They are suitable for the Oscars red carpet (see Sharon Stone in 1998, when she wore a Gap white shirt with a long Vera Wang satin skirt) and a walk through land mines (Princess Diana in Angola in 1997). Think Marilyn Monroe in jeans on the beach, her white shirt knotted just so at the waist, or Meghan Markle making her royal-date debut at the Invictus Games with Prince Harry. White shirts are that magic garment that can be all things to all people: a symbol of efficiency and power synonymous with corporate headshots everywhere, as well as relaxation and ease. “They signify order and neatness, professionalism and authority,” she went on - and also “unshowy competence.” They can be “shorthand for ‘the real me.’” “These pieces,” she wrote, “are masters of illusion.” In 2020, Alexandra Shulman, the former editor of British Vogue, published a memoir that included an entire chapter devoted to the white shirt.

Have you ever found a unicorn such as this? - Sarah, Cleveland Heights, Ohio

I am drawn to well-made, classic white shirts and would ideally like to have several, in rotation, so they need to be reasonably priced. I love a crisp white shirt with a good collar and a little length that can be dressed up or casual.

Red and white button up shirt