#1. The White Poplin/Pinpoint/Twill
- Nordstrom Trim Fit Non Iron Dress Shirt – $39.00
- Amazon “Buttoned Down” No Pocket Dress Shirt – $39
- The Tie Bar Pinpoint Dress Shirt – $55
- Charles Tyrwhitt Slim Fit Egyptian Cotton White Shirt – $69 (often on sale for less)
- Ledbury The White Fine Twill Mid Spread Dress Shirt – $145
Quick. Think of a white dress shirt. Got it? Good. That’s the #1 shirt we should all have in our closets. The collar does NOT button down on these, and they’re made of a mid to lightweight fabric. Some call these “oxfords” even though that’s not quite right (being that the fabric isn’t an oxford cloth). It’s a shirt that’ll look just as good with a suit and tie as it will under a V-neck sweater with jeans. It’s crisp, it’s clean, and you’ll want a collar with enough beef to look substantial. If you like going tieless, favor semi-spread collars instead of full spread collars.
#2. The Light Blue Poplin/Pinpoint/Twill
- Charles Tyrwhitt Slim Fit Non-Iron Step Weave Sky Blue Dress Shirt – $69 (often on sale for less)
- Nordstrom Smartcare Trim Fit Herringbone Dress Shirt – $69.00
- The Tie Bar Pinpoint Dress Shirt – $55
- Ledbury The Blue Fine Twill Mid Spread Dress Shirt – $145
Pretty much the same thing as shirt #1, only in a very pale, light blue shade. Not royal blue. Not kinda light blue with grey buttons. You want a true, light blue with the standard off-white/bone colored buttons. Slightly less formal than white, but can still be dressed way up.
#3. The White Oxford Cloth Button Down Collar
- UNIQLO Oxford Cloth Button Down – $29.90
- Target Goodfellow & Co. Standard Fit Whittier Oxford Button Down Shirt – $24.99
- Amazon “Goodthreads” OCBD – $25.00
- J. Crew Factory Slim Flex Oxford Shirt – $35ish
- Brooks Brothers Made in the USA Original Polo Button Down Oxford – $140
Not really a “dress” shirt. At least, not most of them. (Brooks Brothers original polo collar oxfords are pretty dressy.) But still needs to go on the list due to its versatility. OCBD is an abbreviation for “oxford cloth button down.” And the “button down” part refers to the collar, not to the front of the shirt. A few lighter, pressed OCBDs can pull duty in the office, but just make sure those have fabrics that aren’t that much thicker than a standard poplin. Otherwise, the thicker OCBDs are best used in more smart casual environments.
#4. The Blue Oxford Cloth Button Down Collar
- J. Crew Factory Slim Flex Oxford Shirt – $35ish
- UNIQLO Oxford Cloth Button Down – $29.90
- Amazon “Goodthreads” OCBD – $25.00
- Target Goodfellow & Co. Standard Fit Whittier Oxford Button Down Shirt – $24.99
- Gitman Made in the USA Cambridge Oxford Regular Fit Dress Shirt – $155
Noticing a pattern here? White and light blue are the foundation of your shirt lineup. You could easily get away with wearing white and light blue shirts for your entire life. Also, just because this list is a little boring so far doesn’t make it wrong.
#5. The Striped Shirt (Bengal or Thin Stripe)
- J. Crew Stretch Ludlow Shirt in Blue Microstripe – $69.50
- Amazon Buttoned Down Bengal Stripe Dress Shirt – $49.00
- Charles Tyrwhitt Slim Fit Non-Iron Bengal Stripe Sky Blue Shirt – $69 (often on sale for less)
What do you get when you combine a white shirt and a blue shirt? You get a white and blue striped shirt. Ta-da. And no, you don’t have to stick to blue stripes. Green, pink, gray, it can all work. These look great tieless with a solid suit or sportcoat, or, under a sweater with jeans or chinos.
#6. The Windowpane/Tattersall
- J. Crew Ludlow Fit Stretch Dress Shirt in Blue Tattersall – $69.50
- Charles Tyrwhitt Slim Fit Non-Iron Small Windowpane Light Blue Shirt – $69 (often on sale for less)
- Brooks Brothers Non-Iron Regent Fit Windowpane Dress Shirt – $92
Starting to break free from solids, but still sticking with a white and blue foundation. A windowpane is just different enough from the stripes that most guys default to. When under a jacket of some kind, they’ll give your look a bit of depth. When it comes to the size of the squares, ideal is between a pencil eraser and a quarter. If your wardrobe leans more casual, button down collars on these shirts would absolutely work and be more versatile for day-to-day life.
#7. The Bold Gingham
- J. Crew Factory Gingham Flex Wrinkle-Free Voyager Dress Shirt – $40ish
- Nordstrom Smartcare Traditional Fit Check Dress Shirt – $34.75 ($69.50)
- Banana Republic Slim or Standard Fit Stretch Gingham Dress Shirts – $79.50 ($47.70 when 40% off)
- TheTieBar Classic Gingham Shirt in Light Blue or Navy – $55
- Brooks Brothers Grey Regent Fit Heathered Gingham French Cuff Dress Shirt – $92.50 ($185)
Color is up to you. Black and white obviously offers the most contrast, but deep blue, green, even red can deliver. It’s a dressed up version of a dressed down pattern. The button down collar strategy would go the same here for the gingham shirts as it does for windowpane. Live and work in a more casual environment? Button down collars might just be the way to go.
#8. The Micro Pattern
- Amazon Buttoned Down Micro Check Dress Shirt – $49
- UNIQLO Easy Care Micro Check Shirt – $29.90
- Nordstrom Trim Fit Non Iron Check Dress Shirt – $49.50
- Ledbury Light Blue Mini Gingham Dress Shirt – $145
Whether it’s a tiny check, micro-plaid, or houndstooth, these are the shirts that have two (three max) colors going on with a very small pattern. From a distance they may even look solid. But up close, they’re not. Lots of depth with these.
#9. The Dressed Up Chambray
- Charles Tyrwhitt Slim Fit Semi-Spread Collar Business Casual Chambray Mid Blue Shirt – $39 ($110)
- Banana Republic Slim Fit Chambray Shirt – $79.50
- TheTieBar Chambray Dress Shirt – $55
- Ledbury Grey McDaniel Chambray – $145
In ten years we very well could look back and say “the hell were we thinking?” But for now, a shirt that looks a bit like denim, yet is much lighter in weight, is a great way to dress down a suit or mix it up with your casual attire. Blue or grey works here.
#10. The Pink or Subtle Red Striped/Checked Shirt
- Nordstrom Trim Fit No-Iron Striped Dress Shirt – $49.50
- Amazon Buttoned Down Men’s Classic Fit Spread-Collar Solid Non-Iron Dress Shirt – $39
- Brooks Brothers Regent Fit Mini Windowpane Button Down Shirt – $92
Just fine for most. Beware though. For those with a super pale skin tone, a solid pink shirt might look a little flushed up against their easy to sunburn skin. Opt instead for a red or pink micro-check or stripe on white, which will break up that visual texture a bit more.
A version of this post originally ran in 1/2015, but has since been updated with current product suggestions.