Best office shirts
There's an office shirt for everyone... if you're prepared to iron them
A good shirt is a foundational workwear garment. However, for many women, it can also be a minefield. Will it tuck in nicely? Will it make me look like a milkmaid? Will it gape, exposing my bra to a board meeting full of people? A lot of women avoid shirts because the perception is that they won’t work with their body shape – or that they require too much maintenance.
The latter is a decision for you. Shirts do need ironing (even many ‘non-iron’ ones…). I hate ironing with a passion but my husband finds it deeply satisfying for reasons I will never understand. If I didn’t have this live-in service, I would probably outsource that task as it’s generally cheap to get shirts laundered and pressed. Much cheaper than dry cleaning (don’t get me started on the number of dry-clean only shirts I’ve seen this season. Hard no).
However, the idea that shirts don’t work for every woman is a myth – whatever your body shape, there’s a shirt for you (but it may not be the type you envisaged and you have to be willing to iron it…)
A crisp ironed shirt looks put together and professional. Conversely, a wrinkled shirt makes you look sloppy and disorderly. The thing no-one tells you is that the material of the shirt, the bag you wear, the jacket and the cut of your trousers or skirt can also affect your chances of success, turning a freshly pressed shirt into something that looks like you slept in it with one train ride. In particular, while linen shirts look incredible on Instagram and on the hangar, the reality is different if you’re someone who moves or breathes.
Below I’ve included some of the more interesting shirts I’ve seen lately – not a classic white or pinstripe shirt to be seen. And, naturally, there are some shirts with pockets…
WithPockets x
1. CROP
One easy solution to the perennial “will this shirt tuck in and look ok?” dilemma is to buy a cropped shirt. I’m not talking about one of those midriff-displaying crop tops that the kids were wearing two years ago, these are a longer crop, ensuring there is a small amount of material to tuck into a skirt/trousers.
If you have a shorter torso, this look will really work for you. Sadly, I have a long torso and this look wouldn’t suit me unless I was wearing high waisted trousers or some kind of bustier like Charlize Theron does in Atomic Blonde (seen on screen here, stabbing an opponent to death in the back seat of a car with a Louboutin stiletto heel. Iconic).
I’m also intrigued by the shirt below from COS, which is cropped and elasticated (thus solving the tucking issue) and also buttonless (solving the bust-exposure issue). However, I’d say this is definitely one item you’d want to try on as, in the wrong spot, that elastic back tucked in would look like an additional spare back tyre.
COS – Draped Collar Cotton Blouse
Image credit: COS
An alternative way of solving for this issue is doing the exact opposite with the Divinity Shirt by Melbourne brand Viktoria & Woods, which has what they call “a storm-flap back with cut-out and drawstring”. Basically, it’s a second layer at the back that allows both a cropped look and a kind of fan at the back, like a new twist on the Edwardian bustle.
I have no idea whether this shirt will tuck in well at all but it is certainly one of the more interesting shirts I’ve seen in a while (good luck ironing it though…)
2. COLOUR
It’s fair to say that if you don’t like brown, you’ll find it hard to find shirts with colour this season, beyond the usual pastel colours (which, in fairness, are a safe bet with whatever suit you’re wearing). However, I did come across this delight from The Fold London, the Bowery Blouse in Stretch Silk. If you want something that looks exactly like a shirt but is 100% unlikely to gape anywhere or give even an inch, this is the one. Instagram doesn’t show this, but as well as a white and light blue it is also available in Berry and Plum colours.
3. FABRIC
Not all shirts are made equal. Cotton is not just cotton; there are a million different weaves and qualities. The only way to find this out for yourself is by getting out and manhandling the produce. I’ve spent a few days lately doing this for you (I can tell you that shop assistants love me for it…) and I can report the hands-down High Street winner for softness and quality is Oroton. Their poplin shirts are also often cut shorter at the front and longer at the back, making them excellent for tucking in.
4. SHAPE
The shirt below would make me look like a bräuhaus server, but if you’d like a bit more volume on your top half, this cinched shirt from Swedish brand Rodebjer is quite the showstopper. It’s 100% viscose so easily washable – but not great in the heat.
Rodebjer – The Apollo Cinched Shirt
Credit: Rodebjer
For women who want to go the other way and prefer something decidedly more androgynous, Margaret Howell is your shirt-supplier of choice. This swing shirt, which doesn’t button up the whole way, avoids the gape danger while still being very much a shirt, not a top. It is straight-cut and not designed to be tucked in (but to swing, as the name suggests). Everything Margaret Howell makes is a) on the more modest side and b) will probably last you three generations, which is why the brand is so popular in Japan. Fair warning: this is the cheapest shirt they do, it is all very much uphill from there…
For a considerably cheaper option, Japanese brand Muji’s shirts (and basics generally) are very good. This women’s Smooth Half-Sleeve Blouse with a mandarin collar brings the gender neutral vibe without the price tag
5. SCARF
As previously discussed, the scarf shirt has made its way to the High Street, which means we’re now seeing them at about 1/10 the price of the Yves Saint Laurent one I featured in the March Edit. This one by & Other Stories is particularly terrific.
Credit: & Other Stories / The Iconic
An even more affordable high-street dupe from Marks and Spencers London is available here.
Do you wear shirts? Or do you stay clear of them? Would any of these make you want to change your mind?