1. If it doesn't STRETCH, it's not worth wearing
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past thousand years of wearing dress clothes, it’s that comfort matters…..A LOT. Especially living in a (hopefully soon) post-covid world where we’ve all become accustomed to wearing our pajamas for the past 12 months. Going back to stiff and uncomfortable dress clothes is like being tossed head-first into a snow bank, immediately after soaking in a warm Jacuzzi. It sucks.
But the good news is you don’t have to go back to those crappy clothes. Performance fabrics have come a long way in the past few years, and they’re finally making their way into the dress clothes category, more specifically, button up dress shirts. If you haven’t worn a dress shirt with 15% spandex in it you haven’t lived yet. Don’t fall for this “2-4% Stretch” crap, either. Anything under 6% is unnoticeable, but once you get above 10% you’re in Heaven territory. Need to actually bend over? Yeah, you’ll be able to. Wanna reach for something that’s above your navel without your shirt untucking? Yep, if it has 10%+ stretch that shirt’ll stay tucked the entire time you’re rummaging through that snack cupboard. And if you think I’m living in fantasy land because you’ve never seen a shirt like this, think again. Check out our Performance Button Up Dress Shirts here. The Stretch is one of many features that’ll blow your mind.
2. Cotton is for Cotton-Headed Ninny-Muggins
I’m 99% Confident that the button up dress shirt(s) hanging in your closet is made of Cotton. But when you put on a dress shirt you’re really suiting up to go to war like a Superhero. By war I mean Work, Church, Wedding, or other highfalutin things.
And do you think Batman’s Bat suit is made of Cotton? Think again. It’s made of freaking Lululemon fabric. Which is…...ready for this? POLYESTER. Yeah, that’s right. That insanely comf and overpriced pair of lulu’s you’ve been rocking has the fabric roots of your Grandpa’s Brown Polyester Suit. But here’s the thing. Polyester today IS NOT like the Polyester from the 70’s. Polyester today can look and FEEL like SILK, PERFORM like WOOL, STRETCH like ELASTIC and BREATH like COTTON. It’s basically the Superhero fabric of our day. And it’s EXACTLY what you should look for in your button up dress shirt.
3. Slim is in
“Slim Fit” does not mean “Only fits Slim People”. Now read that line again and let it sink in. Just because you’re built like a fridge doesn’t you mean you can’t wear a good slim fit button up dress shirt. The key is to find the size that fits you right, regardless of what the tag says. Legitimately though, ignore the tag size and simply try on several sizes until you find the one that fits you best. Who cares if that’s 1-2 sizes up from what you normally wear. If it takes you from this to this...
Then mission accomplished. Except for the guy’s face, you and I will never be models...and that’s ok. Again, I can’t emphasize enough that boxy and baggy shirts don’t look good on anyone, no matter how big you are. Finding the right fitting slim fit dress shirt will take you from shlub to stud immediately.
4. Save the Turtles
At it’s core polyester is made of plastic. But it’s broken down and woven in a way that makes it awesome for textiles. Because it starts as plastic though, that means mills can recycle plastic bottles and turn them into polyester fabrics which are then turned into, you guessed it, button up dress shirts.
Not all polyester is recycled though so you’ll want to look at the tag and make sure it specifically states what portion is recycled. Any recycling is better than no recycling so finding a shirt that uses recycled polyester is an easy way to save some turtles and give you the feel-goods.
5. You Deserve It
If the above 4 reasons weren’t convincing enough then hopefully this one will be. You’re a good person, you work hard, you sacrifice a lot, and because of that you deserve to have some nice things. And if you have to wear dress shirts anyways, it may as well be a dress shirt that makes you look and feel like a superhero. One that fits perfectly, stretches with you, and protects the environment. So go ahead, drop those old, tired dress shirts in the donate bin and grab yourself a brand new button up dress shirt, because by golly, you deserve it.
