The Movie That Invented The Blue Dress Shirt

Have you ever wondered why so many men today choose blue dress shirts, especially in professional settings? Not too long ago, white was the only acceptable option for business attire.

The white dress shirt has long been synonymous with formality, respectability, and social status. Its origins trace back to the 19th century, when laundering was labor-intensive and only the wealthy could afford the time and expense to keep a garment perfectly white. Because any dirt or stain was immediately visible, wearing a spotless white shirt broadcast one’s ability to remain clean (and thus employed) without performing manual labor. This distinction gave rise to the term “white-collar,” as opposed to “blue-collar” workers who often wore durable, darker fabrics that could mask stains.

Even U.S. Presidents stuck to white, with Harry Truman’s Hawaiian shirt being an outlier—and that was on vacation. But John F. Kennedy famously embraced a blue shirt, and the shift was on.

According to color theorist Faber Birren, James Bond played a pivotal role. JFK’s favorite movie, “Dr. No,” showcased the suave spy sporting blue shirts, giving men an exciting new style to emulate. Suddenly, sporting color to the office seemed both fashionable and sophisticated.

[MoviesAndHeists]

So the President cosplayed his favorite movie so hard he changed fashion forever?
Goals

[phkxv]

"Why do you wear purple shirts?"
"Oh me? I like making animatronics!"

[haskeymorrison]

I love how people got mad over a guy wearing a Hawaiian shirt on vacation.
Edit: YES I KNOW ABOUT THE OBAMA TAN SUIT THING

[teigenb]

Samuel L Jackson totally conviced me, as a child watching starwars, that purple could look super cool on the right person. That made me think that basically no color was off limits as long as it was used as a correct outfit component on the right person

[Amyduckie]

Purple looks amazing on so many people, I for one would love to see it be more of a thing.

[MrLoftyDreams]

One of the delights of being colourblind is, shirt shopping. I found some fantastic quality business shirts, the same brand and cut as my usual business shirts, just a slightly different shade of blue.... It was months before someone complimented me on having the guts to wear purple shirts in the office. It was too late to pull my hair out, as I had none left, so I had to laugh. Apparently nobody had the guts to query the colour choice.

[BuriOfficial]

…
the purple shirt:
*I ALWAYS COME BACK*

[dominik]

By the way: The fact that Sean Connery doesn't wear white shirts also has something to do with the color cameras of the time, which didn't cope well with harsh contrasts. So in the series 'The Saint', Roger Moore wears shirts that have been dyed darker with tea.

[theduke]

Kingsman almost overnight doubled the gross income of custom suit shops. There's a surge in stetson sales every time there's a high value western released. And the Wolf of Wall Street reignited the love of striped suites that started back in the 20s, died in the 40s, and came back in the 80s and then died again in the 2000s. I remember seeing men in striped suits and I remember when men stopped wearing them.

[MrSteve]

Many large companies had written dress codes for management that specifically required white shirts. This was true of AT&T up to the 70s.

[slicksnewonenow]

In fact, Truman's collection of Hawaiian shirts was really incredible!

[mist]

BBC Shelock did a dark purple shirt and it looked fantastic, I have to say. It's famous amongst the fans now they liked it so much

[anonymanonymus]

Bring purple back to the shirts! The color of kings deserves recognition.

[SerathDarklands]

James Bond is my favorite movie franchise of all time, and I never noticed the obsession with blue shirts. I've watched every move at least two dozen times.

[zedxx]

Dark purple shirt would look so good with an all black suit.

[BrakerOfStones]

Knowing the connection between JFK Lincoln and the titanic but not knowing that James Bond movies were novels makes me realize I see the world a lot different

[GenericOceanLinerHistorian]

Purple is really underrated, a lot of people look really good in it!

[racheljensen]

Fun fact:
In Germany men wear button down light pink or lavender shirts in casual business settings no problem. It's not seen as weird :)

[timflint]

Dr. No is truly great time capsule of a film, even 64 years later it's highly entertaining

[Feranogame]

There *is* now a popular movie about a guy that famously wears purple