I have always believed that the white dress shirt is the magical one for all item in a business wardrobe. If you don’t know what to wear, always fall back on the white dress shirt and a dark suit. Indeed, that was my trusty companion for job interviews for quite a while.

Now I know why I never felt comfortable or confident in it! It makes me look like a waitress or a sales associate. Not exactly the confident young business professional I was trying to channel. After exhaustively mixing and matching my suit with different tops inside, I finally realized that my downfall was my trusty white dress shirt. I instantly looked better after I changed into a dark blue silk dress shirt or a cream silk top with ruffles. I once heard that dressing in something a little different, like a colorful top or a pair of eye catching earrings, even in a business formal occasion, will make you standout from the herd in a positive way. Indeed, I don’t recall anyone in Lipstick Jungle wearing a white dress shirt with a black suit. Maybe a smart white shirt with a pencil skirt and heels, but a white shirt with a full dark suit just marks you as a nervous newbie. So next time you go for business formal, you might want to reconsider your trusty white dress shirt.

Image Source: Bloomingdales