According to studies undertaken, the average man will spend up to twelve hours a day in his dress shirt. While that may seem like a lot of hours it may well be so for many men when you add up hours spent traveling to and from work, hours at the office and after-hour meetings. For this reason it is very important when selecting men's shirts, that they are as comfortable as possible. An important factor in determining how comfortable a shirt will be to wear is the material the shirt is made from.
There is a wide variety of material to choose from, ranging from polyester or cotton-polyester blends, to silk and linen. If a shirt is worn every day to the office it is important that it is made from a fabric that is easy to wash and care for, and also one that does not show show perspiration stains. The best choice is one that is wrinkle resistant, which would be a cotton / polyester blend shirt. These are usually either 80/20 or 60/40 blends. They are machine washable and can be dried in the clothes dryer. If you are unsure, washing and drying instructions should be included on the label.
Some men prefer 100% cotton mens shirts. These often wrinkle easily and are not always the easiest shirt to iron. However, they do have the advantage of being very cool to wear as they allow the skin to breathe well.
The fabric itself also comes in a wide variety of weaves, independent of whether it is a 100% cotton or cotton blend shirt. Popular weaves are Oxford, Poplin, Cotton Twill and Broadcloth. Oxford and Poplin are usually used for more casual dress shirts, while Cotton Twill and Broadcloth weaves are best used for formal dress shirts. Frequently the name of the weave will be included on the shirt label. A shirt worn for a very formal occasion should be made from white cotton fabric.
