1. Why You Always Need More

There's a reason why men can own 10 white shirts yet always seem to need at least one more: A superior specimen, unlike any other element of your wardrobe, has the ability to elevate the most banal suit, polish broken-in jeans, and brighten a gray face.

2. How to Choose

"When I put on a white shirt, it's the same feeling as getting into crisp, fresh sheets at night," Tom Ford says. "I just feel good in them."

Whether you buy off the rack or have your favorite version custom made by London's famed Jermyn Street shirtmakers, to get the best out of the most important item in your closet, choose carefully. Nuances of cuff (barrel or French), collar (semi-spread or point), and fabric (Panama or broadcloth) speak volumes.

Chris Cox, creative director of Nautica and a white-shirt connoisseur, has an extensive collection he selects from according to his mood. "Right now my favorite is in a micro-textured cotton with a spread collar and barrel cuff," he says. "I have more than 20." It’s a start.

3. Body

Ensure that your shirt doesn't balloon when tucked in. And while it should frame the chest, it shouldn't be so tight that the fabric pulls between the buttons. For bigger guys, box pleats—two folds between the shoulder blades—offer a little more room without unsightly volume.

4. Materials

One man's seashell is another's ivory. Fine-shirt companies like Charvet have more than 400 white fabrics, including micro jacquards and poplin. Egyptian and Sea Isle cottons, woven by Italian or Swiss mills, are the most luxurious fabrics and soften with repeated wear.

5. Collar Size

Calvin Klein Collection designer Italo Zucchelli stresses the importance of getting the size right, be it a point or a spread collar. "A medium collar is modern. Too big and you look like a dandy," Zucchelli says. "Too small and you look like you shopped in the boys' department."

6.Care

Sweat is kryptonite to white shirts. Use a stain remover like OxiClean on collar rings and pit patches. Wash the shirt in hot water, air-dry it until slightly damp, then iron it. And no starch. Contrary to popular belief, the dry cleaner's special sauce eats away at fabric.

7. Oxford vs. Poplin

It's a classic matchup: oxford cloth versus poplin. One is thick and rugged, the other stately and delicate. Thom Browne, perhaps the fashion world's preeminent evangelist for the oxford button-down, defends his go-to shirt against Jean-Claude Colban, owner of the storied Paris shirtmaker Charvet and a dedicated poplin man.

8. Jean-Claude Colban's Argument

Poplin is masculine and suited for a government minister who needs durability when he's on the road.

Most oxford cloth used in the United States is pinpoint, which means that the thread is smaller, not as fluid, and less brilliant.

Poplin has a higher thread count and is, consequently, more expensive. For this reason the American oxford looks sportier and our shirts more dressed-up.

9. Thom Browne's Argument

The oxford-cloth shirt is quintessentially American.

It is seasonless, timeless, masculine, and goes with anything.

It is not a fussy shirt and doesn’t have to be treated like it’s precious.

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