The classic men's shirt has gained iconic status over the years. It has been worn by actors, stockbrokers, youth, kings and even members of the Italian mafia. Probably every man has it in his wardrobe, but who made a white shirt his hallmark? Here is a collection of celebrities that are definitely worth following.

 The shirt has been adored by the king of fashion Karl Lagerfeld throughout his entire life. The English Queen Margaret wore one when posing for a portrait. We associate it with Charlie Chaplin, Elvis Presley and Gordon Gekko, a “Wall Street” movie character portrayed by Michael Douglas, who wore his white collar shirt buttoned up, always with a tie and braces. 

The white Winchester shirt with the characteristic curved collar has recently mad a triumphant come back to the streets of New York. The life of fashion is a cycle that likes to repeat itself. And with today’s turmoil on the markets, the style of business sharks will work well during business talks and casual meetings, not only in oak-covered, filled with jazz pubs at 51st in NYC. It was Frank’s Sinatra favourite shirt. 

Let’s move from New York to London, filled with music from 50’s or 60’s. Let’s set up turntable needle…and play the Beatles record. Can you see them? Side-swept fringes, suits…and white shirts. Their style was copied by the fans and this is how Teddy Boys and The Mods appeared on the streets of Chelsea and Brixton. They looked exact copies of the boys from Liverpool. Speaking of rock, we cannot forget to mention the stylization of Elvis Presley, who introduced the characteristic nonchalance to his white shirts. 

Even before the first rock star was born, Charlie Chaplin played his best roles wearing white shirt and a suit. Despite the fact that the movies were silent, the actor’s style appealed to millions of viewers. And possibly that’s how the white shirt ended up in many wardrobes. In the case of the Italian fashion designer Gianfranco Ferré, the inspiration could be Marcello Mastroianni – the most famous Italian actor, who built his unique style of an Italian gentleman based on a white shirt. Ferré elevated the white shirt to the Pantheon of Fashion, which earned him a title of an “architect of fashion”.

This hall of fame wearing white shirts, but not only, could develop into dangerously long countdown, so we’re done for today, but not finished with the subject yet. This topic will return with another article, when we will look at the white shirts worn at the Oscars. Stay tuned.