# White vs Ecru shirts



## Danny (Mar 24, 2005)

I'm sure this has been discussed, but I didn't see anything on a thread search.

Anyway I just ordered my first ecru BB pinpoint BD. I plan to wear it with my charcoal or navy suits instead of a white shirt. What do people think about that? I have never been a huge fan of white shirts, not sure why, but it was my impression that ecru ends up 'reading' as just a warmer white. What do you think?

Danny


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## bluemagic (Oct 11, 2008)

It depends on your hair/skin coloring.


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## farrago (Apr 27, 2006)

There's a difference in the shade of ecru between the BB pinpoint and Supima versions. 

The pinpoint is a deeper, eggshell color that might not seem to match up well with a navy or charcoal suit. The Supima is a lighter shade that might be subtle enough for either suit. 

In any case, ecru -pinpoint or Supima-, goes well with tweeds and other sportcoats. 

I lean towards the Supima version as it is different enough to stand apart from the white OCBD. 

It's all a matter of perspective and preference, I suppose.


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## ToryBoy (Oct 13, 2008)

About 2/3 of work shirts have white (white only, striped shirt with white base, white collar or white stripe), but one shirt is ecru. 

It does make a good change white, although I did not see it as a replacement for white because the shade is not very light. I have seen some ercu shirts that are very light and one could see it as a replacement for white.

I prefer wearing the shirt with a sweater rather then a suit, but I have worn it with a suit a number of times. The shirt is striped and if I had a plain ecru it would make a good addition to my rotation.


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## rgrossicone (Jan 27, 2008)

I like my Ecrus to wear with Brown. I also tend to wear it more with sportcoats than suits. All in all a great color though...makes brown and purple look very nice together.


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## Reddington (Nov 15, 2007)

I like ecru very much. Didn't think I would, but it does go great with a lot of colours. Although, for me it does not replace white as I quite like white shirts, but rather adds to the colour rotation of shirts. 

Merry Christmas all!


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## StoryTroy (Nov 8, 2008)

Bought an ecru dress shirt as part of a groomsman's ensemble and wear it often with my black suits. The bride handmade ties for all of us as a gift, also in ecru, and the look is right nice.

Outside of a pair of tuxedo shirts, I don't have any in white.


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## Mad Hatter (Jul 13, 2008)

I have as many ecru shirts as white-great color. It works well with green, rust, and orange as well as the brown and purple mentioned above.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

I have one ecru shirt, an OCBD that I wear open collared with a tweed or corduroy jacket. I don't seem to wear it very often.

Cruiser


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

In my ongoing pilgrimage to the "Back to Basics holy land", I'm focusing my future shirt purchases on just white and blue and the whites must be shockingly so! Having said that, ecru is not a substitute for a white shirt and I don't see it as going well with navy...perhaps with charcoal(?) but, even with that, I struggle. As another poster said (rgrossicone, I think), it does pair quite well with brown.


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## Scrumhalf (Dec 20, 2007)

I think ecru does well with a charcoal suit, especially with a rust/burgundy/red tie.


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

Scrumhalf said:


> I think ecru does well with a charcoal suit, especially with a rust/burgundy/red tie.


Absolutely--excellent combination.

I also like ecru with tweeds--it's a bit more earth-tone than white.

There can indeed be, as other posters point out, variations of tone and shade.

Harvie & Hudson, for instance, makes both "cream" and "ivory" plain shirts. I own both and prefer the ivory. Their version of cream, tho' it still looks well w/ gray IMO, is a bit yellower than I prefer:

H & H cream:

H&H ivory:

Based on my in-store observations, I would say the BB pinpoint oxford is closer to the H&H ivory shade, and the regular-gauge Pima oxford to the cream shade.


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## Mr. Mac (Mar 14, 2008)

eagle2250 said:


> In my ongoing pilgrimage to the "Back to Basics holy land", I'm focusing my future shirt purchases on just white and blue and the whites must be shockingly so! Having said that, ecru is not a substitute for a white shirt and I don't see it as going well with navy...perhaps with charcoal(?) but, even with that, I struggle. As another poster said (rgrossicone, I think), it does pair quite well with brown.


Have to disagree with you. Ecru pairs VERY well navy. Add a red-stripe rep tie and you're in bidness. With all due respect, I can't see how a soft shade of one primary color wouldn't go well with another.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^Personal preferences I suspect but, with this hobby of ours, it's all good! In this instance, our disagreement is not over whether it works, but rather, how well it works.


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## Jaxson613 (Oct 17, 2008)

I have an Ecru Brioni, which is a beautifully made shirt, but it's color does limit the amount of use it gets.


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

I have an ecru Thomas Pink FC shirt. I don't wear it a lot (mostly with a solid navy suit), but I get compliments when I do. I think the color looks good on a lot of people...even gives you a little color if you have a little "winter palor."


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

StoryTroy said:


> Bought an ecru dress shirt as part of a groomsman's ensemble and wear it often with my black suits. The bride handmade ties for all of us as a gift, also in ecru, and the look is right nice.
> 
> Outside of a pair of tuxedo shirts, I don't have any in white.


Trads wear black suits? Don't think so.


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## Danny (Mar 24, 2005)

Well I ordered an ecru pinpoint from Brooks and it came today and low and behold...

...I already have one. 

I had thought it was just an old pale yellow color, but when I put it next to the new one, they were the same exact color. So I had an ecru shirt and didn't even know it

I'll be sending it back for another shirt, not sure which yet, I have most of them at this point...maybe a pink OCBD? I only have that in J Press.

Danny


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## HistoryDoc (Dec 14, 2006)

I wear ecru with my brown suit and many of my tweed jackets. Looks great.


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## Kingsfield (Nov 15, 2006)

I’m not a fan of ecru or French blue. Aesthetically, I simply don’t care for them. And from a career advancement standpoint, I don’t think they do much to help the cause. With the possible exception of Al Gore, you rarely see a top-level executive, politician, or anchorman wearing ecru or French blue.


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## Danny (Mar 24, 2005)

I agree, I'm not a fan of the darker french blue.

However...I think one really needs to consider one's OWN complexion with all these color choices...it does make a difference.

Danny


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## Beefeater (Jun 2, 2007)

I'll echo the others here who wear ecru with browns. I like my ecru to blend with the other colors I'm wearing. I don't know why per se, but I just like it blended with a lighter brown cord, tweed or houndstooth and a tie with some color from each in it. I don't wear it with any of my suits (I don't own a brown one yet).


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## farrago (Apr 27, 2006)

Ecru also goes well with olive -corduroy, herringbone, etc.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

It's half time of the LSU-Georgia Tech game (if you can call it a game) and unless the color on my TV is misrepresenting things, Lou Holtz is wearing an ecru shirt with a charcoal suit. It looks good.

Cruiser


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## cosmotoast (Oct 11, 2008)

*IMHO*

I always wear white with a black,charcoal,or grey sportcoat.
I always wear ecru with a brown,olive, or blue sportcoat.
I can not say why, it is just pleasing to my eye.
Cosmo :drunken_smilie:


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## Adenauer (Dec 7, 2008)

I think we're talking about a few different things here. Looking sharp on you: I don't have any doubt, ecru will work better than white on some complexions. Going well w/ an outfit: no doubt, there are some colors and shades of neutrals it complements much better than others. Place in the trad closet: here I can only venture an opinion, which I wouldn't be surprised to be wrong, that ecru is on the margin, not un-tradly, like fuchsia or green, but not really part of the tradition like pink, blue, white, red u-stripe, or even yellow. Then again, BB sells ecru in oxford cloth, and that's got to count for something. What about J Press? 

I remember people being made fun of for wearing ecru, being told they looked "so 70s". 

Sorry for the odd tone to this post, as if I am assuming the pose of an umpire. Can anyone guess what I do for a living? :teacha:


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