Twist and shirt - it's spring

Shirts are, arguably, some of the most versatile garments around. Easy to dress both up and down, they’re acceptable in the pub as well as when meeting the in-laws for the first time. Roll up the sleeves for a casual look, tuck it in for a more formal approach. Few garments are that flexible. Wear a T-shirt underneath for a nice layering effect, and you could even - just about - unbutton it and wear like a jacket.

To make it even easier to establish what specific shirt goes with different social circumstances, designers and brands have been kind enough to develop ‘casual’ and ‘formal’ shirts. Those guidelines are by no means set in stone - on the contrary, we encourage civil sartorial unrest - but merely there to help us, as consumers, find the a path in the shirt jungle. The trick, as we all lead busy working lives and hectic personal ones, is to divide your shirt wardrobe in to three departments: work, off-duty and weekends. Here’s three shirts that, for this season, perfectly sum up the characteristics of each category.

Work

What garments should all men own? Well, there’s no easy answer, but to have at least one sharp and formal white shirt is a good starting point. If you work at an office you’ll probably need more than one. Fairly slim so it can be easily tucked in, and with a neither too small or large cutaway collar to allow for your preferred tie knot.

Off-Duty

Off Duty is that time of the week in between work and the weekends, when you meet your mates for dinner or go to parenting evenings. Without loosing smartness you still want to be able to relax. A printed oxford shirt, or in a nicely structured fabric, allows for a sharp impression and shows you can handle both style and fashion.

Weekend

Though a linen shirt may evoke images of balmy nights on the beach it makes for equally perfect weekend wear. This kind of loose and comfortable garment means you can wear it with jeans and shorts, as well as chinos, and it’s essentially made for long lazy pub lunch sessions and strolls in the park on sunny spring days.