The importance of dressing well is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The blogger Alex Troy wrote a small impactful article about just that. Although this article was aimed towards American men, here in the UK we don’t fare much better. I attended a business show in London last year and was floored by the lack of interest UK entrepreneurs and businessmen had in the way that they presented themselves. Something as simple as the wrong shoes can ruin a whole look – and guys, it’s one of the first things women notice so make sure they’re clean!

Things certainly need to change.

Having an immaculate appearance in your professional life is something that many men quite rightly take seriously. Wearing nice suits, shoes and accessorising using ties, pocket squares, socks or braces is a great indication to the people around you as to what kind of person you are. However, if by the end of the day your shirt has ridden up and looks like you’ve slept in it, that fresh, smart man who stepped out the house in the morning will have all but disappeared. Projecting the right image of yourself and the brand you represent is getting more and more important in an increasingly competitive world. Something as simple as a first impression will affect whether someone will want to do business with you in the future. For us here at Sharp&Dapper, shirt stays are the answer. 

Originating in America towards the end of the 1800’s, shirt stays were mainly used by their army, police force and in later years bartenders, bankers and lawyers, as more began to discover the benefits of not having to keep tucking their shirt in throughout the day. I came across shirt stays in 2008 when I started working in a bar that required its staff to look smart. I was searching for braces on eBay and came across these funny looking straps that supposedly kept your shirt tucked in. I like efficient, no-nonsense products that deliver what they say they will, and since a little bit of quirk can go a long way, I bought a set.

From the moment I received that parcel I can tell you that I haven’t gone a day in a shirt without wearing a pair of shirt stays. 

Although they seem to provoke a love or hate reaction – ‘The only thing that is worse then wearing shirt stays is not wearing shirt stays’ - the effect achievable from such a simple product is something you have to try for yourself to truly understand. Imagine you are going to an important meeting, job interview or date. As you already know, appearance matters. You wear a good suit, tie and shoes but a messy shirt will ruin the ensemble– no one wants to see a shirt that looks like a tent underneath your jacket. Once you’ve put on a pair or shirt stays, with a smug look on your face, you won’t be able to help noticing how untidy and disorderly other people’s shirts look.

As the American blogger Antonio Centeno from Real Men Real Style says About shirt stays. “The military secret is out.”

Browse the Sharp&Dapper Shirt Stays → →