Do you know how to shop for and buy a mens dress shirt?  Maybe you’re lining up job interviews following college graduation, or maybe you’ve just invited someone to your first prom.  Regardless of the big things heading your way this spring, you’ll look and feel your best if you’re sharply dressed.  This guide will explain what to look for in a mens dress shirt, so you can find the most flattering mens dress shirt for you.

How to Measure for a Mens Dress Shirt

The first thing you need to do before buying a mens dress shirt is to accurately measure yourself – you are moving beyond the world of small/medium/large and into a world where neck sizes matter!  Grab a measuring tape, and wrap it around your neck, right across your Adam’s apple.  Add a half-inch to whatever measurement is reflected there for ease of movement and breathing – you won’t wear your mens dress shirt if you’re choking every time you put it on.

Know Your Shirt Sleeve Length

The other measurement you’ll need before buying your mens dress shirt is your sleeve length.  This is imperative to know before buying a long-sleeved mens dress shirt – nothing looks worse than an inch or two of wrist flopping out the bottom of your cuff!  You’ll need someone to help you measure the distance from the middle of your back, over to the top of your shoulder, and from your shoulder down to your wrist.  Add these measurements together, and you’ll have your sleeve length.

Mens Dress Shirt Cut Options

Once you’ve got your neck size and sleeve length written down, you can move on and begin looking at cut options.  Mens dress shirts are usually styled in one of three different options.  An athletic cut means the dress shirt is cut close to the body, without a lot of excess fabric under the arms or around the waist.  This is a good choice for men who aren’t super-bulky through the chest and arms, or for wearing under a close-fitting suit.  A regular cut means just what you’d think – it’s slightly looser than the athletic cut.  The majority of mens dress shirts fall into this category.  Finally, some shirts are full cut.  Full cuts are usually found in the big and tall section, and provide extra length and width for men of larger stature.

Choose a Collar

Found a cut that’s great for you?  Now it’s time to move on and choose a collar.  Collars come in a range of sizes and styles, and it’s important to match the collar of your mens dress shirt to your face shape for visual consistency.  If you have a rounder face, you should look for a straight-point collar, where points of the collar form a V at the bottom.  This will help elongate your face and neck, which makes you look taller and slimmer.  If you have a long neck already, you can choose either a tab or a club collar, which will show off your height and visually widen your shoulders.

As long as you’re prepared with these three bits of information – knowing your measurements, which style cut is flattering, and which collar to choose – picking out a mens dress shirt becomes a breeze.  You’ll spend less time in the dressing room, and more time preparing for your big event, which is the way it should be!

Get yourself ready for spring with some breezy new mens linen shirts!  Mens linen shirts can take you from casual Friday to beachy Saturdays, to a spring afternoon wedding – and they’re a lot less pricey and easier to take care of than you’d think.  Here is your guide to choosing and caring for your new wardrobe of mens linen shirts, plus some fashionable style choices available online.

You might have had experiences with linen in the past ,when  a linen shirt wrinkled almost as soon as you put it on and stepped outside.  Today’s mens linen shirts usually come with a touch of spandex, which helps the shirt hold its shape and not disintegrate into a crinkly mess when you wear it.  This means you can pack mens linen shirts for a quick weekend get-away, without resigning yourself to lots of heavy ironing as soon as you reach your hotel room.

Styles of Mens Linen Shirts

Mens linen shirts come in many different styles.  The most classic is the guayabera, a traditional Cuban shirt with short-sleeves, an easy full cut, vertical slits on both sides of the shirt’s hem, and either two or four patch pockets on the shirt-front.  It’s a similar design to the classic bowling shirt, but much lighter and cooler to wear for warm spring and summer months.  Guayaberas come in a wild variety of colors, from classic white to the brightest of neon, and sometimes feature tonal embroidery that will match the color of the shirt.

Guayabera Mens Linen Shirts

You can find some contemporary and traditionally designed guayaberas at mycubanstore.com.  The highlight of their collection has to be the 100% Irish linen guayabera, which can be ordered in sizes small through 5X, and in a kaleidoscope of colors, including white, black, ivory, natural, and the more flamboyant turquoise, lavender, and yellow.  The shirt retails for $75.99, with bulk discounts available if you are shopping for a wedding or other special occasion.

Formal Mens Linen Shirts

If you need  more formal or business-appropriate mens linen shirts, you should know that these shirts require special  measurements before purchasing.  For the best fit, you will need to know your neck size and your sleeve length – otherwise, you may find yourself looking like a strangling scarecrow in a shirt that is too tight and too-short!

Once you’ve got yourself measured, you can find a great selection of both trendy and professional-looking mens linen shirts at www.overstock.com.  A popular choice is the linen-cotton blend MICHAEL by Michael Kors shirt.  These mens linen shirts feature long sleeves with roll-up tabs, safari-style shoulder epaulettes, and large flap pockets on the shirt-front.  The MICHAEL by Michael Kors mens linen shirts retails for $49.99, far below the advertised retail price of $138.00.

Caring for Mens Linen Shirts

Once you choose your mens linen shirts, it’s important to know how to care for them.  Most linen is washable, but it usually doesn’t fare well in the dryer, as the material is prone to shrinking.  Dry outside if you can, to help keep your shirt looking light and bright.  And be sure to refer to the label for specific care instructions for your individual garment.  Enjoy all the activities your spring and summer have in store for you, while wearing your trendy, cool lineup of mens linen shirts!