# How Many Ponies in the Stable: The Magic Dress Shirt Number?



## jeffsols (Dec 7, 2010)

Others more knowledgeable than I have likely sought the answer to this age-old question. As such, I seek your input: what is the magic number of dress shirts in the suit/tie wearing man's wardrobe?

I'm curious what the magic number is, not least because Mrs S thinks my stable of 15 or so is too many. I say to her that 20-ish feels like the right number--a group large enough to accommodate travel, a week of lapsed ironing, and give some good color options.

I'm not counting those few that are worn either only untucked or those true sport shirts--just curious about workaday, dress shirts to be paired with ties for the office. 

The closet photo post got me thinking. Would appreciate very much your input. Thanks!


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## smujd (Mar 18, 2008)

For just office dress shirts, I'd say 15 is a comfortable minimum. You could get by with fewer, but 3 weeks worth allows for laundry, color and style variation, etc. I don't think 20 is excessive. Not sure how many I have, but I'd guess close to 30.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

I think it depends on what kind of shirts you wear and in what contexts. Every man needs some plain, straightforward shirts. Some men are happy to wear them all the time. Others prefer to mix in varying amounts of shirts with patterns, colors, alternate collars and cuffs, etc. 

I see little reason to have more than a dozen or so shirts if you're content to wear white shirts with spread collars and button cuffs every day. But if, like me, you a taste for striped and checked shirts, you may need a larger number, to keep the shirts from being too recognizable. Also, some shirts just won't work for certain ocassions. Nor will all shirts work with all suits/jackets, especially if your taste runs away from the most plain shirts. Add in varying weights for different seasons, if you do that, and the number can get pretty big.

FWIW, I've probably got 40-50 shirts in the current rotation, but I've never counted.


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## DoghouseReilly (Jul 25, 2010)

Six has worked fine for me for about a year, as I do laundry once a week and typically don't wear them on weekends. That is, until recently. I just put in an order for 3 new shirts today. Nine should be fine for me for a while.


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## jamesensor (Jan 29, 2010)

I am limited only by space in my apartment -- but I'd guess that I have at least 30. I tend to wear 15 or so, then wash, iron and rotate to the back of the closet.


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## LeggeJP1 (Dec 3, 2010)

I have about 20. It feels like a reasonable number and covers most of the patterns that flatter me most.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

300 and counting. I like shirts.


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## jean-paul sartorial (Jul 28, 2010)

I think I could be pretty happy with 9 dress shirts in my closet for the rest of my working life: 2 whites, 2 blues, one pink, one blue/white bengal, and maybe 3 patterned shirts of whatever is trendy or particularly struck my fancy.


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

Patrick06790 said:


> 300 and counting. I like shirts.


Got me whipped. I'm probably around 100.


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## wpking (Jul 13, 2010)

30-40 is not too many if you need them for different styles for different meetings and occasions.


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## rbstc123 (Jun 13, 2007)

_Too many_ isn't even too many. Tell her that&#8230;


Ha!

Seriously, I have 30+. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. That said, my buying habits have certainly been curtailed as of late. I won't pass up a good deal on a BB shirt though. I generally get them during the semi annual sales or if there is an 1818 shirt at the outlet that is to my liking I will snag it.

I will say that 25 is a comfortable number. Not sure why. It just sounds right.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

I ended up in a "white shirt only" mode when I was working, felt like fifteen was a bare minimum. If you like to mix in patterns, I'd say 10 white then as many as strike your fancy


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## Tiger (Apr 11, 2010)

Been fortunate to stay the same size over the past two decades; have about sixty dress shirts.


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## Grayson (Feb 29, 2008)

My own inventory = 6 white button cuffs + 2 white French cuffs + 5 blue button cuffs + 1 blue French cuff + 5 fashionable colors (pink, (2) dark blue, lilac, green) + 5 fancies (various stripes/color combos) + 2 formals = 26

... And I haven't touched the casual/sport shirt inventory!


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## andy b. (Mar 18, 2010)

Patrick06790 said:


> 300 and counting. I like shirts.


I bow down to you. 
I only have 21, and only one is white (the white is just too boring for my tastes). I'm slowly acquiring them as I find ones I like and that fit well.

andy b.


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## ak622 (Aug 4, 2008)

I have about 20 but I don't feel its enough. I like to have variety and to change it up. Most of mine are white with blue check, stripes etc. I think I need some more solids like a lavender, pink or something like that. I actually don't wear a plain white at all so maybe I should pick up a few simple basic ones.


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## Auggie Brine (Feb 23, 2010)

Thirty should be the number to plan on, then you can rotate them without wearing them out. As a rule, introducing one or two new shirts per season to your wardrobe is a safe plan, that way you can retire the same number.


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## Anon 18th Cent. (Oct 27, 2008)

Patrick,

+1 for 300.


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## Master-Classter (Jan 22, 2009)

huh, just went to go count. Turns out i've got about 30-35 although I think about 20 of them are the main rotation, 5 were probably bad buys and 10 are certain mood/moment ones.


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## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

I'm probably at around 75 or so counting all seasons. I have no intention, whatsoever, of ceasing to acquire additional shirts. I'll wind up like a sartorial Scrooge McDuck doing the back stroke through the contents of my shirt bin, spitting a fountain of mother-of-pearl buttons into the air.


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## Mr. Mac (Mar 14, 2008)

I wear dress shirts 6 days a week and keep 6 basic white and 6 basic blue in the closet at all times in spread and button down collars. I burn through these pretty quick and replace them every few years. I also keep 6 seasonal shirts in the closet per season. So all told I've got 18 in my rotation at any given time. 

I'm a bit of a minimalist and try to take something to the charity shop whenever I buy a new shirt (or suit, etc.), but I hang onto favorites forever. I've got an old pale blue end-on-end from Gitman that served me well for years before being retired to casual wear.


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## deanayer (Mar 30, 2008)

80 and out of space :-(


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## Scott T (Dec 30, 2010)

Company norm where I work is plain white and blue. I've got 3 blues (need to add a couple more due to retiring some recently) and 10 whites. My goal is to have 15 work only shirts that can get me through 3 weeks. The casual shirt rotation is lacking and that is where I will likely put more effort in going in the future.

I'm not sure where I would keep 75...80...100...300!!! I'd have to turn one of the kids' bedrooms into my own personal wardrobe.


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## ferry1950 (Jul 26, 2006)

I don't know what the right or magic number of shirts is, but I have about 100-110 in rotation.
Over the last 25 years I have had a local shirtmaker make about 4-5 new shirts per year. I replace some of the work horses every 6 years or so and they end up in the "week end" stack as knock around wear or to the no.1 son for his use.
With this number in rotation, I don't have to beat up my favorites as I end up wearing them only once every six weeks.
I also don't have to head to the laundry but once every couple months too.
In looking at the color distribution of the shirts, I have about 15 white, 20 blue,
7 in the pink/red, 6 in the green family,4 in the gray mix, then lots of stripes, checks, etc.
At now age 60, I am seriously thinking for the first time, not to buy any shirts this year... I think I have enough.
Hopefully this thought will pass quickly!


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## jeffsols (Dec 7, 2010)

Good input, all--many thanks!


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## PatentLawyerNYC (Sep 21, 2007)

I've got about 50 - 60, but think half of that is probably enough.


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## Shirted (Feb 1, 2010)

I work in a business casual environment, and have about 25 in rotation. And still adding, but more for fun than need now. I could get by with less, but it's a comfortable amount. I have another 10 or so that don't quite do it or are for certain situations, and another half-dozen that I only wear with a suit or coat & tie (a rare event). 

I think if I wore ties more often, I'd probably have less. Since I go tieless, I like having a shirts with color and variety.


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## Matt S (Jun 15, 2006)

I think 15 is the minimum and 25 sounds like a comfortable number. I like about half in basic solids (white, light blue and ecru), a quarter in semi-solids and basic stripes, and a quarter in fancy stripes and checks. However, I might recommend to others that those 3 categories divide the shirt wardrobe in thirds.


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## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

Recent count put me around 40 in rotation. Of those 40, 25-30 are custom, the rest are OTR and tailored with button adjustments (cuffs/collar). I, too, have no intention of stopping and over the past 6 months, have been adding 2-3 a month.


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## David A. (Mar 8, 2006)

I have 25-30. My wife doesn't complain about that because she's too busy complaining about my collection of 70 ties! She read somewhere that the average man has 8 or 9 ties. I asked her if she wanted to be married to an average man.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

"How many ponies in the stable?" Arguably, far more than I will ever need and yet...one or two less than I always seem to want! LOL. :crazy:


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## Saltydog (Nov 3, 2007)

^^^
Same here eagle...and I'm not gonna count! I think deep down I must believe that if you emasse more than a certain number of shirts you might not get through the Pearly Gates. I know it's not scriptural...and I don't know what the number might be...but I'm afraid I'll be convenced I've passed it if I ever count them. Or else be dangerously close and there are so many more to buy.


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## JLibourel (Jun 13, 2004)

I've got about 42 sized shirts at the moment, with three on order. Only six are custom jobs (from my friends in Kowloon), most of the rest were cheaply gotten from firms like Costco and Lands End. Many of these double as sports shirts for casual wear now that I'm retired. Probably this number is a bit abundant, but I wouldn't want to have to get by with a much smaller number.


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## Politely (May 8, 2008)

I have many now (although not anywhere close to 300!), but originally, I aimed to have about 20 shirts, so I could go, on average, about 2 weeks between visits to the dry cleaner.


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## Nerev (Apr 25, 2009)

I base my number on what my current wardrobe is, and how often you launder. For example, I don't know why you would have 30 shirts and only 5 wool slacks and 3 chino's since you can rewear the wool without a dry clean if kept clean, but the chino's are going to need a wash well before your shirts are soiled. Personally, I've got 25 shirts that I keep in the closet, but I retire, replace, or store a lot of shirts. Most of the shirts in the closet are solid colored suit shirts (white, light blue mainly), a few french cuff, and probably 8 or so OCBD for casual wear in colors or bengal stripe. Most of the gingham, checks, linen are normally stored for whenever I feel like wearing them.


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## Saltydog (Nov 3, 2007)

I have a question. Does anyone else hang onto shirts that are too small or too big because of weight gain/loss...in the event one returns to the previous size. I must admit that I do because, over the years, I have gone both ways several times. If so...are you counting those in reserve in your number, or only the ones currently seeing action?


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## msphotog (Jul 5, 2006)

Cardinals5 said:


> Got me whipped. I'm probably around 100.


Me, too, but that also includes casual button-up shirts. BTW, I'm known as a "shirt horse"!


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## phr33dom (May 4, 2009)

I have about 125 shirts althoigh I would think that 100 is a good minimum to allow for variety and the luxury of not having to do any shirt ironing for 3 months


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Saltydog said:


> I have a question. Does anyone else hang onto shirts that are too small or too big because of weight gain/loss...in the event one returns to the previous size. I must admit that I do because, over the years, I have gone both ways several times. If so...are you counting those in reserve in your number, or only the ones currently seeing action?


I generally hang on to things as long as they continue to fit me and they are still usable. However, if an article of clothing ceases to fit because of unexplainable shrinkage (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!), I generally pass it on and make room in the closet for future purchases.


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## eyedoc2180 (Nov 19, 2006)

Edwin Ek said:


> Patrick,
> 
> +1 for 300.


I, too, stand in awe. 25 here, and mostly OCBD.


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## mlongano (Feb 3, 2010)

I have about 30 for my needs as follows:

Three each of button down white, blue, ecru, and pink
Three each of straight collar white, blue, ecru, and pink
Three stripe button downs
Three check button downs


...I know...I'm pretty boring.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Saltydog said:


> I have a question. Does anyone else hang onto shirts that are too small or too big because of weight gain/loss...in the event one returns to the previous size. I must admit that I do because, over the years, I have gone both ways several times. If so...are you counting those in reserve in your number, or only the ones currently seeing action?


Yes and no, respectively.


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## Wisco (Dec 3, 2009)

Saltydog said:


> I have a question. Does anyone else hang onto shirts that are too small or too big because of weight gain/loss...in the event one returns to the previous size. I must admit that I do because, over the years, I have gone both ways several times. If so...are you counting those in reserve in your number, or only the ones currently seeing action?


I get rid of most of my shirts that don't fit, but I keep a few (smaller) shirts that I really love on the hope they will be used as I lose weight. I'm down 10 lbs from a few months ago, but still wear the same neck size. We'll see what happens if I lose another 10-20 lbs over the next few months.

I have maybe 15 solid blue shirts of different collars and fabrics, 15 blue patterned shirts with stripes and checks, 5 pink shirts and 10 white shirts. I have a few too many blue shirts, but some were MTM experiments of collars and cut. They fit well enough that I keep them even as I continue to strive for the perfect fit. This is the area my weight loss has affected: I'm slimmer around the belly and fit better into more slim cut (relative thing) shirts. I still love my baggy Mercer and BB OCBDs.


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## unmodern (Aug 10, 2009)

Wow, I am more minimalist than I thought. I have six. Granted, up to three times a week I mix in more casual shirts, and have to do laundry about every tenth day, but so far I have been able to avoid scratching the itch of buying more shirts just for the thrill of it. I'd rather wear these into the ground. I have five OCBDs (2 blue uni-stripe, 1 red uni-stripe, 1 blue, 1 ecru) and 1 blue/white striped broadcloth.


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## Concordia (Sep 30, 2004)

A book that came out a few years ago suggested the optimal amount per category was the square root of annual wearings, rounded up. So if you have 2 evenings per year for black tie, get 2 formal shirts. (They could be consecutive-- you never know.) Blue shirts twice a week? Get 11 of those. Nothing but white oxfords all year? 19 is fine. And so on.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Patrick06790 said:


> 300 and counting. I like shirts.





Cardinals5 said:


> Got me whipped. I'm probably around 100.


 How much do you gentlemen ever wear each one?

Then again, my tastes are pretty plain compared to a lot of members here.


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## ak622 (Aug 4, 2008)

A question for those who have shirts in the double digits. What is your actual shirt rotation? For example do you only wear about 20 and throw in a shirt from the other stash every once in a new moon?


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

There's no real "rotation" to speak of, although I did use that word. There's just a wardrobe full of shirts. There are those that come out more frequently (the blue end-on-ends and the light blue and white candy/bengal stripes get the most wear for me), but they get washed and ironed like the rest. Those that are less flexible (a bright red and white butcher stripe, a blue with reddish-brown windowpanes, a multi-stripe with blue, red, fuschia, and green pinstripes, etc.) get less wear. Some will sit for months without being worn. 

Of course, there are also those that are seasonal; when out of season, they go live in another closet. And there are those that are at one end or another of my fluctuation in size, and those stay in reserve for when they fit, which is rarely but sometimes.


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## andy b. (Mar 18, 2010)

I'm a relative newbie to dressing nicely (or at least nicer than the jeans and rugby shirts I wore for a long time). There are a few shirts I have that I really like, and fit well, and I would wear them every day except people would ask why I was wearing the same smelly shirt every day.  It is probably weird, but what I do is put freshly washed shirts on the left side of my shirt rack. When I wear a shirt I put it on the far right side of the rack. I kind of try to keep pulling shirts more from the left side and moving them to the right as I wear them to keep them all in a somewhat equal rotation. Don't get me wrong, it isn't like I follow some rule where I only wear the shirts in order from left to right, but it helps me see if there is a shirt I haven't worn in a while, or one that I'm wearing every week. Several of my shirts have colors or patterns that are rather noticeable, and if I wore them all of the time I'm sure it would stand out.

andy b.


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## jnm23 (Aug 29, 2009)

I have around 28 dress shirts, 9 french cuff, rest barrel cuff. It's getting a bit silly now as a whole rail is full of shirts. I tend to buy the italian ones online, and as they tend to be patterned I have a lot of striped shirts.

The rotation is pretty much even, probably wear the white shirts a bit less as they get dirty easily.

I can't resist a nice shirt if one catches my eye, especially Kiton, Borrelli and Truzzi. Kiton really is an indulgence though as even on sale they are $$$.


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## Anon 18th Cent. (Oct 27, 2008)

My 300+ are honestly come by. I used to live in Boston and discovered Filene's Basement, the original one at Downtown Crossing, some years ago when it was outstanding. Goods came in from Louis Boston, Bergdorf, Mitchells, Richards, Mr. Sid, Neiman's, Saks, Barneys, and so on. The stuff was mindblowing. I got so many fantastic shirts dirt cheap: Kiton, Luigi Borrelli, Lorenzini, Charvet, Gianna Vasta, Luciano Barbera, Mastai Feretti, Oxxford, and more. Throw in a big pile of Brooks Brothers shirts and the numbers add up.

Feline's really was the place. I used to see Sumner Redstone, the billionaire owner of Viacom, in there buying suits.


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## johwal (Apr 21, 2010)

eagle2250 said:


> "How many ponies in the stable?" Arguably, far more than I will ever need and yet...one or two less than I always seem to want! LOL. :crazy:


 Well said. I'm hopelessly addicted to collecting shirts, owning in excess of one hundred. I'm always fighting yet succumbing to the urge to buy another. Luckily I'm fond of each one and never wear any one shirt more often than three or four times annually.


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## ferry1950 (Jul 26, 2006)

I have my shirts divided into several color stacks ( folded) and try to take from the bottom to rotate through each stack through out the year.
With that said, I know there are shirts that are in rotation and perfecly fine, but just don't get worn due to volume.


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## JackKelly (Dec 20, 2011)

I am constantly donating dress shirts to charity, and yet my closet is as full as ever. I, too, am addicted to collecting shirts. I must have in excess of 100, although I've never counted them. In the past couple of years, I've started wearing less and less polo shirts on the weekend and more OCBDs.


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## triklops55 (May 14, 2010)

I haven't counted, but I'm guessing around 80. I sort them by type of shirts. Everyday functional shirts (Brooks Bros., Gitman, etc.) hanging, fancy shirts (Brioni, Kiton, Borrelli, Turnbull, etc.) folded in one box and seasonal in another box. That way, I see the functional shirts first. Usually, I know which specific shirt I want to wear if its a "fancy" or a seasonal so I don't need to see those to determine I want to wear them.


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## jwa_jwa_jwa (Jul 13, 2010)

OP I wondered the same thing some time ago, take a look at my poll results:

https://askandyaboutclothes.com/com...-Number-of-Dress-Shirts&highlight=fall+colors


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## herfitup (Mar 4, 2012)

Edwin Ek said:


> My 300+ are honestly come by. I used to live in Boston and discovered Filene's Basement, the original one at Downtown Crossing, some years ago when it was outstanding. Goods came in from Louis Boston, Bergdorf, Mitchells, Richards, Mr. Sid, Neiman's, Saks, Barneys, and so on. The stuff was mindblowing. I got so many fantastic shirts dirt cheap: Kiton, Luigi Borrelli, Lorenzini, Charvet, Gianna Vasta, Luciano Barbera, Mastai Feretti, Oxxford, and more. Throw in a big pile of Brooks Brothers shirts and the numbers add up.
> 
> Feline's really was the place. I used to see Sumner Redstone, the billionaire owner of Viacom, in there buying suits.


I miss Filene's Basement already. It seemed like I could get better quality shirts there than anywhere else other than Brooks Brothers or the sales forum here. I might not have recognized all the Umos but 2 by 2 all cotton is good quality with most manufacturers that showed up there. I have no complaints with the shirts I picked up at the Basement.

We used to do business with Sumner Redstone years ago and he always dressed well even before he was a millionaire. Maybe because of the Basement.

Right now for each season I'm working with 10-13 shirts. 5 to wear this week while 5 are at the cleaners with 2-3 extras to handle the missed pickups, emergency trips and weekend functions that require a dress shirt. If I can get away with it I prefer polos for the weekend.


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## FiscalDean (Dec 10, 2011)

I'm not sure there is a magic number. I suspect that for most people who participate in this forum it's not a question of need but more of want. So much depends on your particular situation. I recall reading a comment made by Ascot Chang regarding Henry Kravis ordering 200 shirts at a time; "it's only 50 for each of his residences". 

Personally, I always want a couple more. I currently have 32 as follows:
8 white, 3 broadcloth, 3 pinpoint, 2 Royal Oxford
6 blue, 2 broadcloth, 2 pinpoint, 1 end on end, 1 Royal Oxford
2 gray, 1 broadcloth, 1 pinpoint
2 cream broadcloth
2 ivory pinpoint
2 yellow, 1 broadcloth, 1 pinpoint
4 burgundy stripe, 1 bengal, 1 pinstripe, 1 fine line, i bengal with white collar & cuff
4 blue stripe, 1 bengal, 1 pinstripe, 1 fine line, 1 bengal with white collar & cuff
1 burgundy tattersall
1 blue tattersall

Now, it seems I should have a couple of tattersalls in the tan / brown family! However, I think the wife may have some objections


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

These men have the right idea.



Patrick06790 said:


> 300 and counting. I like shirts.





Cardinals5 said:


> Got me whipped. I'm probably around 100.





phr33dom said:


> I have about 125 shirts although I would think that 100 is a good minimum to allow for variety and the luxury of not having to do any shirt ironing for 3 months





Edwin Ek said:


> My 300+ are honestly come by. I used to live in Boston and discovered Filene's Basement, the original one at Downtown Crossing, some years ago when it was outstanding. Goods came in from Louis Boston, Bergdorf, Mitchells, Richards, Mr. Sid, Neiman's, Saks, Barneys, and so on. The stuff was mindblowing. I got so many fantastic shirts dirt cheap: Kiton, Luigi Borrelli, Lorenzini, Charvet, Gianna Vasta, Luciano Barbera, Mastai Feretti, Oxxford, and more. Throw in a big pile of Brooks Brothers shirts and the numbers add up. Feline's really was the place. I used to see Sumner Redstone, the billionaire owner of Viacom, in there buying suits.





johwal said:


> Well said. I'm hopelessly addicted to collecting shirts, owning in excess of one hundred. I'm always fighting yet succumbing to the urge to buy another. Luckily I'm fond of each one and never wear any one shirt more often than three or four times annually.





JackKelly said:


> I am constantly donating dress shirts to charity, and yet my closet is as full as ever. I, too, am addicted to collecting shirts. I must have in excess of 100, although I've never counted them. In the past couple of years, I've started wearing less and less polo shirts on the weekend and more OCBDs.


These fellows have the right idea and they're on the way.



triklops55 said:


> I haven't counted, but I'm guessing around 80. I sort them by type of shirts. Everyday functional shirts (Brooks Bros., Gitman, etc.) hanging, fancy shirts (Brioni, Kiton, Borrelli, Turnbull, etc.) folded in one box and seasonal in another box. That way, I see the functional shirts first. Usually, I know which specific shirt I want to wear if its a "fancy" or a seasonal so I don't need to see those to determine I want to wear them.





Tiger said:


> Been fortunate to stay the same size over the past two decades; have about sixty dress shirts.





Trip English said:


> I'm probably at around 75 or so counting all seasons. I have no intention, whatsoever, of ceasing to acquire additional shirts. I'll wind up like a sartorial Scrooge McDuck doing the back stroke through the contents of my shirt bin, spitting a fountain of mother-of-pearl buttons into the air.





deanayer said:


> 80 and out of space :-(


 Dean - You may wish to park the car in the street and make _proper_ use of your garage.

Here is the simplest rule:

Rotate your shirts. You should have a sufficient number so that you don't remember the previous time you wore each one when you remove it from the closet. If you don't remember the last time you wore it, in all probability neither will your friends, associates, and colleagues.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Makes my dozen seem inconsequential in comparison. My friends claim I have "too many". They're crazy. I don't have anywhere close to enough.


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

OK I've been following along for a little while; I'm in awe of some of these numbers - making my couple dozen puny in comparison.

I really enjoy Mr. Kabbaz's input on many of the AAAC discussions, and as he's participating here, I'd be interested in hearing how many shirts are in *his* stable... :icon_scratch:


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

sbdivemaster said:


> OK I've been following along for a little while; I'm in awe of some of these numbers - making my couple dozen puny in comparison.
> 
> I really enjoy Mr. Kabbaz's input on many of the AAAC discussions, and as he's participating here, I'd be interested in hearing how many shirts are in *his* stable... :icon_scratch:


My stable? Let's see. There's Sarah, Iryna, Amy ...


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> My stable? Let's see. There's Sarah, Iryna, Amy ...


You name your shirts? :icon_smile_wink:


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

It would make sense. We're comparing a closet of shirts to a stable of ponies after all...


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## IvanD (Jan 5, 2012)

I too feel rather inadequate now with my meagre collection of about 25 shirts in total.
This includes dress shirts, OCBD shirts and my casual shirt collection.
OK, I have 12 white dress shirts supplied by my employer, but they are all emblazened with the company logo and only worn for work, so don't count.

I'm showing this to the dear other half as she is convinced I have far too many shirts anyway.
Maybe I can sneak a few more on my next shopping trip.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

sbdivemaster said:


> You name your shirts? :icon_smile_wink:


Shirts??? You meant shirts?


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## camouflage (Apr 16, 2012)

I have about 30 or so shirts. When I get tired of some or when I want more, I donate a few to the local thrift-shop charity.


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Shirts??? You meant shirts?


Yes. Unless there's something you're not telling us, Mack Daddy K... :aportnoy:


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

camouflage said:


> I have about 30 or so shirts. When I get tired of some or when I want more, I donate a few to the local thrift-shop charity.


We have a Sales Forum as well as the Trad Thrift Exchange thread... if you're getting rid of some nice shirts, you could just charge shipping to members here. Just a thought.


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## CharlesFerdinand (Jun 18, 2010)

"Rotate your shirts. You should have a sufficient number so that you don't remember the previous time you wore each one when you remove it from the closet. If you don't remember the last time you wore it, in all probability neither will your friends, associates, and colleagues. "

I'll bear that in mind.

If you must know, the last time I counted, I was somewhere between 50 & 60 (not counting short sleeves and vacation shirts)


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

sbdivemaster said:


> Yes. Unless there's something you're not telling us, Mack Daddy K... :aportnoy:


Such as what it would be like to be 13 again?

Truthfully, I have not the foggiest idea how many shirts I have. Given that I still have the first shirt I made - Pink, White Stripes, 5-Button cuffs - and that I've made myself a few since then, it's probably in the _a lot_ range. Perhaps even the _too many_ range. One I'm rather proud of is an Alumo Pink 2x2 170s which I've worn more than 200 times. It was the first Soyella shirt made in the U.S. and is still functioning. Don't remember if it was 1982 or 1984.



Jovan said:


> We have a Sales Forum as well as the Trad Thrift Exchange thread... if you're getting rid of some nice shirts, you could just charge shipping to members here. Just a thought.


 Or he could continue to do the right thing and donate them to a legitimate charity. I guess that's another arena where your oft-cited "home country" and "The American Way" have a bit of a divergence. :thumbs-up:


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I'm... sorry?


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Truthfully, I have not the foggiest idea how many shirts I have. Given that I still have the first shirt I made - Pink, White Stripes, 5-Button cuffs - and that I've made myself a few since then, it's probably in the _a lot_ range. Perhaps even the _too many_ range. One I'm rather proud of is an Alumo Pink 2x2 170s which I've worn more than 200 times. It was the first Soyella shirt made in the U.S. and is still functioning. Don't remember if it was 1982 or 1984.


Thanks for taking a moment for an earnest reply. :icon_smile:

I'm very impressed with (besides pretty much everything AK) still owning your first creation, as well as the volumes spoken to the quality of an AK shirt still functioning after such a record of wear.

Thanks for your more than generous contributions to AAAC, and the sartorial landscape in general.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

sbdivemaster said:


> Thanks for taking a moment for an earnest reply. :icon_smile:
> 
> I'm very impressed with (besides pretty much everything AK) still owning your first creation, as well as the volumes spoken to the quality of an AK shirt still functioning after such a record of wear.
> 
> Thanks for your more than generous contributions to AAAC, and the sartorial landscape in general.


Thanks for your kind reply.

So here's the full scoop on the first shirt. Still an apprentice at the time, I was such a novice I forgot that jacquard fabrics had to had their sleeves cut in opposite directions and I cut them both the same. So I pretended not to have finished cutting at the end of the day. The following morning I went to the fabric supplier and bought a yard of the fabric to cut the left sleeve correctly and used the wrongly cut sleeve to cut new cuff pieces from. Because ... I also miscalculated the sleeve length when draughting the pattern ... which is how the shirt ended up with 5" long, 5-button cuffs.

Thankfully, it was before there was a camera in every cell phone. Heck ... I think it was even before there were push-button phones!


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

I have about 200 shirts, but that's including all kinds of sport shirts and polos.

I wear white dress shirts four days a week, and have them laundered once a week. The square-root method would require fifteen, but with my laundry schedule I can get by with eight. I actually have some number in between, which I won't commit to because I intend to buy some more and at least two have damaged collars and aren't worth repairing.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

I'm at a tipping point, having started to develop a taste for shirts other than BB standard issues. Just acquired my first Brioni and Salvatore Ferragamo this month, my first Italian dress shirts to wear with ties--the Truzzi casual button-down purchased about a year ago was the beginning of this. So, while the number now stands at around 30, I can see it skyrocketing in the near future. I own not a single tattersall, a major hole in the game, and each of my three club collars is white (I like club collars). I need more spread collars. I'm guessing the magic number is somewhere around 100, but that would be with careful planning to cover all eventualities/situations.


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