IN THEORY, a white shirt is probably the easiest way to ensure that you look smart at the office. White flatters everyone, can be worn with anything and manages to be classic while also being a key look for summer when teamed with chic linen trousers.
But, in practice, white can be worryingly hard work. Will it stay clean throughout the day (best not to risk a sloppy lunch)? Will it keep that just-washed, just-ironed look all day long? If I wear a white shirt, will I look like a Spanish waiter? There is a thin line between looking smart and being a dead ringer for Manuel in Fawlty Towers. Like many a working woman, I aspired to white but frankly, it scared me.
Now I have changed my mind. Indeed, now I think that white is not just all right but could even be the new black.
The reason for this conversion is twofold. First, a new “scientific” white shirt being quietly sold by that troubled retailer Marks & Spencer. Second, the discovery of a mostly online company that sells nothing but white shirts made in Serbia (true).
The first, called the Sensitive Shirt, is a high-tech garment made of “woven bi-stretch” material, using a patented design. It’s meant to mould itself to your body and, because it is so lightweight, take the weight off your shoulders by making everyday actions easier. It’s also claimed to dry quickly and resist crinkling.
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I was sceptical when the sample arrived and I realised that the mould-breaking technology owed much to Lycra, that much loved but ultimately naff material of the Seventies, when men wore pink drip-dry shirts that showed their underarm sweat stains off to advantage. Off the hanger, the new Sensitive shirt looked as though it possessed absolutely nothing in the style stakes.
Once on, however, it was a different matter. It is indeed the closest thing to comfort heaven I have yet experienced. It feels exceptionally light to wear and easily lives up to its promises of shrugging off creasing. Despite the Lycra, I was relieved to find myself a sweat-free zone at the end of the day.
But the best news was yet to come. It washes easily, dries in no time and will appeal to all natural sluts everywhere, as it requires absolutely no ironing. Priced at about £25, it comes in long- and short-sleeved versions and, for those who fear the Spanish waiter effect, black.
Pricier at £55 was the shirt I tried out from www.theperfectwhiteshirt.com. It made no science-based claims but did say that it would remain crisp and fresh all day, due to its high-count cotton.
All of the company’s shirts are, as you might have guessed, white and made in a new Serbian factory recently opened by locals as they try to rebuild their economy after the war.
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The shirts, which are imported into this country by a couple of entrepreneurs, have a strong designer-feel to them, and lend themselves to being dressed up or down.
The one I tried wasn’t as soft or as light as the Sensitive Shirt and it did crease more, but it washed perfectly and will certainly appeal to those who prefer cotton and don’t mind ironing.