How to Wear a Printed Button Down Shirt | PILAEO Magazine

The dress shirt or button-down shirt isn’t typically regarded as a piece that is emboldened by bright patterns and prints that grab your attention. But in-the-know gentlemen of style all acknowledge that color-savvy printed dress shirts that have bright appeal, and a knack of creativity that’s hard to match, is one definition of true luxury fashion-forward men’s style. The extremely diverse and fashion-forward range of floral and unique, patterned dress shirts you shop for, shouldn’t be limited to long sleeve shirts. The selection of your choice should capture men’s fashion in its modern flair, with timeless and luxury picks of short sleeve designs for summer and spring.

One thing that’s pushing menswear forward is the traditional mainstays of style, such as dress shirts that are examples of the organized and neat style, which have the influence of art and all it’s a possible provocation. Fashionable, correctly fitted, and printed button-down shirts have a say in how fashionable you’ll look, and how much in-the-know of style you are. If you want to be an incredibly fashionable gentleman, then playing it safe should be far from your way of dressing. Staying open-minded with wild and sometimes amusing patterns, especially in the warmer months will bring in a new, profound, outlook on creativity and style.

How to muster up the confidence needed to wear colorful printed dress shirts as a man

The confidence that you need to wear colorful dress shirts is exaggerated. Simply put. You can control how colorful you want your outfit to be. PILAEO has always had a tone of bold, vibrant, and attractive prints to menswear. Dress shirts are no exception.

Here’s the truth: your dress shirt is your confidence. One rule of thumb that most fashion-insider men know is this: The right clothing brings confidence, and it instills a sense of individuality, and immense courage. So put on a colorful dress shirt with a pattern, neutral-colored pants, and sneakers, and enjoy a season of luxury, in-style dapper menswear.

An outfit example to wear with your patterned dress shirt:

• Floral Dress Shirt
• Khaki Chino Shorts
• Plain White Sneakers

The above outfit is centered around a patterned dress shirt, but it also has a whim of minimalism, neatness and flows to it. This is the modern, and fashionable gentleman’s look. This is the look you’d typically want to mimic as far as printed dress shirts go.

What are the benefits of wearing colorful button-down shirts?

Shying away from the usual white, tux-based dress shirt, especially if you aren’t required to wear it to your daily job, is a great start to become more comfortable wearing bold clothing.

The benefits of wearing a button-down shirt with color and patterns you aren’t necessarily used to are:

• A potentially new, neat, and better style
• A more diverse range of prints and colors for your wardrobe
• More shirts to wear inside your blazers
• Shirts you can wear year-round depending on your choice of outerwear

Where exactly should you wear printed dress shirts?

Dress shirts are commonly becoming the norm, even replacing the t-shirt sometimes. The dress shirt can do all the things a t-shirt can and more. Plus it has the added benefit of really giving you a neat and even professional look. No wonder fashionable gentlemen choose printed dress shirts as staples of their outfits.

Wear printed dress shirts to:

• Vacation
• Brunches
• Dinner
• Nightclubs
• Weddings
• Get-Together Events
• Parties
• These are just a few of the places you can wear a printed dress shirt too. There are tens of other venues where you’d want to be as fashionable as possible. You might opt to wear a linen blazer during summer or a velvet blazer that compliments your dress shirt. You can also opt to wear just your dress shirt, given you add the right complementing pieces in your outfit to neutralize the pattern.

  

Pants colors you can wear with printed dress shirts:

• Khaki
• Navy Blue
• Dark Green
• Brown

As long as you wear your outfit based on how much print and color is involved in your dress shirt, you’ll be fine, certainly confident, and not to mention impressive. In Questions About Dress Shirts – ANSWERED, we explained that the size of your dress shirt can have a say in how satisfied you’ll be without the look overall. Alongside the fit, there’s print and color. Get your dress shirt’s print, color, and measurements/fit in order, and you can essentially wear dress shirts freely with the pants or shorts of your choosing as long as the dominant color coordinates.

Some of men’s fashion’s most fashion-forward, color-savvy picks of dress shirts for men:

Dressing in colorful dress shirts, Routinely

Button-down dress shirts should be your style ‘go-to’ regardless of the season. Wearing the correct correlation of patterned button-down shirt to solid color pants will make you much more confident and capable of wearing a bright color-savvy dress shirt based outfit regularly. Regardless of the event, you’re attending, neutral chino shorts or pants, and the bold dress shirt serves as a statement of style, confidence, charm, and certainly an outgoing gentleman. This style guide is useful for gentlemen who want a more stylish outfit but just aren’t sure how to push forward with it.

What’s your take on patterned dress shirts? What’s your favorite way to wear your dress shirts? Share this article to help other gentlemen dress more fashionable, confidently.

Key moments

5 ways to wear a printed button down shirt with style

1. With solid color trousers as foundationPrinted shirt as the visual statement; trousers in solid charcoal, navy, or dark olive ground the outfit and let the pattern carry attention.
2. Under a solid blazer for pattern restraintBold printed shirt under a solid navy or charcoal blazer creates sophisticated layering. The blazer frames the print without competing.
3. Tucked vs untucked changes formalityTucked into tailored trousers for refined evening wear. Untucked with chinos or quality denim for elevated casual. The decision shifts context entirely.
4. Match print scale to setting formalitySubtle small-scale prints for business. Medium prints for creative meetings and dinner. Large bold prints for evening events and weekend wear.
5. Quality fabric makes prints look intentionalPremium cotton, fine silk blends, and proper weight fabrics elevate printed shirts above the trendy zone. Cheap fabric in bold print reads as costume.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Are printed button down shirts professional?

In creative industries and modern corporate settings, yes — when prints are subtle and shirts properly fitted. In traditional finance or law, save printed shirts for after-hours and weekend wear.

How do I style a bold printed shirt without overdoing it?

Treat the shirt as the entire visual statement. Solid trousers in deep neutrals, plain shoes, minimal accessories, no patterned jacket or tie. The print is the show; everything else is supporting structure.

What prints are timeless versus trendy?

Timeless: paisleys, subtle florals, geometric patterns, classic dots and stripes. Trendy and dating quickly: novelty graphics, oversized brand logos, current-season specific motifs.

Can I wear a printed shirt with a patterned blazer?

Only with significant skill. The patterns must differ in scale and share at least one color. For most situations, pair printed shirts with solid blazers — much more reliable.

Where can I find unique printed button down shirts?

PILAEO offers distinctive printed shirts with couture-level pattern design and premium fabrics. Browse at pilaeo.com.