Menswear can be like a bit of a balancing board. If the humble white t-shirt exists on one end, then you can bet good money that the classic dress shirt lives just across the way. A good, basic tee is an anchor for men’s casual style. But a proper, well-fitting dress shirt? That’s the foundation of a professional man’s wardrobe.
The truth is, pretty much everywhere you seem to look, the dress shirt will appear. Sometimes in boardrooms. At bachelor parties. Fancy dinner dates. The modern man doesn’t need too often of an excuse to break out a quality dress shirt – the opportunities kind of present themselves in everyday life, for a lot of people.
But whether you’re in the market to replace some older shirts or purchase one of your first, the seemingly limitless amount of options on the modern menswear market can seem rather intimidating at first. That’s why we went and did the hard part for you, and curated this list of the best men’s dress shirts for any and every occasion.
The Best Overall Dress Shirt: Stretch Supima® Cotton Non-Iron Pinpoint Oxford Ainsley Collar Dress Shirt by Brooks Brothers
It’s hard to get something more classic than good ol’ Brooks Brothers. As some of the most influential pioneers of American men’s fashion, you can trust that they know a thing or two about a quality dress shirt.
This option, made from their signature Stretch Supima Cotton fabric, has pretty much all you could ever want, and more, at a fair price. It’s non-iron, meaning you can spend more time killing it at the office (or wherever you intend to wear this) instead of hunched over the ironing board.
It features their traditional styled Ainsley collar, which frames just about any face or head shape in a flattering manner, plus barrel cuffs on the sleeves. It also comes in multiple colors, and in a variety of inclusive sizings, such as their slim, regular, and traditional fits.
For $118 (and occasionally on sale), this one’s hard to beat!
The Best Budget Dress Shirt: Non-Iron Twill Stripe Shirt – Cornflower Blue by Chalres Tyrwhitt
Charles Tyrwhitt has been kind of killing it for the past few years, gaining more and more fans with their easy-to-follow style philosophy which helps everyday men dress better. Their shirts, popularized by their famous multi-buy deals, are very solid for the price, even if you choose to just start with one.
We particularly like this Cornflower Blue variation of their Non-Iron Twill Stripe Shirt. It’s classy, but carries a touch of personality, too. Made from 100% cotton and featuring a timeless, classic style collar, this shirt offers easy style points the instant you put it on, and looks at home with a suit, sweater, or just on its own.
For less than $40, what else could you ask for?
The Best Traditional Dress Shirt: Bowery Wrinkle-Free Dress Shirt with Point Collar by J.Crew
Lately, J.Crew has been digging deep into its brand heritage and re-exploring some of its most intriguing eras of men’s style, and quite a bit of that leans rather traditional. This pick, a sharp-looking dress shirt with an even sharper collar, is proof of that.
We love the Bowery Dress Shirt for its even proportions and soft lines, but also for the fact that its fabric is wrinkle free! The white color is especially crips, and the best part is easily that point collar, which looks almost dangerously sharp but oh-so-good.
Available in classic, slim, and tall variations, this shirt is a great value for $98.
The Best Performance Dress Shirt: The Performance Dress Shirt by Proper Cloth
Yeah, this name could be a bit more creative, but in all fairness, Proper Cloth’s reputation kinda precedes them. Regardless, their Performance Dress Shirt is quite impressive. With four colors, the most surprising thing about this option is actually its fabric composition.
It’s cotton free – but hardly cheap. Instead, it’s made from a high-end nylon and elastane blend that moves with your body effortlessly while wicking away moisture as it arises. It can be dressed up or down with ease, from boardrooms to weddings.
We especially like the blue houndstooth – we think it looks brilliantly clean-cut.
Of course, Proper Cloth offers great custom sizing options as well, which is perhaps what they’re best known for.
For $130, you get a lot of performance out of one simple shirt.
The Best Textured Dress Shirt: White Herringbone Dress Shirt by Spier and Mackay
Believe it or not, dress shirts don’t have to be super dull. Crazy, right? One of the subtler ways to add personality to an otherwise professional or formal ensemble is with a textured dress shirt.
We like this herringbone option from popular online menswear retailer Spier and Mackay. For those who don’t know, Spier and Mackay are all about quality and value. Many have touted their tailoring options as some of the better options for a suit well around the $500 mark.
But their shirt game is pretty solid, too! This one comes in white and blue, and each color makes good use of the unique textured material. Not only that, but it has some impressive features for its price point, including mother of pearl buttons and a generous Italian spread collar.
Not bad for less than $70!
The Best Summer Dress Shirt: Hamilton + Todd Snyder Seersucker Long Point Collar Shirt in White by Todd Snyder
Just because it’s a bit warm out, we hardly recommend that you give up trying to look nice when an occasion calls for it. Or perhaps even just for the office – it’s worthwhile to stand out amongst those who put in less effort during the summer months.
And this is just the dress shirt to do it. A collaboration between menswear titan Todd Snyder and Houston, Texas based clothier Hamilton, this shirt is made from 100% cotton seersucker, one of the best lightweight fabrics for summer.
Its unique puckered texture keeps the surface from laying flat against your skin, creating small pockets for airflow and to prevent anything from sticking in the summer heat.
Made in the USA, this shirt also features a supremely sharp collar and mother of pearl buttons that are hand-carved in Italy.
It comes in two pleasing colors – a crisp white, and a lovely sage green, in case you’re looking for a little more hue.
At $298, it’s certainly pricey, but you’re getting one heck of a shirt, here.
The Best Vintage-Inspired Dress Shirt: Spearpoint Cotton Shirt – White by Thomas Farthing
British brand Thomas Farthing is a bit underrated in our opinion, offering top-notch vintage styles that skew anywhere from old English country to rather western. And this shirt offers something truly special, in that regard.
Ever wondered if you could have a shirt with as sharp and long a collar as the ones they wore in Goodfellas (1990)? Well, now you can! This beautiful shirt is made from 100% Italian cotton and features french cuffs, mother of pearl buttons, and most importantly, a highly dramatic, vintage-inspired spearpoint collar.
Seen in stylized films and period pieces alike, the spearpoint collar is among the coolest, downright lethal-looking shirt collar styles you can get. They can be a bit hard to find in all honesty, but this shirt delivers one that is truly spectacular, framing your face with a level of drama that’s hard to achieve with anything else.
For the quality, novelty, and sheer drama, we think it’s well worth the $198 – and it occasionally goes on sale, too!
The Best Premium Dress Shirt: Classic Fit Striped Poplin Shirt by Polo Ralph Lauren
What’s that? A shirt from Ralph Lauren made this list? Shocker, we know. But this is definitely one of our favorites from the Polo Ralph Lauren line, with a classic fit that runs a bit fuller yet flattering through the chest, waist, and sleeve, and includes a lower armhole to keep things nice and loose.
That’s not to say this shirt doesn’t look sharp – on the contrary! Between its classic point collar and its blue/white multi stripe colorway, there’s a lot to look at here. It’s made from 100% cotton as well, and features classic barrel cuffs to keep things ever so casual.
The nicest part? Even though this our premium pick, it’s on sale right now for less than $90 (marked down from $168)!
The Best Dress Shirt for Menswear Enthusiasts: Embroidery Solid Signature Twill Shirt by Eton
Eton is something of a legendary brand amongst guys who consider menswear a bit of a religion. Especially their shirts, which is why this one landed a spot on our list.
While most of their shirts feature cutaway and wide spread collar types, this one does something a bit different in a variety of ways.
Cut from their signature twill fabric, which is, of course, 100% cotton, this shirt also includes a brilliant little detail hidden subtly beneath the upper placket – a luxuriously embroidered flower motif.
Not only that, but it also has a remarkably old-school, conservative collar in contrast to some of Eton’s other popular models. You have the option to choose between a slim or contemporary cut, allowing for greater sizing flexibility, or to your preference.
This shirt comes in at about $280, but the quality is truly hard to match.
All Dressed Up
Picking the right dress shirt isn’t the easiest choice, but we hope we’ve made it at least a little bit simpler with this list of high-quality recommendations. At Real Men Real Style, we want you to look your best – and feel your best, too!
A good dress shirt should not be overlooked. Even if you’re intending on covering most of it up with a jacket, you can spot a flimsy or poorly-made shirt from a mile away. Conversely, a great shirt can truly elevate your outfit! It’s all in the details, construction quality, and your intention to look your very best.
Hopefully something on this list catches your eye and leads you to your new favorite dress shirt, ready to be pulled out of your wardrobe for any occasion.