Sponsored: Handy Tie & Sock Sets from ShirtCycle

I’ve written before about uniforms of powerful men – men who don’t have the time to figure out which tie goes with which suit, shirt or pair of socks. President Obama got rid of all of his suits except the navy and gray ones (and that tan one) because it meant one less decision in a day filled with far more important decisions. Extremely busy men who pull serious power levers in their lives need to be able to reach into their closets blindfolded, not screw up and be dressed and out the door before many men have decided on a pocket square. As someone who really doesn’t like to belabor the what-goes-with-what process, I really appreciate such efficiency.

For busy men who like a little color and flair with the daily suit and tie, my friends at ShirtCycle have created a smart solution. To supplement their handy and well-executed custom shirt subscription service (my review here), ShirtCycle has added coordinating ties and socks to their offerings.

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My White Pinpoint Oxford Button-Down Shirts

My serious suit and tie dress shirt of choice is a slim fit with a semi-spread collar and French cuffs in regular cotton (NEVER no-iron/wrinkle-free). But for casual modes on the weekend, I love white pinpoint oxford shirts with a button-down collar. They’re perfect with jeans, chinos or even shorts outside of the city. I have four of them, all identical, and count them among my favorite garments in my entire wardrobe.

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End-on-End Shirt Cloth

One of my favorite shirt cloth weaves is end-on-end. It combines alternating light and dark threads to produce the look of a solid from a distance but a nice rich texture up close.

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Charles Tyrwhitt’s Return to Real Cotton White Dress Shirts

Non-iron cotton is the death of dress shirts. Any semi-serious sartorialist who appreciates real soft cotton that breathes would have nothing to do with these formaldehyde-soaked (and potentially toxic) Frankenshirts. The wash/dry/wear convenience of non-iron shirts has made them extremely popular and very profitable for shirt makers. These days, it seems you have to go on a black-ops covert mission to find a handsome, affordable and well-made white dress shirt made with real cotton. Even trusted brands like our stalwart Brooks Brothers have gone as far as making regular cotton shirts unavailable entirely, at least for any reasonable cost.

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Sponsored: A Unique Dress Shirt Solution from ShirtCycle

No one is going to reinvent the way men dress on any real scale in our lifetime, especially with tailored clothing. Barring variations in color and pattern, the problem of what to wear has essentially already been solved. Where a new entry in the menswear game can shine is in the way that problem is solved. A company called ShirtCycle is a new startup that presents a solution with real possibilities.

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Sponsored: Affordable and Stylish Solutions from CombatGent

A reasonable and experienced person would look at a $150 price tag on a suit and see a huge red flag. The fabric must be cheap, the construction has to be horrible, the buttons and lining probably melt near an open flame, and the people actually making the suit are likely grinding out an 18 hour work day with a 10 minute lunch break in an un-airconditioned fire trap in eastern Asia.

I get bludgeoned with emails from startups in the over-saturated menswear world looking for free promotion in the blogosphere. At best, some of these brands might have fine ideas that are poorly executed. At worst, they’re amateur gimmick magicians who wouldn’t get past the first audition for Shark Tank, offering an ill-conceived fix for something that was never broken just to make a buck. Then there is the rare diamond in the ruff, compentently presenting an elegant solution that meets my four criteria, which dictates that the product or service be 1.) handsome, 2.) well-made, 3.) affordable and 4.) workable, i.e. have an actual application in one’s life. Combatant Gentlemen is one of those rare diamonds in the ruff.

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Solving My Solid Poplin Dress Shirt Problem

Here’s my conundrum: my preferred basic, essential dress shirt is a solid white or solid pale blue slim-fit shirt with a 3″ semi-spread collar, French cuffs, a 15.5″ neck and a 35″ collar in regular cotton poplin for under $80 or so.

One would think that such a shirt would be easy to find. Basic and uncomplicated, right? Au contraire, mon frere.

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Great White Dress Shirts from Alara

I’m not very confident with color, but I am improving. That said, my favorite shirt to wear is the great white dress shirt. With companies like Brooks Brothers and Charles Tyrwhitt killing real cotton shirts and replacing them with Stepford Shirts made with toxic, formaldehyde-soaked, no-iron/wrinkle-free cotton, it’s become very difficult to find real, handsome, well-made and affordable cotton dress shirts without going custom.

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