A white shirt - the man's equivalent of the 'little black dress'?

I seldom wear plain white shirts, but when Austin Reed kindly sent me one to try recently as part of a 'White Shirt Challenge', in which I was to try a white shirt and picture myself wearing it (so apologies for the photos below), I tried it out for a few different uses and, to my surprise, liked it and have found myself wearing one more frequently.

I''ll never look as good as this in a white shirt

We think of a white shirt as being for formal wear with a suit - it is, after all, the uniform of every US politician and businessman. Here in the UK the coloured shirt is used more frequently for business use. But in the white shirt we have a plain, classic piece that works well in a surprising number of situations, from jeans or shorts, to pinstripes.

This shirt was from Austin Reed and I like it because it was cut well around the shoulders and is reasonably slim-fitting. I don't like shirts which balloon out around you. It's also pure cotton and easy-iron (it's described as non-iron, but I've never had a shirt that comes out of the wash ready-ironed, so I always take that with a pinch of salt). 

Going to the opera

A family picture

Thanks to Austin Reed for inviting me to take part in the White Shirt Challenge and providing the shirt.

White shirt and blue blazer - Grey Fox image