Living: It's Hip, It's Safe, It's Back

Riding high on a conservative tide, the white shirt returns

Post-preppies hang them loose over blue jeans. Club-hopping Angelenos sport them with black sweat pants, tennis shoes and a man's oversize blazer, while budding Wall Street aces tuck them under red suspenders. Corporate CEOs never took them off. They're chic; they're hip; they're the very cutting edge of fashion. And they look great with a tan. Please welcome that old standby, and new mainstay, white shirts.

Long derided as a symbol of button-down regimentation fit for only a nerd or an IBM lifer, white shirts are back in style. At Wilkes Bashford, San Francisco's tony clothiers, sales have boomed as executives...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!