Isabel Spearman on anything-but-basic shirts for the office
Q. I’m so bored of all my plain white shirts. Is there anything more thrilling out there?
A. Before I started working in the corporate sphere, my idea of workwear for women was very much navy pencil skirts with fitted white shirts – the slightly shiny ones that look a bit cheap with starched collars. I’ll admit that, coming from a career in fashion, I was pretty naive, but these shirts did and still do exist, and put me off wearing one for a long time.
Blue, ￡305, Palmer//Harding; Pink, ￡118, Intropia
Then I discovered a cornflower blue Cos shirt which became a wardrobe staple. It has a narrow mandarin collar and is a slightly boxy shape so that if you wear it with trousers it hangs straight down (very flattering) and if you tuck it into a skirt, which I do a lot, it creates a lovely shape. It made me take another look at shirts as a workwear go-to and I have since become quite obsessed with collecting them. I now have about 10 in circulation at any one time, from M&S and H&M to Cos or Uterqüe. A great shirt will get particularly good use at this time of year when it’s warm enough to wear alone or layered under a blazer. I tend to look for Peter Pan collars as they frame the face well and are especially useful under a jacket – you can do the top button up and not have to worry about the collar shifting about. I’d advise against a classic shirt collar under a jacket purely for this reason.
Blue, ￡170, A.P.C.; Checked, ￡55, COS
Look for statement-making shirts with a bit of volume in a sleeve or frilled collar. The fashion for shirting means that you can find some brilliantly dramatic ones that look fantastic with simple trousers or skirts. There are lots of lovely colours and prints, but a block colour is the most versatile. Stick to cotton rather than linens to look on the smarter side.
I’m a huge fan of the feminine blouse, but there is something about a good shirt that makes me feel empowered.
Isabel Spearman is a brand and image consultant who previously worked as special adviser to Samantha Cameron at Downing Street. Each week , she offers a helping hand dissecting workwear dress codes and offering a modern take on power dressing.
To ask Isabel Spearman your workwear questions, email [email protected] or follow her on instagram @isabelspearman
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