When it comes to accessories, a tie says so much about how a man likes to dress. In fact it is so special that simply through its presence men can breeze through any venue, meeting or occasion without so much as blinking an eye…

A dress shirt is not just some arbitrary item of clothing that is mandatory for every man to wear. If properly chosen, it can refine your physique and make you look more professional. Therefore, finding the right dress shirt requires plenty of thought and even more action but it is certainly not impossible or difficult to achieve.

First of all, your shirt needs to fit properly. This means that you cannot just buy a small, medium or large and hope for the best. You need to know your measurements and buy your shirts based on them. Knowing your neck size will ensure you get a collar that fits right and the trick here is to ensure that one finger should fit comfortably between your neck and the collar. Any tighter and your blood flow would be hindered and any looser and it will hang on your neck.

Your arm length is another important measurement. When unbuttoned your sleeve cuffs should end just past the wrists. Dress shirt should not be baggy, regardless of physique and should fit snug with your torso. To complete the well-fitted dress shirt, the shoulder seams of the shirt need to hug your own shoulders and not hang over it and for tall and thin people, the option of slim-fit is always present.

Now that you know how to find a shirt with a perfect fit you can begin looking at specifics like the different collars available, choices of color you wear, patterns that suit you and the way you wear your shirt. There are many collar types and options can be overwhelming. So when in doubt, go with the semi-spread. Versatile that it is this collar goes well with every suit and tie combination because it is intermediary in terms of being too narrow, too wide, too rounded or too square.

If you are feeling adventurous or need a collar that suits your personality better, there are a number of other styles that you should consider. There is the straight point which is a very minimalist collar with, obviously, straight edges and the button-down which is a classic featuring buttons to keep the points of the collar in place. Another option is the wider spread collar and it looks perfect when worn with a Wall Street power suit and a substantial tie.

When it comes to choosing colors, white is always the best and you can never go wrong with a white shirt. But what do you do when you get bored of white? Pink is the next best option – not a bright, glow in the dark pink, but a pale shade. When combined with a simple dark tie, this color can be worn by anyone at any time or in any season.

Having mastered the basics, you can start experimenting with patterned shirts. A dress shirt should be smart enough to be worn by itself and gingham and plaid patterns allow just that. The colors you choose should match the season, meaning warm colors with muted tones in the cooler months and more vibrant cool colors in the warmer months.

How you wear your dress shirt says as much about you as the shirt itself. A word of warning however is that dress shirts should always be tucked in. Leaving your shirt to hang out will only make you look like an untidy teenager. That being said, there are other ways to express your individuality.

Leaving the collar unbuttoned while sporting an Oxford will give you a more relaxed appearance without making you appear casual. Likewise, leaving the cuffs unbuttoned is another such statement as long as the unbuttoned cuffs reach your wrists and are just a bit longer than the sleeves of your jacket. In order to pull this look off though, you need to have sleeves that do not hang over your hands.