Should You Always Wear a White Dress Shirt?

I always see on television, movies, shows, the Internet and sometimes the newspaper that the men in suits almost always have a white dress shirt on and I am wondering if that is really the norm for the work force. I have a bunch of dress shirts in different colors but I am not sure if white is what you should regularly wear.

Also, if you can, please list the occasions that you must wear a white dress shirt if there is one. (Like meetings/interviews/pictures)

Can I Wear Pink Dress Shirts (and other colors)?

Our users fully believe that men are not solely limited to white dress shirts when on the job and can even wear light pink shirts. The following list was created by our users and includes acceptable shirt colors to wear to the office. However, you should observe what the full time / current analysts are wearing and judge your wardrobe off of that.

  • light blue
  • light grey
  • off white
  • light pink
  • light purple

White Business Dress Shirt for Interviews?

However, when in a serious environment such as an interview or an information session, white should be your go to color.

imsurance - Real Estate Analyst:
On a normal day there’s nothing wrong with breaking away from the mundane. But I am a firm believer you should always interview in a white shirt and conservative tie.

iBankedUp:
Yeah, I second the above. Off white, light grey, light blue can all be alternatives to white, but never when you need to project yourself as a serious and focused person. White is just easy to look at and doesn't throw off any colors from the light pinstripe in your suit, to the nuances of the patterns in your ties. Always wear white when trying to look good in front of people. But other light colors (blue, grey, off-white) can work if you just want to look good for yourself.

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Yeah, I second the above. Off white, light grey, light blue can all be alternatives to white, but never when you need to project yourself as a serious and focused person. White is just easy to look at and doesn't throw off any colors from the light pinstripe in your suit, to the nuances of the patterns in your ties. Always wear white when trying to look good in front of people. But other light colors (blue, grey, off-white) can work if you just want to look good for yourself.

 

White and Blue should make up the majority of your shirt rotation. I also have ONE pink and ONE purple (both are muted, not bright) that I rotate in about once every two to three weeks.

Business Casual Fridays, however, can change this up a bit. Wear some checks with your blazer and khakis.

Stripes just look silly.

Director of Finance and Corporate Development: 2020 - Present Manager of FP&A and Corporate Development: 2019 - 2020 Corporate Finance, Strategy and Development: 2011 - 2019 "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
 

Think about it this way. In the morning efficiency is your friend, if you only have white and blue shirts it's pretty easy to get dressed as you don't need to think about what you're going to wear. When you add in a bunch of colors you'll start doing the "What color shirt did I wear yesterday?"

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 

Wear whatever makes life easier. It seems you have a potential system sorted out. When I started, I did that. I've not seen anyone do white through the whole week since, but I'm sure no one would care.

And yes, gingham is basically a "See you Monday, beyotch" kinda shirt.

PE is the new black.
 

Yup, second everything said. It's a common misconception, probably promulgated by Facebook pictures of those who don't know style conventions, that normal / dark blue, black or grey shirts can be seen in business. This is wrong. For business, just keep it:

  • white, or off white
  • light blue
  • light pink

Always muted, always light and never bright. You can tell a dresser is amateur when he walks in with a dark blue shirt thinking he is mixing it up correctly. This is wrong. If you wanna mix things up, don a solid blue tie, a pastel colour pocket square a peak lapel jacket or a signature shoe like Lobb's or Berluti's.

 

i would keep things very conservative. u just want clients to say that this guy look good and move on. men clothing should look classic and standard - fit is also very important. shirt - just stick to plain white and light blue. suit - dark gray or dark navy blue (no black or pinstripes > no peak lapel or ticket pocket). tie - solid blue or red; no patterns or strips. accessories - say no to pocket square, tie clip and cuff links. shoe - standard black oxford shoe (no brown please) > if u move up to VP, u can wear loafers.

 

Harvey Specter breaks all the rules to demonstrate that he has power in the office. He wears peak lapel, pinstripe, bold tie and pocket square. But if you watch carefully, his style become more loud in the later seasons (i.e. double breasted suit), which is also his transition to his downfall. So if you really want to copy Harvey Specter's style, I would highly recommend only the early seasons.

 

White, followed by blue. Some pinks are always a nice mix (but I tend to find more older men wearing this. Not surprising since I think it was more "in" during the 80's as were French cuffs- always another option). I'm speaking as a woman of course, but I notice these things.

********"Babies don't cost money, they MAKE money." - Jerri Blank********
 

I used to do different color shirts but like some have stated above. Your life is just simpler with all white dress shirts. No worrying about you shirt color being offputting, tie/suit/shirt matching is a breeze, and everyone inherently associates white dress shirts with professionalism. All this being said, I have nothing against people who choose to wear colors, just find that only white shirts is best for my situation.

 

Completely echo everything that has been said for client meetings, interviews, other formal work-related functions.

For business casual everyday office wear I see this rule broken all the time with different colors, patterns, etc from the MD to the analyst level across a variety of groups. I personally keep it white / blue for meetings but wear plenty of other colors and patterns during the week in the office.

 

White is a must in my eyes. Annoyed when I see juniors in shitty dark shirts.

I always have 10 white shirts. Need to keep them looking brand new so this will last 12 months. i.e. ~25 uses each before collars & white colour starts to look shit.

If you are wearing white shirts which are faded throw the fucking things away they just look seedy.

 

Lunch with VPs went well. Had to admire that subtle off-white that closely resembles bone and the raised logo on the card. Paul Allen would have been proud.

Straight up chillin:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RWjbQNVYCLdAPKXTtZodkoM7ZsMuYrylAm_6L…" alt="Socks" />

 
Ebolamonkey:

WSO style

Battle Dress for a Meeting a GS VP.

  1. White shirt
  2. Red "Trump" Tie
  3. Monkey themed Socks like a true WSO Ape!

Going to report back if the VP is ready for that WSO style.

I never understood the draw of variety / themed socks. In fact, I think that especially for socks, it is even more stylish to keep to the rule: the socks matches the pants, not the shoes.

Whenever I see themed socks, I think either:

1) The wearer couldn't find something dry this morning and so put on whatever sock is available.

2) The wearer isn't able to express his style through the conventional means - pocket square and tie.

I wish you well in getting the job at Goldman. But a red tie is to show aggression. Keep it blue, which is the staple business color.

 

Lunch meeting with two VPs. Went well and they loved the outfit, monkey socks included. Got to wear this tie next time for that proper Yakuza look:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e8/a7/bb/e8a7bb39e4921ad…" alt="Red Dragon" />

 
zerojb34:

What type of shirt should you wear if you want to work in DCM versus ECM?

ECM is coloured shirt with white cuffs & collar plus bracers.

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 

In my previous firm where I was a buy-side equity analyst, I was always attending conferences (whether held by the sell-side or publications) with fellow buy-side analysts and PM's from around the world, and executives & investor relations teams of listed companies around the region. I think that I was able to see how a pretty diverse set of people dressed for a somewhat formal event. White and blue shirts were definitely the most common. For the formal parts of the conference, it was more often than not a charcoal, dark grey, navy or black (yes, black suits during day time and for business are kosher here in Asia) suit. Charcoal, black and grey suits were often paired with a white or blue shirt, with the pattern being either solid color or pinstripe. A less formal but still acceptable shirt style was a blue/dark blue + white gingham or grey + white gingham with the previously mentioned suit colors. For the navy suits, they were most often paired with a white shirt, sometimes light blue or light grey. Personally, I stuck to charcoal, dark grey and black suits with white/light blue shirts for these formal events, when I was meeting with executives from the companies I cover, and meeting our institutional clients (HNW & UHNW people are a bit more laid back lol). These would be paired with simply-patterned ties, usually a modern-width Ferragamo tie like this: http://www.ferragamo.com/shop/en/usa/men/ties-accessories/3-vira-cr-655…

When I'm just in the office or even going to lunch/dinner/drinks with counterparties, I also wear pinstripe/gingham, and also more casual shirt styles (like oxford) in similar colors.

I still dress similarly now (I work for a later stage VC, where the dress code is still slacks, with coat + tie optional unless we have an LP meeting or event) but have dialed back the formality a little.

Bottom line is that unless you're more senior, I would avoid colors that stand out such as purple or pink. I never tried to out-dress the PM's, and especially not my direct boss. But don't be afraid to mix it up shirt-wise, especially if you're just in the office and you hang up your coat when at your desk.

"Be the Disruptor, not the Disrupted" - Clayton Christensen
 

Yeah, they are quite expensive and I make no pretensions that I'm blue-blooded in any way so I would always rely on hand-me-down's and closeout sale items (for accessories like ties and belts) during my first two years as a broke analyst. I wouldn't buy the current season's collection.

Something that helped me a lot:

Step 1: Ask parents and their friends who work in fields like marketing, advertising, medicine etc. and no longer wear ties to work for their fancy ties that are just sitting in the closet, or ties people gave them as gifts that they probably won't be able to use Step 2: Just go wear them to the office because nobody has to know your fancy ties are hand-me-downs Step 3: Repeat every 1st quarter of the year, post-Christmas gift giving, and voila, you frequently have "new" ties

Not the most glamorous of strategies but helped me save a lot of money.

"Be the Disruptor, not the Disrupted" - Clayton Christensen
 

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"All men are alike in their dreams, and all men are alike in the promises they make. The difference is what they do."— Jean Baptiste Moliere
 

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