measure an office shirt you already own and that you think is the perfect fit, and use those numbers when going shopping. Or head to your local store and try on a couple of shirts until you find the right one, and use those measurements on your next online purchase. <> Tip: If none of the sizes online fit your measurements, buy the one closest to your numbers and have a tailor do the altering. Or you can even have your tailor make a dress shirt for you. We just have to face the fact that we all come in different sizes and shapes, and that some can't be categorized into a specific size tag.

Buy High Quality Womens Dress Shirts

Blue and White Dress Shirt
Striped Dress Shirt
from Thomas Pink
Always pay extra for quality. A more expensive shirt will cost you less in the long run.

Generally speaking, expensive office shirts give you nicer fabric, nicer buttons, better stitchings and a brand name. However, no matter quality, a shirt with a poor fit, won't look good on you. What's the point in wearing it if it doesn't look good on you? <> Note: Check the shirt label for ply count. Finer dress shirts are made of two-ply, not single-ply, and the fabrics are stronger and softer.

Check out online UK stores (the deliver worldwide) such as Savile Row Company Ltd, Charles Tyrwhitt and Thomas Pink. They offer a stylish range of womens dress shirts with superb quality!

Avoid Sacrificing Style

Lady-like luxury stylish womens dress shirt
Luxury Dress Shirt
from Thomas Pink
You don't have to stick to only white dress shirts. Not to mention, avoid leaving out the accessories. Everybody's wearing the white dress shirt and you want to look a little different, right?

If office work is a huge part of your everyday life or if you have a classy-sophisticated style, you might want to add several more dress shirts in different designs -- ranging from different colors, nuances, details (ruffled neckline is my fave), length and tailoring.

For casual work environments, try tunic shirts and different sleeve styles. Experiment!

Add accessories to spruce your look. Adding a little bit of color and glitz won't hurt you.



Here are a few more quick tips on buying office shirts:

    Mini notebook icon Before buying a shirt, remember to take your body measurements -- around the bust, waist, hips, neck, cuff, shoulder to shoulder, sleeve length.. and compare the numbers with their size chart

    Mini notebook icon Since we have more meat around the chest area (and that greatly varies from woman to woman) than men, your exact bust measurements are crucial to fitting into a shirt.

    Mini notebook icon For the absolute perfect fit, get your local tailor to sew you a dress shirt

    Mini notebook icon If a dress shirt is slightly big, pull it closer to your body by wrapping a skinny belt around your waist.





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