V&A
White Ribbed Cotton Men's Dress Shirt
1980s · 1980s · Italian
Designer
Gianni Versace
Production
ready-to-wear
Material
ribbed cotton
Culture
Italian
Movement
Power Dressing
Influences
traditional dress shirt construction · 1980s power suiting
A crisp white men's dress shirt featuring a structured collar and front button placket. The garment displays clean tailoring with set-in sleeves and a chest pocket detail. The ribbed cotton fabric creates subtle texture while maintaining the formal appearance expected of 1980s menswear. The shirt exhibits the precise construction typical of Italian fashion houses during the power dressing era, with sharp collar points and a fitted silhouette that would complement the broad-shouldered suits of the period. The pristine white color and formal styling reflect the decade's emphasis on professional authority and sartorial precision.
shirt/blouseregular fithip length
Connected To
Movement·Power DressingWorn with·necktie
SHARED10 years · cross-culture · cross-category
These two pieces capture the 1980s power dressing ethos from opposite ends of the spectrum — the crisp white shirt with its subtle vertical ribbing creates the same elongating effect as the suit's pinstripes, both designed to project authority through sharp, structured lines. The shirt's clean button-down formality would have slipped seamlessly under that three-piece suit, part of the era's uniform for men climbing corporate ladders from Milan to London.
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