The Best Men's Dress Shirts Are More Than Office Workhorses
If you're at all familiar with our beat at GQ Recommends, you know we love few things more than a good dress shirt. But the best men's dress shirts are a lot more than simply dress shirts. Allow us to explain. Though their name implies they’re meant for, uh, dressy occasions—weddings, interviews, those lame cocktail hangs you keep scoring invites to—"dress shirts" is actually a bit of a misnomer.
The Best Men's Dress Shirts, According to GQ
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- The No-Fuss, No-Brainer Pick: J.Crew Bowery Wrinkle-Free Dress Shirt,
$98$57 - The Budget Pick: Calvin Klein Men’s Dress Shirt, $38
- The Artful Minimalist Pick: COS Patch Pocket Shirt, $120
- The Retro-Cool Pick: Todd Snyder x Hamilton Long Point Collar Shirt, $298
- The Titan of Industry Pick: Charvet WhiteWhite Double-Cuff Cotton Shirt, $495
- The Bang-for-Your-Buck Pick: Kamakura Shirts Slim Fit Broadcloth Shirt, $110
There's a time and place for a god-tier option crafted in a wood-paneled Parisian atelier, of course. (Lord knows we love the occasional $600 dress shirt.) But those versions can feel almost too nice to wear to anything but the most special of occasions—and almost always require a suit that's just as ostentatious. The shirts we’re actually talking about below have far more range than you ever imagined. They're less starchy and less precious but equally handsome—and, mercifully, look even better sans the sharp navy two-piece. Let's be real here: In 2024, they don't need the full French cuff treatment to make you feel like you're ready to conquer whatever hellish challenges the workday throws at you.
Maybe it's been a while since you've had to actually wear a shirt with buttons, and you can't seem to wrap your head around getting back in the saddle (read: the office). Don't worry—dress shirts haven't changed much since 2020. Whether you're a button-down collar, spread collar, or point collar type of guy, we've got you covered.
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The Best No-Fuss, No-Brainer Dress Shirt
Ironing undoubtedly makes a shirt look better. But let’s be honest with one another: sometimes there’s just not enough time to break out the board and get out those wrinkles before you have someplace to be. Luckily for you, J. Crew’s wrinkle-free Bowery dress shirt is crafted from comfortable cotton with a smidge of stretch and then treated with a special finish to make it less likely to wrinkle and easier to iron after you’ve washed it. Work smarter, not harder, right? What's also great is that the Bowery comes in a range of great colorways and patterns so you can collect a solid cadre of 'em for every situation, from a fancy dinner to a business meeting and everything in-between.
The Best Last-Minute Dress Shirt
Got a last-minute invite to a swanky event and need a dress shirt ASAP? Not to fear, Amazon is here (or there, pretty much everywhere). This no-frills, slim fit shirt by Calvin Klein is cut from high-quality cotton blended with bit of spandex for a more comfortable fit and comes with some other tech-savvy things to help modern men including moisture-wicking properties to keep you cool and a non-iron coating to keep it looking crisp. Hey, when you're already short on time, you don't need to waste any more on ironing. The spandex provides a little give without making the shirt look too shiny or cheap. Throw it over your finest chinos or the dress pants you impulsively splurged on and finally have an excuse to bring out. Pair with a tie if you really need to class things up or dress it down with jeans if you need something for a more relaxed Friday office fit. Make that 11th hour purchase last a lot longer.
The Best Retro-Cool Dress Shirt
Todd Snyder called up the storied American shirting specialists at Hamilton to create a button-up you (and your future grandkids) will actually want to slip on. Hand cut and sewn in Hamilton’s Houston-based workshop, the loose yet structured ultra fine button-up features an elegant extended point collar and mother-of-pearl buttons. Hamilton’s reputation precedes them, arguably the best Texan export (at least until Beyonce came along), with their shirts garnering global acclaim thanks to a dedication to the best of the best fabrics. What else would you expect from folks who have been churning out hits like this since 1883? Something tells us they'll still be on this list in 2083.
The Best Artful Minimalist Dress Shirt
The old adage about getting what you pay for definitely applies to dress shirts, but if you’re looking to spread your cash far and wide, you’ve still got some solid options. This regular fit button-down shirt from COS looks like it was pulled straight off the runway—but you can find it on your local high street. Just because you can find it nearby doesn’t mean it’s slacking in any capacity. At first glance, it might look like a pretty standard poplin shirt with a trademark pointed collar and buttoned cuffs, but subtle revisions, like the pleated placket and seashell buttons, pull it into a league of its own. Well suited to wearing on its own, with a suit, or underneath a layer of your choice, it’s a workhorse shirt that won’t overwork your wallet, while still elevating your fits to quiet luxury heights.
The Best Dress Shirt for Titans of Industry
When you’re rolling with the movers and shakers of the world, you need the creme de la creme. And that’s exactly why the most stylish titans turn to Charvet, a Parisian shirtmaker that's been crafting the finest button-ups since 1838 (1838!) and is the dress shirt of choice for well-known sartorial savant Sophia Coppola, who had a whole wardrobe full of Charvet shirts made for her. This svelte shirt is no exception: it fits slim but isn't constricting for ease of movement, and features an extremely classy double cuff for when you're really feeling fancy enough to break out the antique cuff links you inherited. Even with the tres formale French cuffs, we wouldn't shy away from rocking this in settings that are far from black tie. Because when you slip on this sucker, you don’t meet with the boss—you are the boss.
The Best Dress Shirt for Your Buck
Want a near-custom-fit without hoofing it to a tailor in your neighborhood? Kamakura's cult-loved slim-fit dress shirts are made in Japan and stitched from sturdy yet ultra-breathable cotton, with a tailored fit fresh out of the wrapping—minus the alteration fees. The brand works hand-in-glove alongside skilled Japanese craftsmen to produce a shirt that includes storied sewing techniques that are valued as some of the best in the world. Seriously! Kamakuar’s approach is that “every single stitch is placed with the greatest care.” If you doubt their bonafides, they have an entire section on their site about their dedication and attention to shirt fabrics. It’s all about the attention to detail, like a snazzy spread collar, French placket, and button cuffs, it’s a dress shirt that has everything you’re looking for—for way less than you'd expect.
Plus 8 More Dress Shirts We Love
Polo Ralph Lauren
Classic Fit Striped Poplin Shirt
Ralph's range of classic button-ups is stable full of preppy ponies. And if you were scrolling too quick, you probably would've missed this purebred winner. It's made of a lightweight cotton poplin and a comfortably roomy fit. But the real reason this one breaks away from the rest is that impeccable vintage-style collar.
Van Heusen
Dress Shirt
Van Heusen’s dress shirts are likely sitting at your local mall retailer, but you can get one so much quicker just by snagging one off of Amazon if you’re pressed for time. Just be sure to give it a good iron once you pull it out of the Prime box so that it’ll look nice and crispy.
Bonobos
Weekday Warrior Dress Shirt
Bonobos might've gotten its start helping fellas dial in their pants rotation for the corporate grind, but these days, the brand's wrinkle-resistant dress shirts are the big hit. They're slim but not suffocating, equipped with a trim semi-spread collar, and come with just a hint of stretch for all-day comfort.
Sid Mashburn
Spread Collar Dress Shirt
Given the brand’s storied reputation when it comes to suiting, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the sartorial Southern gents of Sid Mashburn know a thing or to about shirting, too. This bengal stripe piece is a tried-and-true approach to traditional dress shirts but the spread color collar and flattering trim cut bring it into 2024.
The Armoury
Cotton Thin Stripe Spread Collar Shirt
Looking to get into striped shirts but don’t want to go for a bold bengal right out of the gate? This thin stripe spread collar shirt from The Armoury flips the strips-to-negative space ratio on its head and provides just a taste of a stripe. It’s a tasteful way to dip your toe into a bolder shirt choice.
Emma Willis
Slim-Fit Checked Cotton Oxford Shirt
Mother of pearl buttons make this impeccable micro-check number, cut and sewn by hand in the brand's English factory, even more charming. Plus, that micro-check foundation makes for a sure-fire look alongside any sort of tie, so feel free to think of it as a style equivalent of an alley-op.
Drake's
Cotton Poplin Long Point Collar Shirt
It's the simple things that are actually the hardest to do well, which is why Drake's is here. The English tailoring whizzes have created a top-tier shirt that can only really be appreciated up close. The high-quality cotton poplin is lightweight and breathable, but substantial enough to resist creasing. And unlike many lower-quality poplins, this one actually has a naturally lustrous sheen that'll impress the menswear heads and your lovely date.
What Makes a Good Dress Shirt?
Like any piece of clothing, it comes down to materials and construction. Good dress shirts will use natural long-staple cotton that's woven tightly. The fabrics can vary, but dress shirts are often made with poplin, pinpoint Oxford cloth, or regular Oxford cloth. Look for details like French or felled seams which are cleaner and more durable. Mother of pearl buttons are highly sought after, but by no means a requirement. Stitch count is also something fashion fiends will geek out over. The more dense and fine the stitching is, the higher the quality.
Details to Look For
There's not shortage of nuances when it comes to dress shirts, as any sartorial wonk will tell you. For the sake of brevity and wonk-avoidance, here are the basic things you should know. Generally speaking, the less stuff is on a dress shirt, the more formal it is.
Like silhouettes, collars go through trend cycles, swelling and shrinking with the fashion tides. You've got the massive collars of the ‘80s with the likes of Giorgio Armani or the super narrow collars of the 2010s, the kind you’d see on every indie band. Beyond collar size, collar styles also vary.
- Spread collar: As the name implies, spread collars spread outward at a wider angle than a point collar, usually 90-degrees or more. Spread collars tend to look a bit cleaner as they extend underneath the lapel of a suit jacket.
- Point collar: Point collars have a pointed appearance and narrower spread than other styles. It's what you'd see in most offices and doesn't extend to the lapels of a suit jacket.
- Button-down collar: This collar features button holes at the corners to affix to buttons at the shirt. Originally, they were used by British polo players to keep their collars from flapping while they rode their horses and were first introduced to America by Brooks Brothers. They've since become immortalized in moodboards on Ivy and prep style.
Cuffs are the pieces that at the end of the sleeves and cover your wrists. They're often constructed with a stiffer lining to give it structure.
- Barrel: This is the most common type of cuff where the fabric overlaps and forms a cylinder at the wrist, fixed by buttons.
- French: French cuffs have more going on. They feature an extended piece of fabric that is then folded over and fixed using cuff links.
Plackets are the part of a garment that contains some sort of fastening. In the case of dress shirts, that means buttons. Plackets come in several different styles, and these are the three most common.
- Front Placket: This is the placket you see on most dress shirts. The fabric is folded back and usually lined with an interlining to give it structure.
- French Placket: French plackets are a flat placket that isn't folded back which results in a cleaner aesthetic. As such, it's often considered a dressier style.
- Hidden Placket: Hidden plackets are constructed in such a way that the fabric actually covers the buttons, leaving a totally unadorned front.