Shopping for women's dress shirts online may be tricky for a number of reasons. Here are a few tips for getting it right on the first try and for ensuring that the online shopping experience does not end in regret.
Dress shirts are the base of a classic wardrobe. They can be weaved into a variety of looks from day to night and add a touch of elegance and class to any outfit. However, despite their seeming simplicity, dress shirts are surprisingly difficult to shop for. With that in mind, I’m going to share my advice for buying women’s dress shirts online and getting it right on the first try.
Why Shop Online?
Online shopping has become undeniably popular for a number of reasons. According to a number of studies, three of the most important reasons for shopping online are the convenience of shopping wherever whenever, the possibility to get the best price, and greater product selection.
Quality women’s dress shirts are one of these items that are not widely available in high street shops. Luckily, there is an alternative to go online where the choice is much wider. However, without the luxury of being able to try the shirts on there are a few things one should do to ensure that the online shopping experience does not end in regret.
1. Look for a fitted fit
Women’s dress shirts come in a number of cuts and styles, but the best ones are fitted. This means that they have a close fit, creating a trim appearance. A tailored shirt that fits well gives and elegant, figure-flattering silhouette and looks beautiful on almost any body type and size.
2. Know Your Measurements
When shopping online, you will want to be able to select a size based upon your measurements to ensure the best possible fit. Sizing varies from brand to brand and your size at any one of these might not be the one you are used to wearing.
For women’s dress shirts you will need to know the following measurements:
To determine your size, you need to compare your measurements to the size charts. Choose the size that best fits all of your measurements, but most importantly your largest one.
3. Check the fabric
Checking the fabric is important to determine the look, feel and texture of the dress shirt. As a rule of thumb, shirt fabric should be made of 100% natural fibers like cotton, linen or a blend of these. Pure cotton is probably the most popular material by far and for good reasons, too. It is soft, durable and breathes well which makes it comfortable.
However, all cotton is not created equal. Just because two items are both made from 100% cotton, doesn’t mean they are the same fabric quality. There are different grades of cotton, and the better cotton will be made out of longer fibers, which makes it finer, softer and more resilient.
The fineness of the yarn should also be taken into consideration, and this is indicated by two numbers: the thread count and the ply. The higher the thread count, the finer it is. High quality shirts should always be 2-ply.
4. Read the Customer reviews
Customer reviews are a great resource when looking for that perfect dress shirt. Often, people will write reviews with their sizing information, how the item fits, whether to size up or down, and comment about quality and fabrics. All of this can give a good picture of if a shirt will work well for you or not.
Also, you have a possibility to look for red flags such as failure to fulfill orders or instances of poor customer service.
5. Pay attention to quality
Recognizing quality is easy if you can experience it yourself in person. You don’t have that option if you are shopping online but there are a few specific features to watch out for to discern quality.
You can gain some insight into the quality of a dress shirt by checking the fabric and reading the reviews. Additionally, there is another factor to consider: sustainability. Although quality and sustainable production methods are not always directly related, most sustainable shirt brands also have an ethos that pays extra attention to quality.
Where to Buy
The selection of women’s quality dress shirts out there is not really huge. The market is dominated by a small number of well-established brands but among these, I would recommend taking a look at Ella Hopfeldt’s collection of shirts. This dress shirt brand for women offers a unique approach to women’s dress shirt design – a fitted fit based on your height and body shape.
