By Manish Puri.

Readers might have noticed that I’m quite fond of a light shirt.

*Not honest enough. A breakthrough won’t come if you stay in denial*

Readers, if I could be any animal I’d be a cat, the cat that got the cream…shirt.

*What the hell are you jibbering about man?! Stop pussyfooting around and be direct!*

Readers…I’m obsessed with off-white shirts. I sit around all day fantasising about the cute little outfits I can make with them. I draw doodles about them on my ring binder. There’s a Parisian bridge with a padlock on it that has “MP 4 OWS” engraved on it. I’m hopeless. 

But I’m not oblivious – I know I have a problem. The pale white trail of breadcrumbs leading to this ivory tower is a long one. As far back as 2023 I wrote, “I seem to have developed a slightly out-of-control fetish for cream/ecru shirts”. (Yes, I have the world’s dullest fetish).

And now, every time I open my wardrobe it looks like a Farrow & Ball colour chart. All White, Skimming Stone, Pointing, Slipper Satin; you name the shade, I’ve got the shirt. I’ve seen Greek yoghurts with more colour variation.

But how did I get to this state? Well, you know that my preference for darker trousers dictates a lighter top to create contrast. And I just find cream tends to be warmer, more flattering and less clinical than white. It’s the difference between 35mm and 4K. It’s why romance occurs by the light of a candle and not the glare of a bulb.

It’s too late for me to change my ways; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Just today, even though I have more cream than a French dairy, I was eyeing up The Anthology’s off-white cotton, silk, merino shirt in incognito mode on my phone. 

But I want to save you from the same obsessive fate dear reader. In this article, I’ve highlighted two of my favourite off-white shirts – one formal and one casual – that I think are all most readers will ever need, and I’ve listed some alternative options along the way. As always, I’d love to hear about your favourites in the comments section.

The silk dress shirt

This sand washed silk dress shirt – an MTM purchase from La Bowtique (£450) – is actually the last cream shirt I bought, and has proved so successful that it prompted this reevaluation of my entire wardrobe of light-coloured shirts.

It’s a luxurious option without appearing overtly flashy or luxe; the epitome of what the ideology of ‘quiet luxury’ (if we really must use that term) meant before it became just another aesthetic fad.

That appearance comes from the sandwashing process, which removes a lot of the silk’s natural lustre and gives it a soft, matte, almost suede-like handle. In fact, the closest comparison is with Solbiati’s Art du Lin – an Art du Soie, if you will. 

(Speaking of Art du Lin, the brown suit shown here is from The Anthology in their exclusive cappuccino colour – available in RTW, it’s a versatile shade that would fit perfectly into my cream-and-brown holiday capsule. The tie is from Speciale). 

As you’d expect for a dress shirt, it works great with a silk tie, and I think it’s even smart enough to wear with black tie – as I did one evening in Florence this summer (above, wearing a pink linen MTM jacket from New & Lingwood and photographed by Lorenzo Sodi). 

It drapes fantastically, despite being a relatively light 3.5oz, so I’d caution against getting one that’s too slim and allow that beautiful silk to flow from the chest into the waistband of your trousers. For that same reason, I also think a silk shirt makes a more elegant option than cotton for those tailored outfits that forego a tie entirely.

I’ve worn this shirt a lot more than I anticipated, which has also meant I’ve had to take the plunge and wash it at home. So far, I’ve had no issues doing so using a cool, delicate cycle that finishes on a low spin setting. The silk does feel compact and tight when it dries, but ironing it at a low heat quickly restores its natural ease.

Other options:

The best RTW option I’ve found in this category is the New & Lingwood ivory sandwash silk shirt (£275). 

Readers looking for a more dramatic style might like this silk spearpoint collar model from Edward Sexton (£475).

I continue to recommend LEJ’s silk 1-Pocket Officer’s Shirt (£395, above), which I wrote about a couple of years ago. However, it’s undeniably a more casual option than any of the shirts above, with a softer collar, a chest pocket and larger buttons.

The utility shirt

I’ve bracketed this type of shirt as a ‘utility’ shirt, by which I really just mean one that is most useful to you. How that’s determined will (as always) depend on what you already have in your wardrobe, what best suits your lifestyle and what climate you live in. 

But, for many of us, I suspect it’s a casual, relaxed shirt that can be worn tucked in or left loose, has at least one pocket, and comes in an interesting fabric – maybe something with a little texture, or a weight that’s not typical of your other shirts. It’s a bonus if you can wear it with both jeans and some form of tailored trouser.

The shirt that ticks most of those boxes for me is the Rubato ecru chambray work shirt (£275), which is made from a 5oz Japanese chambray that’s been pre-rinsed to soften it up a touch. I’m wearing a medium – which is what I wear across the entire Rubato range. It’s a minor point, but that consistency isn’t as common as one might expect, and enables consumers to buy with confidence.

During Rubato’s recent PS pop-up in London, Oliver expressed surprise at how much more popular the ecru was than the classic light blue. I wonder if that’s partly due to the ubiquity of the light blue; the ecru is a nice point of difference and notionally easier to pair with denim. 

I also think a lot of light blue chambrays on the market require a bit of wear and tear to get them to their optimal state, whereas what you see is what you get with an ecru.

The front of the shirt has two asymmetrical ‘covenience’ pockets; one patch, one bigger patch-flap and both secured with buttons, which I always find very practical when travelling or on those days out when you want to carry a few small valuables without lugging a bag everywhere.

Other options:

If I lived somewhere with a more dependably hot summer, I’d want to maximise the utility of my light shirts by opting for a lighter, breezier style. Readers that followed my adventures in Thailand won’t be surprised to hear that The Anthology’s off-white Bigman shirt ($325, above) would be my choice here.

The J. Mueser team have expanded their RTW significantly in the last 12 months and this ivory work shirt in Tencel ($245) is one of my favourite new designs from them.

Buck Mason’s Palomino ($168) shirt is a good western-inspired option made in a cotton/wool blend. It’s described as a white shirt, but you can see in their shop images that it’s a softer warm white. 

An Oxford cloth button down fits most of my criteria for a utility shirt, and could even be swapped with the dress shirt for some outfits.  They have a lovely vintage quality in cream, but they’re not as easy to find as most retailers stock them in white. However, Drake’s currently has a nice cream OCBD (£195).

A more casual option would be this Haversack band collar shirt (£325) in a cotton/linen blend. The shirt is designed to be worn untucked which I think is an easier way to wear a collarless style.

To bring us full circle, and bridge the silk dress shirt and the utility shirt, readers might want to look at Bryceland’s Hollywood silk sports shirt (£489).

Manish is @the_daily_mirror on Instagram

Photos by @adnatt

I’ve added a few shots of some of the shirts mentioned above for a little styling inspiration. From top to bottom they are: J. Mueser, Bryceland’s, Haversack (via Clutch Cafe) and Buck Mason.