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While people in jobs at law firms or banks still have to adhere to a strict dress code, a large portion of the workforce has shifted toward a business casual, or even a nonexistent, dress code.
The culture shift away from formality has led luxury brands to adjust more toward this growing consumer preference. Charles Tyrwhitt - a brand revered for high-quality (and priced) menswear - recently released a line of casual shirts.
We tried a few shirts from the new collection, and while they are not as casual (or cost-effective) as the graphic tees we can get away with at the Business Insider New York office, they are a high-quality option perfect for a more traditional business casual office setting.
There are endless memes on Twitter and Facebook dragging 20- and 30-somethings because we no longer dress up for flights or wear suits to the ballpark. Some may see this cultural shift as a negative, but for the modern employee, this transition eliminates the need for a closet full of formal wear.
In most offices, as long as you dress on trend, it doesn't matter if your wardrobe leans toward casual. There is obviously a common-sense line for what is appropriate, but in practice we have a lot more flexibility than previous generations.
As a result, luxury brands are rolling out more dressed-down options. We tried UK-based Charles Tyrwhitt's new line of casual men's dress shirts, and while they aren't as laid-back as the Rick and Morty and Darth Vader tees you may glimpse in the IT section of the Business Insider office, there are distinct subtleties that separate this line from the rest of the brand's luxury offerings.
Price is certainly not one of these differences, with the casual dress shirts ranging from $110 to $120 (or $50 per shirt if you purchase four or more). The minute differences in the cut and fit of the shirt, plus a selection of cheekier patterns, are what separate this line from the traditional offerings of the brand.
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Some fellow Insider Picks colleagues and I tested the shirts to determine the worthiness of a $100 investment in a shirt labeled "casual." Read below to see what we thought.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
At first glance, there's nothing about this shirt that screams casual. However, I will accept that for a 33-year-old brand steeped in decades of high-end luxury menswear, this is informal compared to their classic designs.
But if I'm spending $110 on a dress shirt, "casual" is not really an adjective that comes to mind.
Once I actually got to wear the shirt, the thickness and quality of the fabric, along with the sharp honeycomb pattern, felt more formal than most of the dress shirts I own, but these traits are also what makes it worth the hefty price.
The shirt is noticeably more comfortable than other options in my closet, and the 100% cotton fabric lays nicely on my skin. I typically resist tucking in my dress shirts, so I appreciate that the cut is designed to be worn untucked, which often looks odd with my other high-end dress shirts.
Due to the thickness of the fabric, it does get quite steamy on a hot summer day and is ideal for cooler autumn weather. It pairs nicely with gray or black jeans, making it a reliable item in any business casual wardrobe. –Danny Bakst, Insider Picks content producer
Slim fit bright blue cotton linen twill short sleeve shirt
I looked at the price tag and thought, who would pay over $100 for a cotton/linen blend? I, for one, want 100% fine Irish or French linen at that price. And even after feeling how soft (cotton) yet flowing (linen) this twill shirt is, I don't disagree with myself in retrospect. It's a bit on the steep side, at least for my taste in fashion.
But I can't deny that the 77% Cotton/23% Linen Twill Shirt I'm testing out is made well. It's finely stitched (as in, I can hardly find the stitching); the fabric, again, is soft as can be; and after repeated use (including a dip or two in the Atlantic) and several trips through my cheap and merciless washing machine, it's holding up.
What gives these shirts their buying point, in my opinion, is that if you buy multiple shirts, you can get them for about $50 apiece. At that price, this shirt is an absolute steal. –Owen Burke, Insider Picks senior reporter
Extra slim fit green button-down washed Oxford plain shirt
I first came across Charles Trywhitt about two and a half years ago when I needed to refresh my selection of dress shirts. While performance dress shirts have become a huge part of modern workwear and my closet specifically, Charles Tyrwhitt remains my favorite brand for good-fitting classic shirts (I'm actually wearing a Charles Trywhitt shirt in my author page photo).
Being a big fan of the brand already, I was excited to try the new casual designs, and they were exactly what I was used to, just less formal. I have a very slim build, so the extra-slim shirt fits to my body well, which is an important part of properly executing a button-up. The brand offers a full range of fits, so men of all different body types can still get a shirt that fits them well.
If you think $110 is a lot of money for a button-up shirt, I completely agree with you. However, the key to getting around the price is to bundle them. You can get four shirts for $199 (or $49.75 each) — and at that price, I'm all in. –Amir Ismael, Insider Picks commerce reporter
Extra slim fit navy print soft washed stretch poplin shirt
I am not opposed to spending $100 or more for a high-quality shirt, but I expect it to fit great, feel comfortable, and hopefully, hold up for years, which is what I am noticing with the extra slim fit soft washed stretch poplin shirt (in navy) from Charles Tyrwhitt's casual collection.
After weeks of testing, I found the shirt to have a nice fit, considering it's ready-to-wear. With shirts like this, I normally would need some alterations, but that wasn't necessary here. The shirt can be worn tucked-in or loose, and it looks great either way and is appropriate under a suit or relaxed with jeans. I'm a bit stocky, but the extra-slim cut gives the illusion of a slimmer build. The stretchy poplin weave makes it comfortable to move around, and I like that it's 100% natural cotton and not some synthetic fabric.
Charles Tyrwhitt says this shirt's poplin weave is its lightest and most breathable, but I found that it is still a bit weighty. I also wore it during the height of summer, and while I didn't feel any major discomfort, I did wish it was a bit more breathable. My recommendation is to wear this shirt year-round except during hot and humid summer days (switch to linen or cotton/linen blend for those scorchers, like the Slim fit bright blue cotton linen twill short sleeve shirt that my colleague Owen Burke tested).
I machine-washed and line-dried the shirt twice. I also threw it into the last 10 minutes of a dryer cycle on low heat. So far, the shirt has held up nicely, and I haven't noticed any weird creases or folds, and I expect it to maintain its quality down the line. Do hang it and use a light iron or steamer because it can get super-wrinkled otherwise. –Les Shu, Insider Picks guides editor
