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I’m a personal shopper, so I know what I’m doing when it comes to men’s fashion. Men like to think they have a fashion eye, but believe me, there are few of them don’t need the woman’s guiding hand when it comes to men’s fashion.

Look at the wedding I went to on Sunday, one of my oldest friends. It was tail coats, top hats, the full works, and with the sun shining down, the bride looked radiant. All the men wore crisp white shirts with wing collars and bow ties – wonderful, you may think. And so did I till I noticed that half the poor dears were wearing their bow ties behind the wings of the collars.

Well the first thing I tell any of my clients buying men’s shirts with wing collars, is that the bow always goes in front, and the wings behind. Helps to keep the wings in place, looks much smarter, and in etiquette terms is the “right” thing to do.

Anyway, a quick tour of the guys concerned, with a big smile and a “you look lovely, let me straighten your tie” soon had everything in order, and nobody any the wiser. And on the photographs, not a single collar was out of place!

Xxxx
Sarah

Rated: from 4003 votes

Now I’ve got issues about collarless shirts. You’re never going to look really smart without a collar – that’s what I tell my clients, and that’s why we don’t stock that many collarless shirts. For anyone who remembers when collarless shirts came back into fashion in the late 90s (and called granddad shirts) you’re entitled to shudder when you remember them.

But this is what makes collarless shirts so interesting. They are rare right now and you’ll find that decent quality collarless shirts are now more evocative of the 1950s than a few dodgy years at the end of the millennium. Because they’re such a bold choice, with the right ensemble they can be an amazing compromise between smart and casual.

© Wikimedia

That’s why it was no surprise to see one being worn by GQ’s ‘most stylish man of the year’ Brandon Flowers from the Killers. After picking up his award, Flowers was seen wearing a light cream collarless shirt under a customised Dolce & Gabbana jacket and there was certainly nothing 1990s about the way he looked. The guy’s probably got dozens of stylists and money to burn, so the fact that collarless shirts are moving back into the wardrobe of 2008’s most stylish man made me sit up and take notice.

So my advice on collarless shirts: They’re more than just an option – they’re coming back, but make sure you keep it subtle.

Xxxx
Sarah

Rated: from 2741 votes

© Wikipedia

Men’s fashion changes all the time, so it’s a good job that women like me are around to keep up with it (and to keep the men up with it too!).

One of my regular clients (I’m a personal shopper) was asking for men’s fashion tips yesterday while looking for shirts and ties to take on holiday, and it happened that over my skinny latte that very morning I’d been chatting to a really cool guy who was wearing the very latest in contrast collar shirts.

Coloured shirts with white collars have been an essential in men’s fashion for a while now, but for that really up to date look, contrasting coloured, patterned, checked or striped collars are the business - do you remember Gordon Gekko and “Wall Street”? My skinny latte man was wearing a brown shirt in 100% cotton with a matching fawn collar, and it really looked good.

So with that in mind, I was able to send my client off to Switzerland with half a dozen of the very latest men’s shirts with contrasting collars from the stock we’d just received.

And he’s promised to bring me back some photos!

Xxxx
Sarah

Rated: from 2714 votes

Wikipedia © Alex Crowford

Lewis Hamilton has to be a role model for the fashion-conscious single man, and purely for professional purposes in my role as a Personal Shopper (!!!) I have pictures of him on my office wall. He’s not been to me for men’s fashion tips yet, but I live in hope!

Meanwhile, his Pussycat Doll Nicole seems to be doing a good job of keeping him on the strait and narrow with regard to men’s clothing.

He never fails to looks smart and ultra cool, especially so in Monte Carlo on the evening after his Formula One victory there at the Monaco Grand Prix. In a deep Mediterranean blue silk shirt with white collar, open at the neck, he looked every inch the Formula One ace and stole admiring glances from every woman in the room.

© MySuitShop

I give a lot of men’s fashion advice, both every day as part of my job and also to any of the good looking men I meet over a skinny latte, and one of the first men’s fashion tips that I gave to my guy Dan was to invest in some contrast collar shirts.

He loves them, and his favourite is one very similar to Lewis’s, deep blue with a white collar. He’s worn it open-necked, or with a matching silk tie, and looks brilliant in it.

That may not have been such a good idea though, as ever since I’ve had to warn three of my best friends to keep their hands off – at least till Lewis Hamilton comes calling on me for some men’s fashion advice!!

Xxxx

Sarah

Rated: from 3014 votes