Dress shirts are one of those types of clothing that can form the bedrock of a wardrobe. Or, to put it more simply, if you have a bunch of great dress shirts in your closet, then you won’t ever struggle to find something to wear to the office or on a night off.
And luckily, the best dress shirt brands aren’t overly formal and stuffy these days. From form-fitting and athletic cuts to casual numbers with wild and exotic patterns and designs, there’s an entire universe of looks you can pull off in a great dress shirt.
Just about every fashion brand under the sun produces at least a few different styles of dress shirt, meaning that getting onto this list of the best dress shirt brands was incredibly competitive. We’re confident that all the brands that made this list consistently produce great quality clothes that can elevate your style game.
Let’s jump right into the list.
Key Takeaways
I guess that you’d be surprised if I, as a fashion expert, didn’t have lots of opinions about dress shirts and the brands that make them. I put all my shopping experience, testing, and thinking about dress shirts into curating this list of the best dress shirt brands for men.
Overall, I made the tough choice to name Luca Faloni the best dress shirt brand as a result of their modern take on classic Italian design. The insane quality of their materials and the absolute wealth of different options they offer were two more factors that helped push them over the edge.
As you can tell, the choice wasn’t tough because of anything Luca Faloni does or doesn’t do, it was tough because of the presence of other excellent brands like Neem, Form&Thread, and forét on this list.
Why it’s great: Luca Faloni makes Italian-inspired dress shirts that can look just as great at the office as they do at the beach club. I really love how they make shirts from a variety of different materials and blends, including high-quality cotton, silk, linen, and cashmere cotton.
Who is this for? Luca Faloni is one of the best dress shirt brands you’ll find. The brand is a perfect fit for anyone looking to add a bit of continental flair and sophistication to their wardrobe.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Most of their designs run on the slimmer-fitting side, which I personally prefer but others might not be interested in.
Why it’s great: forét is a Danish brand that makes incredibly interesting clothes that are on the line between casual and outdoor categories. As a result, their dress shirt designs tend to look a little different from the standard office fare, but that’s what makes them unique.
And, the fact that all their pricing is in Danish Kroner rather Euros helps keep their clothes budget-friendly. All of that means that they’re one of the best dress shirt brands for men.
Who is this for? If you’re a fan of more casual dress shirts that have a bit of a unique look to them, then you should definitely check out forét.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: The shape and style of these shirts push them more towards being worn on their own rather than under a blazer or sport coat.
Why it’s great: Billy Reid’s shirts are luxurious in the sense that someone wearing them is always going to look like they own the company, not like they work in the office. The comfort and quality of these garments gives them a laid-back feel despite how well they work in dressy outfits and settings.
Who is this for? Billy Reid is one of the best dress shirt brands for anyone who wants to go beyond the standard white dress shirt and get something that really makes a statement.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Many of Billy Reid’s dress shirts are patterned, which might cut down your options if you’re only looking for monochrome dress shirts.
Why it’s great: I’m sure there are plenty of people reading this article who are just looking for a quick and easy way to re-up on their office dress shirts. Van Heusen is an excellent brand for doing just that, helping consumers find simple dress shirts to wear with their suits without any trouble.
Who is this for? The office worker who’s wearing a suit every day will definitely appreciate a brand with as many options as Van Heusen.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: The brand name doesn’t carry as much cachet as some of the other options on this list, but that doesn’t mean that their dress shirts aren’t of excellent quality. They’re still on this list of the best dress shirt brands for men.
Why it’s great: Neem is an upscale brand from London that has a whole section devoted to shirts specifically for the office. You can tell that many of their customers are working in London’s finance industry, and that means they really have no choice but to produce really high-quality shirts.
Who is this for? If you want to dress to impress when you’re at work, then Neem is a great option for you.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: This is one of the best dress shirt brands for men. However, some of the shirts in their office collection are a little bit showy, which might be great for you, or a little bit too much.
Why it’s great: The designers at Form&Thread are obviously more inspired by the button-up work shirts that laborers or factory workers used to wear than the dress shirts of their managers. It gives their collection of dress shirts a really cool and casual look that has few if any, competitors. As the best dress shirts brands go, this one is near the top.
Who is this for? If you’re not buying a dress shirt to wear in formal settings, you might want to go with something from this innovative brand.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: It might be kind of tough to find obvious pairings for some of their shirts, but when you do find a pair of pants and some shoes that really work with one of their shirts, it will look unique.
Why it’s great: As a British brand that cut its teeth serving discerning customers in London, LESTRANGE has worked on its luxury take on the dress shirt for a long time. Everything is very simple in design, as it should be. They’ve also got a few collarless numbers that you can try out as an alternative to the traditional dress shirt.
Who is this for? Some people gravitate towards having the best of everything every day, and if this describes you, then you’ll definitely be drawn to a brand like LESTRANGE.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: This is one of the best dress shirt brands on the market today. At the same time, some of the more unconventional takes on the dress shirt that LESTRANGE offers, and I’m thinking of the collarless as well as the cuban collar options, might be a little bit too much for conservative dressers.
Buying Considerations for the Best Dress Shirt Brands
Material
Modern dress shirts are made from a variety of materials, with cotton, polyester, and silk being among the most common. However, you can also find dress shirts made of everything from linen to chambray (a soft, denim-like fabric), as well as blends of all the above.
When you’re deciding what material to target for a new dress shirt, you should consider where and how you plan to wear it. If you’re getting a shirt to wear on its own in casual settings, then the world is your oyster when it comes to materials.
If, on the other hand, you’re mostly planning to wear it with a suit or blazer, then you might want to go with a thin cotton fabric for simplicity’s sake.
An alternative strategy is just finding a shirt whose design you really love—no matter what fabric is made from.
Styles
Similar to the wealth of material options you have for dress shirts, you also have tons of different styles to go for. On this list, you’ll find everything from classic office wear to Miami-revival cuban style shirts to the workshop-inspired threads from Form&Thread.
When you’re choosing what type of dress shirt brand to favor, it’s important that you pick one that helps you represent yourself as you’d like to be seen. Do you want to look smart and serious or carefree and relaxed? There are great options for both, as well as for the hundred other postures you might be fond of adopting.
We have recommended what we think are the best dress shirt brands for men. However, the best guide here is your own taste.
Fit
Finally, you want to choose a dress shirt that’s going to fit how you want it to. Some of us are fans of the tight-fitting dress shirts that have been in style recently, and others prefer their dress shirts to be on the looser and more flowing side. Both of them can work, depending on what else you’re wearing them with.
You should also consider your body size and shape when you’re shopping for dress shirts, since a shirt that will work great on a big guy won’t necessarily flatter a slimmer man. I always advise people to read the sizing guide of whatever brand you’re shopping for, since this will give you the best insight into what shirts are going to fit you best.
How We Chose
With so many options out there, it’s not easy to figure out whether a specific brand or designer is actually one of the best dress shirt brands out there.
If you’re looking for clothes that are genuinely well-made and well-designed, then you need to look beyond the name and into the actual practices and products that a brand puts out. And that’s exactly what we’ve done in this article.
In addition, we made sure that every brand performs well on the four metrics we use to evaluate brands and products in every one of our articles.
Brand Reputation: I’m always much more comfortable recommending (and buying clothes from) brands that have a long track record of producing winning products.
Customer Reviews: How people look at and talk about a brand carries a lot of information about the quality of their products and business practices. Ignore customer reviews at your peril!
Price: All the brands on this list have the quality and value that’s necessary to justify their price tags.
Transparency: We recommend only brands that have fair return policies and are up-front about the materials.
Why Trust Us?
We hate to lose the appearance of modesty, but it has to be said that the editorial team at FashionBeans has a huge amount of experience in men’s fashion. And, for all of us, much of the time we’ve spent thinking and writing about men’s fashion has been focused on dress shirts like the brands on this list produce.
As a result, we’re quite confident about the quality of this list of the seven best dress shirt brands for men.
We spend many hours poring over the offerings of more than a hundred different brands on our own before comparing our favorites. The brands on this list all got the unanimous approval of all of us, showing how much we believe in their quality.
Final Verdict
Overall, we’ve recommended Luca Faloni as the top overall pick among the best dress shirt brands available. Their design team does an amazing job at creating neo-classic Italian designs, and all their garments contain top-class materials.
You can’t really go wrong by buying your next dress shirt from any of the brands on this list, as all of them represent the absolute top of men’s fashion in this category.
FAQ
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Luckily, you have a ton of different options when it comes to the best dress shirt brands that feature formal shirts. Some people would consider legacy brands like Hugo Boss or Armani as the best formal shirt brands, while others swear by newer brands like Luca Faloni and Neem. It all depends on your taste!
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There are a ton of men’s dress shirt brands that offer amazing quality garments. What makes answering this question difficult is the wide range of things you could mean by “best quality.” Are you talking about the quality of materials or the quality of design? It’s best to find a shirt brand that makes the kind of shirts you like to wear while also featuring top-class materials and craftsmanship.
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