White Hot
No longer relegated to the ranks of cubicle warfare and school uniforms, the white button-down shirt is a crisp way to accessorize, providing a blank slate that can go from casual to classy in just a few steps.

WITH ITS ORIGINS harking back to the dress shirt worn by men under their dinner jackets and three-piece suits, the white button-down has since became a fixture in the wardrobe of trendsetting women the world over. Having once been regarded as men’s formal attire, the white shirt can go easily from day
to night. Think of earlier examples set by Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977) and Sharon Stone at the 1998 Oscars, where she paired her husband’s shirt with a lavender Vera Wang skirt.
        The white button-down shirt only proves that style is a matter of confidence,  and confidence can’t be bought. Whether it’s a carefully selected Ralph Lauren or a mass-produced brandless piece fished out of a bargain bin, keep in mind that this garment is meant to accommodate your personal style philosophy — and not the other way around. You don’t let the white shirt wear you, instead think of it as a blank canvas for every perfect, yet effortless, wardrobe composition.
       The great thing about wearing white is that it reflects light, meaning heat bounces right off so it’s literally an easy-breezy addition to your outfit. Unfortunately, this is also the worst thing about wearing white, as the color — or lack thereof — creates an illusion of expansion, sending the eye across the wearer’s form and giving the impression of breadth. This in turn sends any equation of style with confidence out the window, as some women complain that the basic white button-down “makes them look fat.”

The Fine Details
Here is where the finer details come in: With even men opting for the more form-fitting cuts when it comes to their white button-downs, the same typically goes for women of all shapes and sizes. You want a shirt that fits well and flatters without bagging, pulling, or bursting at the seams. Feel your shoulder for the joint at which it meets your upper arm – this is where the shoulder seam should end and the sleeve cap should begin. As for sleeve length, your cuff should end just an inch past your wrist when you extend your arm, and should not feel too tight at the upper arm when you bend your elbow. If you’re having trouble finding the perfect fit, it usually pays to invest in a larger size, and just have it altered to achieve a more flattering cut.
       You want a shirt that falls smoothly down the front, drawing attention to the placket (that row of buttons running down the front). The placket is your best bet at drawing attention towards — and down — the center, shifting attention away from the appearance of broadness that white typically creates. You do not want any obstruction to this smooth line, so safety pins to solve the problem of bursting buttons
are a no-no. The same goes for any detail that will draw attention to any type of bursting or ill-fitting areas, such as pockets that cannot be used, darts that slip, or cuffs and collars that feel silly or frame the wrong features. Again, if the shirt doesn’t fit, just buy a bigger one and have it altered – this is where it might come in handy to buy a men’s dress shirt (or steal one from your significant other). It might also
be cheaper (especially in the case of stealing the shirt) if you know the ins and outs of the menswear section.
       You may also opt to just have the shirt made, and for this shirting fabrics run from P300 to as low as P60 for a yard of swiss cotton. This is where you may properly control not only the cut of the shirt by getting your seamstress or tailor to copy a tried- and-tested button-down, but you may even control the color.

The Shades of White
You read that right: the color. Because let’s face it, even in the case of the white shirt, it all begins with color and the rule of thumb is to pick one that suits your complexion and personality. As ubiquitous as the white shirt has become, from school uniforms to corporate chic, the Filipina skin tone also runs across
a whole range of browns, tans, and rosy-whites that may not all be suited for starchy bleached cottons and clear plastic buttons. Which is why even white shirting fabrics come in a range of tones, from eggshells and creams, to lily-whites with bluish undertones; what follows is largely a matter of personal choice.
        This is where you have to ask yourself about the kind of care you can afford to give your white shirt (see sidebar). Are you the type of person who treats every meal like a battle and can’t leave the table without a few barbecue sauce-inflicted battle scars? Or are you the high-maintenance type of dame
who reads every care label and can tell when something needs starching or bluing or professional level spot treatments? Again, your shirt is a blank canvas — every spill, stain, and crease (and in some cases, your underwear) is bound to show, and whether or not you can live with that is highly a matter of personal preference.

Back to Basics
If you plan to wear a jacket or a blazer over it, the shirt shouldn’t hang lower than the jacket hem — unless you’re trying to pull off the ‘I just got out of bed and pulled a blazer over my pajama top’ look. There is, however, an exception when it comes to vest V-neck sweaters, in which case, anything goes.
You may even trade the vest or sweater in for a fitted tee for a more casual look. Casual, after all, is the name of the game, and this is where the white shirt becomes a lesson in trading the fussy details for a sense of style to which the white shirt is a mere building block. For those without the time to do drastic alterations
(or are just borrowing the shirt from the gentlemen in their life), you may opt to cinch the shirt at the waist with a belt and roll up the sleeves.        
     To reiterate: style is a matter of confidence. Here is where you can roll up your sleeves, undo a few buttons, and let your accessories do the talking for this extremely flexible wardrobe staple. – Alice Sarmiento

Who Wore White
Fashion rebel and Oscar winner Tilda Swinton at last year’s Golden Globes
Hot new talent– Elizabeth Olsen (a.k.a. Ashley and Mary Kate’s sis) at a Hollywood event
Eva Longoria out and about in Los Angeles
The white button-down is Senator Loren Legarda’s trademark
Sarah Geronimo jazzes up her button-down with some ruffles

Caring for Your White Shirt
When it comes to care and maintenance, most qualms stem from the use of bleach and other potentially damaging chemicals. Here are some bleach-free tips to caring for your white shirt:

• First Things First: When purchasing a white shirt, make sure to at least check the label for any restriction on cleaning methods. Put simply: if you are a wash-and-wear type of girl, then stay away from ‘Dry clean only.’

• Stain Removal. Cornstarch, baking soda, peroxide, and vinegar are just a few stain removal agents and alternatives to harsher chemicals that can inflict damage on your white shirt, far more permanent than lipstick or tomato sauce. Before looking into these alternatives, make sure they
are appropriate for the fabric composition of your garment, so as not to cause any further damage.

• Starching comes in handy when you want to restore the original shape of some of your shirt’s more vital details — namely the cuffs and the collar. You can make a solution yourself (with room for trial and error, of course) with a tablespoon of cornstarch and two cups of cold water in a spray bottle. Coat your shirt, especially the collar, plackets, and cuffs, with a light mist of this before ironing,
which brings us to the next step.
        You should be especially fastidious when ironing your white shirt, as every stain shows. Make sure your iron is clean and scorch-free; if not, place a layer of onion skin, japanese paper, or pelon over your shirt before ironing. Use moderate heat so as not to scorch your starch solution.

• Bluing, laundry blue, or washing blue is an optical bleaching agent, used to trick the eye into making fabric seem whiter than it actually is. This is because blue is complementary to yellow on the color wheel, a fact that becomes useful once you notice that your shirt’s first signs of aging
come with some rather embarrassing yellow stains.

• Fold and store your shirt with light colors to avoid any crocking (rubbing off of color because of friction) or staining. You may opt to hang your shirt, but folding is the best way to retain its shape and avoid hanger marks.