Daniel Lévy’s chronicle

How not start without talking to you about the white shirt?

With thirty years of expertise in the French bespoke shirt of French tradition, how could I not start my columns in Monsieur without talking to you about the white shirt?

From the ruffled shirt of Charles IX to Bernard Henri-Lévy’s “war front” shirt, the white shirt is the only male garment that has crossed all eras and all ages. 

Clean, well-dressed and versatile, it appears, rolled up and worn, in the intimate self-portrait of the young Ingres, as starched and sensational in most of the illustrations of Monsieur since 1920. 

How not start without talking to you about the white shirt?

With thirty years of expertise in the French bespoke shirt of French tradition, how could I not start my columns in Monsieur without talking to you about the white shirt?

From the ruffled shirt of Charles IX to Bernard Henri-Lévy’s “war front” shirt, the white shirt is the only male garment that has crossed all eras and all ages. 

Clean, well-dressed and versatile, it appears, rolled up and worn, in the intimate self-portrait of the young Ingres, as starched and sensational in most of the illustrations of Monsieur since 1920. 

The secret of its longevity? It is its immaculate white, first a symbol of wealth and moral purity, then a symbol of cleanliness and today of respectability.

It’s quite simple, the white shirt is available for all seasons and all occasions.

Fall’s Oxford cotton follows summer’s cool linen. The casual Giro Inglese of the beach gives way to the crisp white of a tuxedo shirt’s honeycomb bib in the evening. 

And of course, in solemn moments, whether it’s your M&A or worse, your wedding, all done in a white shirt. 

Whether you choose it in poplin, twill, zephyr or voile, this is the ally of the mornings when you hesitate to get dressed in your dressing room. 

It goes with all the greys and blues of your city suits, a blazer and flannel pants or your tuxedo. The only thing that changes is the shape of the collars and cuffs: a breakaway collar for the evening, a button-down collar for the office and a Mister Pierre collar for fancy dinners – the shirtmaker’s job is to guide you. 

Bespoke makes it even better.

The one I like best is in a silky 200/2 twill, fitted perfectly to your body, with Australian mother-of-pearl buttons, English and offset seams under the armhole, soft cuffs that you won’t be able to wear out, reinforcing swallows and… a French collar, of course!

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