Previously laid back DH, smart new job...where do we get the nicest shirts.

[YukonHo]

Cutting edge company, big role, needs to be sophisticated and right now he has a wardrobe of polo shirts, Tshirts and jumpers. He has 2 v smart suit so ok for that, and dress code is smart casual so thinking shirts, chino type trousers and smart v necks or non suit jackets. He has to have enough for a 5 day week and we only have a budget of £500. (I say only because they are all uber smart, this is more than he usually spends in two years on clothes so doesn't feel much like only to us)

So names of some gorgeous shirts makers if you know any would be great....used to live in London 10 years ago and are now hicks and have no clue! :)

Oh also sounds unlikely but 7famk cords are v good for smart casual. DH has a navy pair that are fabulous. Nice with a jacket but not so dull as chinos (personally I can't stand beige chinos - bleurgh,)

Charles tyrwhitt is good. DH gets some shirts from here.

Hmm, when I say chinos I mean gap or monsoon style coloured trousers (not bright colours, but dark blue, dark great etc.) as opposed to the chinos my FIL wears....which make me shudder! :o been looking at them all and have chosen the one from tk maxx as it was such a bargain and dhoiked the stripes then we're having one from CT that he likes and are going to coast it with those two and some he already has...now, just need formal coat for over his suit...oh and v necks or a jacket for over his shirts.

Thanks to everyone who has posted you've all made this a whole lot easier! :)

Sorry about the spelling errors! :/ can't even blame wine. :o

DH has had shirts from everywhere over the past 15 years and the ones that we have found the best overall for value for money, washing, lasting longest on things like elbows etc, quality etc is TM Lewin.

They almost always do an offer on for 4 shirts for £100 or something similar.

Great shirt advice here. However, do not neglect his feet! Good quality is an investment especially for men - I always start from the ground up :)

Hilditch & Key or Thomas Pink. DH does not rate either Charles Tyrwhitt or TM Lewin, but will wear Lewin's at a push. (If you know someone who works for MOD, they get a discount at TM Lewin on production of their MOD pass, or used to).

DH is super fussy irritatingly so and has tried every formal shirt on the market. He now gets semi-bespoke but otherwise likes Ede & Ravenscroft and Turnbull & Asser. They are very pricey but do good sales.

This time of year Hugo Boss and Hackett usually have lovely soft narrow cord corduroys which are better for winter than chinos imo. Dark chinos/jeans tend to fade really quickly too.
Hugo Boss have a lovely range (and the ladies stuff is to die for) at the moment so might be worth having a gander for pre-sales research.
Ede&Ravenscroft do v good value sales in suits and mens coats, especially if your DH is tall and slim. Their off the peg suits would only need a few minor tweaks to look v good. DH hasn't bought their shirts (other than a bespoke one made for him as a birthday present) as they don't do a slim fit.

So - tons of suggestions on the thread. A lot depends on what your DH will actually be doing at work. Cutting edge and big role suggests lots of senior exec meetings and possibly client facing too so I would err towards too formal for a while rather than be underdressed. If it's Google or Facebook for example, it's much more likely that a pinstriped suit, double cuffs etc is going to look totally OTT, but he will still be too senior for the t-shirts and coloured jeans look that junior media types/IT developers will be wearing.