Description

What's your visual language, the idea of you that people begin inferring before they get close enough to hear you speak? In a casual dress business world, where New Economy Blue still hangs over the male wardrobe from the Burst Bubble of Shortsighted Excess of 1999, it's been time to move on. But where to? One of the few canvases for expression among the male tieless employed is the shirt. And no one is making more expressive shirts than Robert Graham, an American designer working in Indian cotton who understands emotion in clothing without veering off the masculine rubric for color, pattern and form. Particularly in stripes, RG's color intensity is striking. Aside from the gorgeous fabrics, RG's shirts are detailed with accent embroidery and contrasting panels in relatively hidden places, like the reverse side of cuffs, collars and plackets. "Knowledge, Wisdom, Truth" is tagged on every RG shirt and somehow when wearing one, you feel a little closer to all three. At first look, some men will think it takes unusual confidence to wear an RG shirt. That's the point, isn't it? But really, slip into one and you'll see that you should have found these shirts a long time ago. Jacket, jeans or a suit, people will want to know how you found your style, and where you buy your shirts. What's your visual language? Here's a start.

Robert Graham shirts fit a little closer so you'll take one size up from usual. (via Robert Graham Shirts)

Updated Nov 12, 2006