How to Choose a High-Quality Dress Shirt

You will spend many a working hour in them, so make sure your shirts are comfortable and made to last.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Ensure a Good Fit

1. Button the dress shirt to the top. You should be able to slide two or three fingers between your neck and collar.
2. Bend your arm. Sleeves should be long enough so that cuffs do not ride up your wrist when you move your arm.
3. Check that cuffs are snug and do not hang over your hand. You should not be able to slip into shirt sleeves without first undoing buttons on the cuff.
4. Make sure the shirt does not pull uncomfortably across the chest or waist.
5. Inspect the buttons: they should be well-placed with no gaping holes exposing your chest.
6. Raise your arms and check that shirt tails do not come out of your pants.

Ensure Good Quality

7. 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.
8. Inspect the seam running down the side of the shirt - a high-quality garment has only one line of stitching visible on the side seam, while most shirts have two visible rows of stitches.
9. Determine whether buttonholes are hand-sewn, with irregular stitching ' this generally indicates high quality.
10. Examine shirt sleeve a couple of inches above the cuff for a gauntlet button that closes up the sleeve. A gauntlet button and a horizontally placed buttonhole also usually indicate good craftsmanship.

Tips & Warnings

• Since most shirts will shrink upon washing (particularly natural fibers), select a size that allows you a little room now for a good fit later.
• Two-ply shirts are usually designated as such on the label, while single-ply shirts (including all cotton-polyester blends) will probably not mention ply at all.