In a world that has, for decades, diminished the number of rules for dress and etiquette, there has been a tendency to forget the value of ceremony and celebration. Honor and dignity can be exhibited in many ways and vary among cultures in the form of expression. However, there is hardly any country or culture that does not give special attention to the shirt—in whatever form prevails locally.

The formal shirt, once a combination of attachments to a basic linen, cotton, or silk breastwork, remains the center of fine dress. One advantage of the decline in formality has been the liberation of formal style. There is no longer a need to wait for a wedding, coronation, or turf event to add some crispness to the shirt for an individually designed occasion.