Think style, think of a shirt: How to make a simple button-down look fashionable

Chanel's Spring/Summer 2026 collection features crisp shirts, paired with big, fancy ball skirts. Photo: Chanel

We tend to think of simple shirts – button-ups or even tees – as neutral variables in an outfit, the thing you wear with, or as a base for, another garment that is the star.

This is especially true with suits, since the shirt is just there to go underneath. Once you abandon the suit, however, the shirt becomes the main event.