The Lavender Dress Shirt

The lavender shirt is an unexpected staple. Yes, staple. Every guy should get one.  White and blue dress shirts are the basis of every man's business wardrobe. But they get boring--really fast. Purples seem intimidating to people, I think because it is expected that they will be hard to work with, but its the opposite. Do you know what matches with lavender? Everything. Whether you're wearing a suit, sport coat, trousers or cotton pants (such as khakis), here are the colors you can pair your lavender dress shirt with: black, charcoal, any shade of gray, navy, blue, brown, tan, taupe, white. AND if you like contrast with your accessories, orange and green can work really well! This can take a little more skill, so either have a sales associate help you, or find a green tie that has lavender built into the pattern, so you know it works.

Adrian Grenier wears his lavender shirt on the red carpet with a navy suit and contrasting green tie. So unexpected!

LeBron James sits front row at a Ralph Lauren fashion show mixing his lavender shirt with a combination of luscious browns on top, grounded by charcoal trousers.

Once you invest in one, you won't believe how versatile this color is. It will become your new go-to dress shirt. You could even dress it down with nice jeans and a cool vest for a Friday night dinner. It is available in solids, stripes and checks for a bit of variety, and a price range everyone can afford. Check out some of my great finds:

This fitted dress shirt from Express Men is only $59.90. And if you click on this link to their website, you get $15 off of a purchase of $30 or more! So now this shirt is only $45!

 

 

 

Express Men $59.90

Show your stripes in this great version from Joseph Abboud, available on Bluefly.com for $54.00! Classic with a twist!

Joseph Abboud $54.00

Or throw a check in the mix (great with your navy or charcoal pin stripe suit!) with this Smartcare shirt from Nordstrom. Wrinkle free straight from the dryer, this baby will only set you back $65.00!

Nordstrom Smartcare $65.00

So step outside of your whites and blues with a lavender shirt this season. You will be surprised at how this splash of color transforms what is already in your closet!