To most men, one white dress shirt is no different than any other white dress shirt. But to others that’s so far from the truth it’s insane. Prepare yourself for what the average American male would find to be the most boring article on clothing…ever. All white dress shirts. No oxford cloth. No button down collars. Just the best-of-the-best true, white dress shirts. Listed in order by cost, starting with super-affordable, and heading as far north as the great nation of Splurgeistan.
Target Merona Ultimate Dress Shirt (60% Cotton / 40% poly) – $24.99
Yes, these will need some tailoring if you want them right up on your torso, but they’ll do fine without under a blazer or suit jacket. The 60% cotton / 40% poly blend is surprisingly soft and smooth on the all-white option. Most shirts with that kind of blend are scratchy.
J. Crew Factory Slim Point Collar – $29.50 ($59.50)
Regular J. Crew shirting seems overpriced. But J. Crew factory shirts are pretty solid when on sale. 1.5″ slimmer through the body, this is about as affordable as a true slim fit dress shirt gets. Nice and slim through the body. Arms feel slimmed down, but not tight. $29.50 through 7/7. One drawback: Like the Target Merona, no neck and sleeve sizes. Just standard Small, Medium, Large, etc. 100% cotton with a not too stiff non-iron finish.
Neiman Marcus Trim Fit Dress Shirts in Dobby or Stretch – $35 – $40
Price all depends on how much of a sale Lastcall.com is running. And word is, the actual trimness of each shirt can vary. But some guys swear by these things. Lots of options, like the textured dobby on the left the smooth stretch on the right, and a non iron version here.
Nordstrom Smartcare Trim – $65.00
Expect extra tailoring if you want it super slim, BUT… the construction is nails. Nice sized collars, great feel, and durable. They do wrinkle a bit in the wash, but iron out real easy. Worth taking for a spin since Nordstrom has free shipping and free returns. A few sizes left over here at 50% off.
Brooks Brothers Extra Slim Fit Non-Iron – $88.00 (or less if you buy in bulk)
Getting up there in price, but Brooks Brothers runs sales every so often where if you stock up, you can save up to 40% off. And some guys are addicted to the extra slim fit non-iron. Note: “Slim” fit for Brooks Brothers isn’t really all that slim. So, go for extra slim if you’re in good shape. Currently on sale for 25% off if you buy two, or, 40% off if you lay some serious financial lumber and get four. Sale ends today, 7/2.
ratio/clothing Slim Fit White Pinpoint – $89.00
A splurge, but as good as it gets for double digits. You get a custom fit through a precise, but not overly invasive measuring system. Neck sizes down to the quarter inch and sleeves to the nearest half inch. No more of that 32/33 off-the-rack garbage. You also get to pick your collar, placket, cuffs, the type of pleats you want on the back, and whether or not there’s a pocket. Send customer service an email, and you can get the buttons spaced out a bit more, which helps if you like to go tieless. Made in the USA. More over here.
Ledbury Royal Twill Slim Fit – $125.00
If you jumped on the half-priced deal Ledbury ran a week or so ago, strongly consider using that $65 you spent on the Royal Twill Worker in slim fit. The fabric is nothing short of amazing. Textured with a barely noticeable ribbing, this is a shirt you’ll stand out in when wearing it with jeans and a navy blazer, or with a tuxedo. Made in Poland. Sizes are all but sold out right now, and Ledbury is awfully limited when it comes to the range of sizes that they offer. But, it’s $125 full price, so… consider your wallet safe if you’re not a 15, 15.5, 16, or 16.5 neck. Mother of Pearl buttons, and Ledbury’s second button is lower than most shirts, so it looks perfect with the top undone. Money might not be able to buy happiness (or maybe it can, to a point) but money can buy one of these shirts. And wearing one will probably make you awfully happy.
Your turn guys. What’s your go-to white dress shirt? One of the above? Charles Tyrwhitt? A department store brand not mentioned? Leave your personal pick and why you like it so much in the comments below.
Joe-thanks for all your great work on the site. What are your thoughts on the BR stretch white shirts?
Also, wanted to say thanks for the recommendations on the Target-Mossimo plain T’s. Great shirts. Any experience with the quality of the JCrew Outlet T’s and Pocket T’s?
Great article.
My go to shirts are Charles Tyrwhitt extra slim fit. I love the spread collars and french cuffs, and they seem to fit me very well.
I realize this may be a post all its own, but any thoughts on the other online custom-fit type retailers? Knot-standard and Hugh & Crye come to mind and I think are in the same price range as ratio/clothing.
I second this. about 80% of my dress shirts are from CT. They can be very reasonable, especially with a Groupon deal or when they have their sales.
Sad to see that Kamakura Shirts didn’t make the list. Been very impressed with their shirts and quality is top notch esp considering price and it being made in Japan. They make a shirt with a proper collar roll in their OCBDs and their spread & cutaway collars are pretty nice.
Proper Cloth should definitely be on this list with Ratio.
Agreed. Collars + fit + price makes them unbeatable.
Natty shirts definitely was worth the price and great customer service. I would at least put the 1mx by express as a cheap go to dress shirt.
A good everyday slim shirt that I would recommend, definitely has to be the Old Navy Slim-Fit shirts, good basic colors, slim and you can get them on sale for $20, not as soft as could be, but not scratchy at all, not too shabby I’d say
If price is the most important thing jcp might be even lower than target. Their Stafford slim might actually too slim
It’s bonkers crazy expensive, but I gotta rep my home town of Houston with the impeccable Hamilton Shirts. At $225 for a dress white, it’s just a fantasy, but one day…one day! http://www.hamiltonshirts.com/rtw/detail/13S-200/7/button+cuff
“Prepare yourself for what the average American male would find to be the most boring article on clothing…ever.”
Not to me! Now I’m going over to the Sherwin Williams blog, they have a great post on earth tones that will be in this Fall. You should see what they are doing with paint/primer combos!
But seriously, it never even entered my mind that this would be boring. Literally the first thing I chose to read this morning.
Based off recommendations from Dappered, I’ve recently become quite attached to the John W. Nordstrom trim fit dress shirt. Love the feel of it, though it’s not too cheap at $49.90 after the current 35% off http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/john-w-nordstrom-trim-fit-dress-shirt/3354321
I’m wearing that Ledbury shirt as I type this. It is undoubtedly the best I own. Highly, highly, highly recommended!
I’ve been a fan of the Uniqlo extended sizes white shirt. Probably not the best shirt around, but if you time it right for twenty bucks you get a white shirt with sleeve and neck sizes. At 6’3 its pretty damned near impossible to get a shirt that fits well in the sleeves in the standard small, medium, and large sizes.
This probably won’t apply to any one else but myself. I have family who still lived in Vietnam and I have my dress shirts and dress pants made-to-measure through them. You can have any type, color, thickness you want and after crazy shipping costs, it still only come down to about $20/shirt and $30/pants. It just doesn’t get any better than that. Plus, it helps that my dad is an alterationist (is that a word?) 🙂
Any comments on the thickness or opaque-ness of the shirts? I have a good Magnum PI chest hair and it is definitely noticeable under most white dress shirts if worn without an undershirt. Is this acceptable? Should I be wearing undershirts just to keep the uniform look through the fabric? Or, should I be looking for white dress shirts that are opaque/thick fabric and keep a little modesty until I choose to unbutton?
Big fan of CT extra slim fit. The JCF shirts are nice but my neck seems to be between a small and medium (my neck is pretty much exactly 15 inches). NM trim fit are great through the body for me but the sleeves are pretty billowy. Not a big deal with a jacket, but could be better. Like Joe says, the Nordstrom quality is very good, especially if you can grab them on sale.
Going to throw this one out there, even if it gets me kicked out of the Dappered community: JAB slim fit. Almost impossible to find in their stores, because apparently they want people to look like they are wearing sails. I would say the slim fit is comparable to CT extra slim fit (maybe a tad looser) and the construction seems pretty solid (split yoke, side pleats, trim sleeves, substantial collar, sturdy but smallish buttons). The traveler pinpoint is a nice step-up in weight and transparency from a poplin shirt. Obviously, getting them on sale for ~$30-$35 is key. Just my 2 cents.
I really like CT, but even the extra slim fit needs to be tailored a bit in the sides. Spread collars are money though.
If you want opaque/thick, go for a twill shirt (not mentioned here, but I swear by Ratio’s twills in white and light blue). It’s a heavier weave, so is a bit heavier fabric than a pinpoint, but you can’t even see an undershirt under the sleeves when I wear them. Can’t comment on the Ledbury shirts, because they only cater to people with short arms…
Literally HATE the J Crew and J Crew factory dress shirts. The things wrinkle almost immediately upon wearing and Factory shirts feel like cardboard. Target Merona feels nice for the price, but needs tailoring badly. Almost too much to wear under a jacket for me.
Been meaning to try Ratio and/or Ledbury, but have had solid luck with the Lastcall NM trim fit shirts. 90% of my dress shirts are now from Lastcall. Great deal on most for $35 on sale.
I’ve gone from trying Brook’s Brothers Slim Fit (not slim enough) to finding out about Charles Tyrwhitt (slim but felt a little itchy) and giving that a go. Then I went to London and stumbled upon TM Lewin which is everywhere there. They are very similar to CT. They always have some kind of buy 3 for $100 or something along those lines and for me the fully-fitted TM Lewin shirts had a better fit and feel than the CT’s. Anyone else try TM Lewin and have any thoughts?
I love a twill-woven shirt because it’s naturally wrinkle resistant and has a softer “drape” compared to a poplin/pinpoint weave — without any need to treat the cotton or blend with synthetic.
Same excellent qualities with herringbone weave, a type of twill weave.
Joe, I just ordered some custom white shirts from my tailor. Do you recommend single french or double french cuffs?
BB Slim fit non iron… all the way.
Great post. I’m not clicking any of those links or I’ll spend all day in the rabbit hole that is fine dress shirts. Speaking of, I’d love to see a comprehensive post of all the recommended dress shirts. These comments have a ton I’ve never heard of before.
I’ll keep my eyes open for the extra slim fits in CT. I have one CT slim fit, and I’d like the sides tighter. Great fabric and collar, though.
On the less expensive end, my vote is for the Merona slim fits at Target. Much more fitted than the Ultimates and 97% cotton or something for a more comfortable fabric.
Good call. Don’t pay too much more than $40/shirt. They regularly dip down to $30.
I’m going to disagree with the comments about the Brooks Brothers Slim Fit vs Extra Slim Fit. The Slim Fit is fairly trim if you have an athletic build, a broad chest and back with a slim waist. If you don’t work out at all then the Extra Slim is what you want.
The difference between the BB Slim and Extra Slim is 3″ in the chest, but only 1″ in the waist. The Slim is really catered to those with some sort of v-taper.
But there are a lot of other great options out there. CT has been brought up repeatedly, someone mentioned Kamakura which will be the next shirt I’ll try. Kent Want also does free alterations on their shirts (alterations on rugbys and polos are extra). And there a ton of MTM companies out there in addition to Ratio.
Switched to Bonobos Non-Iron Slim Fit recently and am really happy. S/M/L/XL sizing sucks, but I happen to fit a L pretty perfectly (could use a half inch off on the sleeves) and their collars are great.
For a few more shingles they also offer dress shirts with actual sizing, which I haven’t tried but I bet are cut nicely.
Tyrwhitt and TM Lewin are great staple shirts in any man’s wardrobe.
Like this list; just thought there were a couple oversights:
1) In general, what should you look for in a quality white dress shirt? One quick way to tell quality is to put your hand on the other side and see how opaque the shirt is. In general, thicker fabric makes it harder to see your hand through the shirt.
2) In general, white dress shirts looks best when worn with a grey undershirt underneath (especially if they’re thinner shirts, per the first point). It’s more subtle.
3) In my opinion, the top of the list should be a custom-made white shirt. The fit will always be the best and you can choose the top of the line fabrics that way. It’s a splurge that I think is totally worth it.
But great article and love the website!
Glad I’m not the only one. I got one of their dress shirts a couple years back – from J Crew, not factory, and it’s terrible. The thing looks like a wrinkled mess about 5 minutes after I put it on. I tried having it professionally pressed, and even that didn’t improve the situation. Even worse, because they don’t sell shirts by neck size I can’t wear a tie with it – the neck’s too big. I like their casual shirts a lot, but never again will I buy a dress shirt from them.
Joe did a Hugh and Crye review a few weeks back. They didn’t work for him, but I think they fit great. They’re not true custom fit shirts, but their sizing matrix has more fit options than the typical off the rack shirt – for example J. Crew. Joe couldn’t find a size that was perfect for him, but their short/slim works great for me.
The quality of the cuffs and collars is top notch and the fabrics are great too. The bottom line is that if you can find a size that fits you they’re great. If not, you’ll have to look elsewhere. They fit slim so if you find the right size tailoring won’t be needed.
I was trying to edumacate myself on dress shirts
and thought it was best to go with the semi-spread collar variety but a
lot in this list are point collar. J. Crew Factory has the same white
one in a spread (it looks semi-spread in their pictures). HELP!
Yep, those are the same Target Tees. Great price and comfortable fabric, especially for summer time in the South. Wish they had made some with pockets on them. Any suggestions?
Agreed. Seeing so many comments about an article on white dress shirts makes me feel like much less of a dork!
Gonna have to add this one to the list soon (when they make a white):
https://weargustin.com/store/101
I have a good feeling Gustin is going to take over my wardrobe.
I agree. I can’t say enough good things about Ledbury slim fit shirts: never need tailoring, very high quality, free shipping and returns for any reason, and the lower second from top bottom actually does look really good. The shirts are definitely pricey, but if you have the means, I highly recommend it.
I bulk up on the BB shirts during the card holder events.
what type of cuffs do they have? im looking at a nice white dress shirt – is french double cuff or single cuff better?
Jose–Haven’t purchased any of the vnecks yet, so can’t really say. I am 6’2, 190 lb and the Large Crew Neck fits perfect. I only hang dry them.
I do the same thing with BR. Just cherry pick until the 40% off and then buy something once or twice a month. Will have to try on the tailored slim fit and see how those work out. Thanks Nepster.
Credited on BB sizing — “good shape” is too vague.
Slim will give you a normal size shoulder/chest ratio and some cut at the waist (although you may need to get the seat taken in, depending on your personal drop). If you have a true athletic V-shape build, this is likely your BB shirt.
Extra slim is for skinny guys who don’t have size through their torso to match their shoulder width and essentially tapers through the entire torso down from the shoulders. Runners and others (athletes or not) without a big drop go here.
Definitely wear an undershirt, even if the shirt was fully opaque. Undershirts help you feel warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Also they absorb sweat, making your white shirt white longer.
Just make sure you get the right neck (crew for fully buttoned, v for slightly undone) and 100% cotton (so it’s breathable and extra comfy. Once I’ve tried, there was no going back
As an alternative, take the whole thing for a test drive with an old tee and a darker shirt to see if you like it
That’s a good way to put it. I have about a 9″ drop so the Slim Fit works for me.
I have to agree. By no means am I broad shouldered, but being slim in the waist makes many shirts look odd on my frame. Express Extra Slim fits fantastically, every time.
Maybe I’m the only one, but the best off-the-rack fit for me is the JC Penney Stafford Broadcloth (Fitted). At only $15 bucks, I’m sure there are better shirts. But they don’t get wrinkled and they’re durable as hell.
Interesting to hear. It’s funny, since the BB Extra slim OCBDs are the only quality shirts I’ve found to fit my drop (and even then could take the sides in just a bit), but the extra slim dress shirts don’t have the same measurements. I found myself in the “either my chest is too big, or the shirt is” territory. Maybe sizing down on a regular slim fit would work. (30W, 38-39 chest, 15.5 neck)
Makes you wonder why shirtmakers don’t make an “Athletic Cut” instead of going slim and extra slim.
Dude, if you’re thinking about dropping $225 for an OTR shirt, you can get MTM with excellent fabric and all the same details for less than that.
Dunno what shirts you’re working with but I can’t say I share this “cooler in the summer” business. I almost never wear undershirts because without them I barely sweat at all, which keeps my white shirts white.
There are some MTM/custom (i.e. you don’t take your own measurements) services out there where it’s basically just a guy from SE Asia that bounces around hotel rooms in major cities in the US and takes measurements and orders. The shirts take ~8 weeks to get to you, but they can make you seriously doubt buying OTR ever again.
The fellow I’ve gone to ranges $50-70 per shirt depending on the fabric.
It depends on the climate. If it’s gets so hot you’ll sweat with or without it, the undershirts keeps you feeling dry and your shirts won’t get yellow pits for a long time
I have CT and TM Lewin, I definitely prefer TM Lewin. Their classic collar is the perfect semispread collar and their fully fitted is slimmer than anything CT offers. So for me, it’s tm lewin. I’m more than satisfied with the fabrics and variety from them so I have no interest in higher end shirts.
When I’m forced to wear cotton instead of human skin, I prefer 1MX shirts since they fit me perfectly and I don’t need to tailor them. They are just as cheap as the Target shirts when they are 40% off and I throw in a coupon.
I picked up one of the Nordstrom Smartcare Trim fit shirts (not in white) on their sale and the fit and feel of it were excellent to me. Definitely feels much higher quality than the typical ~$30 shirt, since that was the approx sale price. Thanks for the tip Dappered!
Thanks Doug. Checked out the site and those are exactly what I was looking for. Appreciate the heads up.
1) This is not universally true. You can have high quality shirt fabrics that are light and translucent. Conversely, you can have low quality thick fabrics. Thickness doesn’t equal quality.
3) If you notice in the introduction, Joe says that the list is in order by ascending cost. Thus, the top of the list is the cheapest shirt. Also, he included Ratio which is MTM, but not fully custom.
Sorry, until some one puts up an abbreviation guide, I don’t know what you are talking about.
apologies… OTR = off the rack. MTM = made to measure
Just pictured a dress shirt made of human skin. Thanks for that.
For what it’s worth, the Ledbury Royal Twill Worker in *regular* fit is available in most neck sizes from 15 to 18. And the code LEDBURY15OFF takes 15% off for first-time customers. That, and this post, prompted me to bite… looking forward to it. Thanks.
I’ve been converted to MTM- Luxire will precisely duplicate your favorite shirt, or go by your measurements, and their tailoring and handwork is top drawer. Their white dress shirts are something like $70. Check out Styleforum’s thread on them, they make killer stuff.
1) It’s not true in EVERY shirt, but if you’re looking for a white dress shirt – in general, at the same thickness, a higher quality shirt will be less translucent than a lower quality white shirt.
3) Oh come on, you know what I mean. Don’t be that guy – “top of the list” generally means the highest one. In this case, something higher than Ledbury.
I’m definitely a big Charles Tyrwhitt fan. More of their stuff should appear on this site.
My favorites are actually the White Dress Shirt from brooks brothers…especially the french cuffs..
What are your opinions about Milk Shirts?