Best suited: Which shirts to wear with a suit

Getting suited and booted is always a stylish look – but team your suit with inappropriate shirting and it’s easy to get the look wrong. The thing is, too many men today are failing to wear their shirts well – wearing clashing colours, the wrong fit and the wrong shirting. With this in mind, we thought we’d share our guide on picking the best shirting to wear with a suit.

The classic Oxford

One shirt we’d always recommend for work wear or teaming with a suit is the Oxford style. It’s one of the most versatile styles of shirt for men and suits just about everyone. It can be dressed down and dressed up and comes available in a diverse range of colours – so whatever your taste, you’re sure to find the perfect suit-worthy shirting with an Oxford.

Poplin for summer

Poplin is another great choice for teaming with a suit. However, the thin breathable fabric is better suited to summer. Our favourite formal poplin shirts include the Grasmere Plain Pale Pink Solid Fabric and the Grasmere Plain Sky Solid Fabric.

Twill for winter

Come winter, opt for a warmer fabric like twill and its many variations. Twill shirting is thicker and warmer than Oxford or poplin shirting and best suited to cooler temperatures. Our favourite formal twill shirts include the Burneside Plain Navy Solid Fabric and the Burneside Plain Lilac Fabric.

Think about colour

The colour of your shirt is important too. While white shirting goes with pretty much anything, this doesn’t mean you need to avoid all other colours of shirting.

If you’ve chosen a black suit, we recommend white shirting fabric for timeless appeal. If you’ve opted for modern grey, you may want to warm your look up with rich coloured shirting in burgundy. Navy suits, however, can be teamed with two classic shirt colours – pink and blue.

You’ll also need to match your shirting with other accessories like your tie. Your tie should be darker than your shirt and can be a similar colour – but make sure there’s enough distinction between the two shades. Alternatively, you can wear a contrasting colour – for example, blue with red.

Go fitted

If you’re layering and wearing a suit, you’ll want to make sure your shirt is well fitting. We’re not necessarily talking slim-fit; instead, you’ll want the Goldilocks of shirting – not too baggy and not too tight.

The collar should touch the neck but not feel too tight. We always say you should be able to fit two fingers between your neck and collar. The shoulder seam should sit at the edge of the shoulder – and not above or below. When it comes to the chest, choose a fit that rests comfortably on your chest with no pull and leaves no excess material hanging at your hips.

Looking for something seasonal in style? Why not shop our limited availability new shirting – available just in time for Christmas!

Which are your favourite smart shirting materials from Acorn Fabrics? Let us know over on Twitter @AcornFabrics