The Edit - A good white shirt is harder to find than you think.
The white shirt
A white shirt sounds like the easiest thing in the world to buy. It isn’t. Fabric weight, collar structure, how it sits through the shoulder, shape and drape… a good one and a forgettable one can look almost identical on a hanger and completely different on your body.
Here are a few I’ve put on the consered list, across all budgets.
Everyday - Target cotton poplin. This shirt won’t have the structure of the others below, but its a great way to test whether a white shirt earns a place in your rotation before spending more.
Considered - Micha Poplin shirt by Assembly Label. Slightly oversized silhouette and classic shirting details. The mother of pearl buttons are a superb touch and makes this shirt feel more considered and not borrowed from a school uniform.
Witchery white shirt These are something of an insititution here in Austtralia and it would be rude not to mention their campaign raising money for Ovarian cancer - a truly worthy cause in my opinion and a one I personally subscibe to. This year I bought the OCRF halter and have worn it multiple times. Under a blazer during winter has been a go to for me.
Investment - Bassike is Australian made premium cotton and the kind of shirt that gets better with age rather than tired. If a white shirt is going to become a genuine wardrobe workhorse for you, this is where I’d spend.
What to actually check, regardless of budget: does it gape at the button placket (a real and common issue), does the collar sit flat without curlin up, and does tha fabric have enough weight that it doesn’t go sheer under office lighting. A whit shirt that fails any of these isnt necessarily cheap, however little it costs, its just something you’ll stop reaching for.
None of this is really about finding the ‘perfect’ white shirt. It’s about noticing that a piece everyone assumes is simple, actually rewards a little more attention than it gets. Thats true of most wardrobe basics not just this one. Buy better, buy less. Especially for the pieces that look like they shouldn’t need much thought at all.
This pieces first appeared in MY Weekly Edit. A free newsletter with one considered pick a week. Subscribe to get the next before it reaches the blog.