DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CASUAL AND DRESS SHIRT Visit http://imagedoc.com.au/ to learn to dress better Visit www.improvemant.com to improve as a man You can also download your free 70 page men’s style eBook with close to 400 images and style tips and advice in the side panel on the home page at www.improvemant.com. So the first difference we will look at is the sizing or measurement terminology. A casual button down shirt will often be sized as S, M, L through to XXL, XXXL and so on. However many dress shirts are often different measurements which is commonly the neck size and arm or sleeve length such as a 14 inch neck and 33/34 sleeve length. The other common dress shirt sizing method is the European sizing which is numbers such as a 36. 38, 40 etc. So I am generally a medium in casual shirts and any dress shirts that use that measurement scale. So in the other measurements this generally makes me a 15 inch neck and 33 in the sleeves and in European sizes I am normally a 39 in a dress shirt. The next difference is the detail in the shirt. A dress shirt is a more classic style with a particular colour or patterns but not much else going on, where as a casual button shirt can have stitching that is a different colour to that of the actual shirt, brighter and bolder patterns, decorative buttons and may have chest pockets on both sides (and just whilst I think of it, I personally don’t like dress shirts that have a pocket on one side and I can’t believe designers are still adding pockets to dress shirts when I can only think that a pocket on a dress shirt was originally a practical addition to the shirt to hold pens or pencils, a note pad and whatever else. But I don’t think it looks good at all, and I find it really frustrating when I find a dress shirt which is a great style, fit, colour or pattern but has a pocket on the chest. So I suggest you generally avoid buttons on dress shirts whenever you can The next difference is the collar of the shirt – Dress collar are stiffer and sometimes larger in order to withstand wearing a necktie underneath the collar and suit lapels over the top. However casual shirts are not as stiff and they are generally smaller in height. The fabric is the next difference as dress shirts are commonly made from cotton and have a higher thread count which results in the shirt having more of a shiny appearance. Casual shirts are generally made from a variety of fabrics and can be both shiny or more of a matte finish. The price is often another difference as well. Whilst this is certainly not always the case, dress shirts on average will be more expensive than a casual shirt. But as I said this is not always the case so please don’t treat this as gospel. The final difference is the most telling of all which is the length of the shirt – Dress shirts are made to be longer because they are designed to be tucked in which means that they are less likely to become untucked throughout the day as you are moving about. Casual shirts however, are designed to be worn untucked and in order to make sure that you don’t look like you’re wearing a dress, they are made much shorter than a dress shirt. Just as a guide, your casual shirt should not sit any lower than the bottom of the pockets at the back of your pants so just keep that in mind whenever you are trying on a short in the store.

• published: 28 Dec 2014
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