ShareThisBy LaMONT JONES
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Carolina Herrera has done for the white shirt what Burberry did for trench coats.
No designer captures the ease and elegance of this clean, crisp garment like the New York fashion designer. Her chic, comfortable styles have moved the garment beyond the realms of casual and business to evening and special occasion for women.
A generation ago, who would have imagined that it would be acceptable to wear a white shirt with a formal ball skirt?
White shirts never go out of style or season. They just take new twists and turns, bursting forth each spring and summer in myriad styles. They're short-sleeve, cap-sleeve, long-sleeve and sleeveless, banded collar, point collar, spread collar, no collar.
White is a fresh break from the saturated colors that have been popular for several years, although softer colors and pastels are still around in pale greens, icy grays, light blues and off-whites, with styles that are comfortable without suits and in casual settings.
"It can do everything you want it to do," said Patricia Goettel, owner of Patricia Boutique in Aspinwall, Pa. "It always looks fresh. It works with all complexions."
This season she's carrying Finley, a California line that makes four new styles each month and then retires the patterns.
"They're tailored and they're feminine at the same time, which is hard to do right," said Goettel. "They remind me of something Carolina Herrera would carry at a much higher price point."
Finleys start at $165; Herrera's range from more than $250 for designs in her CH lifestyle brand to upward of $800 for women's white shirts in her couture collections.
It's easy to find great white shirts for under $50 -- sometimes much less-- at department and off-price stores.
Although the white shirt has become a must-have for women in recent decades, it has always been a wardrobe staple for men. And it is showing renewed popularity this season.
"This time --everything is cyclical -- it's a major reaction to the very bright solids and very pronounced stripes" in men's shirts, said Linda De Refler, spokeswoman for Van Heusen and Geoffrey Beene. "It's kind of like a clean slate, and it looks fresh."
Several white shirt styles comprise a grouping in Van Heusen's men's shirt collection this season. There are everyday bright white cotton shirts, but there also are more fashion-forward textured oxfords, shiny sateens and wrinkle-free poplins.
Here are some tips on wearing and caring for white shirts:
-- Solid white shirts are easier to wear than transparent whites because you can wear any color undershirt or bra.
-- With white shirts worn to the office or formal affairs, men should wear solid white. If the shirt is transparent white, a solid white T-shirt beneath is appropriate.
-- When dressing casually, men can wear transparent white shirts without an undershirt.
-- Women should stick to solid white tops. With a transparent white top, wear a flesh-tone bra because white lingerie is distracting.
-- Never wear prints or bright colors under a white shirt.
-- Wash white shirts after each wearing to prevent staining. Use a delicate detergent to minimize fraying of the garment's fibers.
-- Use a laundry pre-spot on soiled areas of white shirts and always wash and dry them according to label instructions.
-- Line dry white shirts outdoors if the weather is suitable. The sun has a natural bleaching effect, and you can save energy at the same time.
(LaMont Jones can be reached at ljones(at)post-gazette.com. For more stories or to comment visit scrippsnews.com)
