GET SHIRTY- WHAT YOUR CHOICE OF SHIRT SAYS ABOUT YOU
Added: (Wed Mar 10 2010)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
The style of shirt a man wears can say a great deal more about his personality than he may realise. A psychology report prepared by leading psychotherapist, Jane Firbank* to launch a new online shirt retailer www.eccentricshirts.com reveals that his choice of shirt can convey that ‘he is more macho than he perhaps appears’, ‘secretly hankers back to those halcyon days of youth’, he ‘loves his work’, ’wants to bring the weekend forward’….and a host of other things.
www.eccentricshirts.com is the brainchild of South West London entrepreneur, Peter Barnett. He already runs a successful business manufacturing top quality clothing for some of the UK’s leading specialist shirt retailers, many of whom are by Royal Appointment.
“A number of my friends were asking me to design and make bespoke shirts for them”, says Peter. Demand was such that Peter decided to launch www.eccentricshirts.com in December 2009. His Spring collection has certainly caught the eye - and imagination - of Jane Firbank.
The collection spans a wide spectrum ranging from the more conventional plain (but outrageous) pink, through to the ‘extreme’ eccentric. The ‘extreme’ collection consists of flamboyant floral prints of enormous roses (Rosie); tropical palms (Tikki); the ‘Help for Heroes’ Union Jack shirt (Lulu) of which £10 is being donated to the charity for every shirt sold. For the more discerning individual are shirts with split-windscreen ‘60s VW camper vans (Becky); with surfboards (Shruti); topping off with retro ‘60s drinks’ bottle tops (Topsy). All of the latest shirts are made in Twickenham. All the shirts are finished to the highest specifications and produced from the finest quality two fold cotton poplin fabric and lawns.
To add to the eccentricity of the site, all the men’s shirts are given a female name (women’s shirts will follow soon, with men’s names). Each shirt has a quirky little ‘ditty’ about ‘her’ to highlight the individual and eccentric character of the shirt.
Firbank says “If you thought you knew the wearer of one of these shirts, there could in fact be a completely different side of them to discover. Their choice of shirt can well reveal a wilder, deeper side – it allows them to dress ‘outside the box’ offering some men the perfect opportunity for personal reinvention.
“A shirt can make a very strong statement: it shows the wearer’s personality; their hidden talents and their buried interests. It can revive their lost dreams of youth, or ones which have been put on hold for a while.”
Jane Firbank reveals that wearing the following www.eccentricshirts.com shirts will disclose some interesting sides to a man’s character:
ROSIE
As well as running the risk that wives, girlfriends or daughters are likely to ‘borrow’ such a strikingly floral shirt, it takes a bold man to wear a bold floral print, says Jane.
This shirt makes a really powerful statement. It announces – loudly! – that the wearer is different. He’s a strong man and he follows his own path. He doesn’t need to conform and he’s not afraid to stand out from the crowd. In fact, he welcomes it.
TIKKI
This is expressing the exotic: the warmth of the sun. It carries with it a breath of warm sea air and an inference that you can afford to travel to somewhere exotic to buy it. If you wear a shirt like this for work, you’re saying that your work is enjoyable and life is one big holiday. It suggests that you are bringing a holiday atmosphere to work. It is ideal for someone in a creative job, such as advertising, but whatever office you wear it to, it implies that you enjoy your work, which, after all, is the greatest freedom there is.
LULU
Wearing this style of shirt states clearly that you are proud to be British and there is also a slight implication that you support the work of our Armed Forces. (eccentricshirts.com is donating £10 to Help the Heroes for each one of these shirts sold). ‘The vibrant, novel colours deconstruct the traditional Union Jack. They’re about being British in the 21st century … they suggest the wearer is holding on to the nation’s core values but bringing them into a new, wider future. It’s a shirt for a man whose sense of humour conceals a solid, disciplined nature. He plays hard - but he also works hard,’ says Jane.
BECKY
This shirt will immediately appeal to anyone who likes iconic images, says Jane Firbank. “They could perhaps work in the design field, not necessarily in a motor industry related company. The shirt is a talking point.
“You won’t be huddled in a corner on your own and talking to nobody if you wear this to a party! It also, of course, is a way of telling the world that you’re into classic excellence, you appreciate style and are something of a man’s man … there’s definitely a touch of matured, upmarket laddishness here!”
SHRUTI
This design gives a distinct, underlying ‘macho’ message. Besides surfing being a macho sport the design is saying “there is something much more important than me – and it is bigger than both of us.”
It is a phallic image, and with surfing being risky, fast and dangerous, the shirt is making a powerful masculine statement. It features well-toned men who give a strong message – even if the wearer doesn’t have his own six-pack – he is saying that underneath he is a superman.
If a woman gives this shirt to a man, she is saying to him “I appreciate your masculinity”.
There is a little boy in every man who wants to be a superman or James Bond, and by wearing this shirt, a man is expressing this part of himself.
TOPSY
This shirt is likely to be chosen either by someone who, quite simply likes iconic images. But it could also be someone who harks back to ‘the good old days’ says Jane. It is clearly represents the pre psychedelic era.
It says you are aware of clothes, and know what is fashionable. Of course it would be ideal for anyone in the drinks business – a subtle joke that you know something about drinks
It is actually the least obvious of the collection – it carries a message which says: “This looks like fun but actually I am pretty discerning and I fully understand the underlying message, as though it harks back to a different era when there was a kind of innocence – issues which were just simply not issues.” Adds Jane. “The world was a simpler place. They are the drinks of our childhood – but this shirt is likely to be worn by people who don’t necessarily remember those days themselves.
“In those days life was simpler, less complicated and stressful. This shirt is an upbeat reminder of happier and less worrying times. Something most of us find we need from time to time.”
Concluding the report, Firbank commented that all of the collection from www.eccentricshirts.com are
shirts for the socially accomplished to wear, as they make a bold statement.
“If people are depressed then they tend to become sensitive of how others perceive them. These shirts breathe optimism and positivity. All these shirts have a metamessage - whether floral or surfboard - the man who wears them is ‘together’ and ‘confident’ about being judged by others when wearing the shirt. They are the choice of someone who is comfortable with themselves, but perhaps with something still to prove.”
With this in mind www.eccentricshirts.com has also launched a more conservative range with the bold designs ‘hidden’ inside the collars and cuffs aptly named ‘Shirts for Work’. Once, the only individual statement a man could make about his personality was through his tie: now with fewer men wearing ties, he can make an even bigger statement with his whole shirt. “The person wearing this shirt is likely to be the boss not the underling, “adds Firbank, “It says “I am sufficiently senior not to need to conform” but I
am still smart, and fashionable.”
Prices start from £50 (+ p&p). The featured shirts are £95 (+p&p).
ENDS
For further information, high resolution images, or samples for a photo shoot please contact Alison Jee on 020 8744 0744 email alison@alisonjee.co.uk
Jane Firbank will be available for interview on the morning of Monday March 8 2010
Editors Note:
Jane Firbank, BSc, HGDip, is an experienced psychological consultant and psychotherapist, working from the new Human Givens approach. This uses the latest psychological and brain research to provide powerful insights into human nature and the process of change. Jane has made many TV and radio appearances and frequently provides psychological commentary on current issues to the national press. She has written for a number of newspapers and magazines, and has had a regular column, Mind Matters, in Rosemary Conley's Diet and Fitness magazine.