How many shirts does one man need?

The shirt is one of the few areas of the male wardrobe - especially now ties are heading for extinction - where a man can display a dash of dandyism.

How many one should possess before entering the Elton John school of excess depends on his bank balance and who is ironing them. Colin McDowell, author of Fashion Today (Phaidon), feels "five is the minimum a bachelor can get away with, 15 is probably a more sensible number".

At Savile Row tailor Richard James, shirt sales make up most of the business, with an average price of £100 each. "We have the occasional customer who will buy between 40 and 50 in one season but, more often, our good customers will buy between 10 and 15," said James's business partner Sean Dixon.

If you think having so many shirts that you can afford to hand over 20 to Oxfam is excessive, remember those pictures of Tony Blair with his arms held high at the 2000 Labour conference. What do we remember? Not his words, but the unsightly sweat stains. The fragrant Mr Portillo is unlikely to find himself in that position - politically or sartorially.