So what is the big deal about white shirts? Apparently a lot if you read up on the history of white shirts. From its beginning more than a century ago as a sign of status, the white shirt has had a host of important reasons for being. In fact, such is the history of the white shirt that at least one academic has done an entire thesis on the matter. He concludes by arguing that the historical and cultural significance of the formal white shirt, for both women and men, gives it iconic status (Brough, 2013). Today, as Palmer (2012) notes in an article on the history of the white shirt, “the white shirt remains the epitome of style and good taste.”