Let’s face it, the dress shirt is a staple to any fashion-forward men’s wardrobe. While it offers comfort and versatility, a great deal of men today often overlook its importance.
When it comes to looking your best, a standard dress shirt simply isn’t going to cut it.
In reality, the best shirts you will ever put on are going to come from a shirt maker or tailor. Ultimately, nothing is going to fit nor feel better than a second-skin made precisely for your own unique body shape.
Sure, it’s going to often cost more, but in reality, not all custom dress shirts will cost as much as the premade ones. The truth is, it’s rather backwards thinking to purchase a pre-made shirt than have it torn apart for a fitting. Of course with that said, consider the value you get in return.
A dress shirt can easily be paired with a good pair of jeans or slacks, or built upon by adding a sport coat or tie, to express elements of a personality that cares about style. Unlike other articles of clothing, you can get a lot of use out of this item; making any investment, a worthwhile one.
Luxury men’s dress shirts employ the combination of exquisite textiles and quality craftsmanship to amplify the characteristics of this iconic article of clothing. There is nothing basic about the fabrics, methods or details used to construct these luxury shirts. In fact, top notch tailors will ask you about the shirt is for; before hand-selecting the pattern/fabric.
Regardless if you’re looking for ready to wear, made to measure or bespoke, in this guide you will find numerous options fit for any man who wishes to dress with an upscale presentation. These luxury clothiers are ones I personally consider to be the best of the best for men; they certainly do not disappoint.
If things like exceptional construction, fine fabric, amazing collars, etc. are your thing, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy these handpicked men’s brands below.
1. Tom Ford
Tom Ford is a legendary, American fashion designer who began working for Perry Ellis. Since that time, Ford moved onto Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, both as designer and creative director. His own line of menswear launched in 2006, which includes button-down dress shirts inspired by the runway and are ready-to-wear.
2. Luigi Borrelli
The House of Luigi Borrelli is a collection of luxury men’s dress shirts and other clothing items that are used to create a fashionable look. Luigi Borrelli is particularly preoccupied with the perfect fit. The collar, fourth shoulder and arm hole are a few of the elements that have been addressed to result in a soft, comfortable and quality shirt.
3. Finamore
The sartorial methods of the last 100 years are woven into the designs of the Finamore brand. It is the Neapolitan way to hand make dress shirts from premium materials without the use of machinery. Designs are at once traditional and modern.
4. Ermenegildo Zegna
Ermenegildo Zegna is a luxury Italian brand of men’s clothing that boasts the use of natural fibers in the creation of their men’s dress wear, focusing on fine wool as a textile of choice. Their unique vision has evolved into modern fashion that is a collision of past traditions and present-day concepts.
5. Battistoni
Battistoni is a men’s haute couture brand of tailored shirts born out of post-WWII Italy. Haute couture clothiers spare no expense in their sartorial endeavors. Battistoni represents chivalry and aristocracy through made-to-measure and bespoke shirts and suiting that has dressed dignitaries for the better part of 60 years.
6. Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an iconic, American menswear brand that is reputed for designing timeless pieces of clothing that positively influence the fashion world proper. The brand is an innovator in lifestyle advertisements that encourage viewers to participate in its easy, sophisticated and cool way of life.
7. T M Lewin
Fashioned on the busy streets of London since the turn of the last century, dress shirts by T.M. Lewin and the brand itself are renowned for quality, value and service. Premium-quality cotton is used in every dress shirt made with priority given to attention to detail.
8. Brioni
As pioneers of the men’s runway show, the Brioni brand began the concentration of fashion from a masculine perspective. The superior fit of made-to-measure clothing also marks the traditions of this Italian company, which was founded in mid-twentieth century Rome. Today, Brioni is consistently recognized as a prestigious name in men’s luxury.
9. Barba Napoli
Juxtaposed with the mass production of industrial Arzano, Italy are the traditional tailoring techniques of a Barba Napoli garment, where custom meets individualism. The men’s line includes a surplus of color and pattern combinations, classic fits, and collar styles for casual or formal occasions.
10. Charles Tyrwhitt
Charles Tyrwhitt is a British brand of menswear and is a newer name in the world of men’s fashion, as it was founded in 1986 in London. These proper shirts are sewn from quality fabrics and fit handsomely – with a bit of British charm thrown in for good measure.
11. Hilditch And Key
Hilditch and Key is a British-branded shirt for the discerning man looking for high style and quality in their dress wear. Their flagship store is located on Jermyn Street, a hot bed for English style and for shops devoted to selling gentleman’s clothing. Hilditch and Key is not extravagant for the sake of adding value. True value is woven into the elegance they promote in menswear.
12. Brooks Brothers
Headquartered in New York City, NY, Brooks Brothers is an American mainstay in fashionable men’s dress wear. For nearly 200 years, this brand offers ready-to-wear and custom shirting options. Fits range from extra slim to relaxed with a gamut of color and pattern choices. Construction is personalized with buyers able to customize each detail of their garment.
13. Gitman
Gitman is based on the utilitarian concepts of comfort, dependability and durability, as the original customer for many American shirtmakers was the U.S. military. The manufacturing process is tightly controlled so that the boutique quality is not lost in the production. A high thread count is a notable feature in these designer shirts.
14. Lorenzini
Lorenzini is a northern Italian shirtmaker who, like other exclusive menswear designers from this area, are renowned for their creativity and manufacturing. A Lorenzini custom shirt takes over 50 steps and 80 minutes to create, a process that has been perfected since the early 1900s. Each shirt has 25 pieces that are stitched together to synthesize top-quality menswear.
15. Charvet
The antithesis of the plain, white shirt, Charvet is a Parisian brand of men’s shirting that is anything but ordinary. The French shirtmaker has a heritage of dressing nobility in their signature white shirt, which takes the iconography of the working man’s classic and elevates it to bespoke standards.
16. Emanuele Maffeis
The Emanuele Maffeis shirt is handmade and tailored to fit the fashion-conscious man. Attention is paid to detailing and individual inspection of each finished product. This brand is situated in northern Italy, just outside Milan, which is one of the epicenters of fashion.
17. Anna Matuozzo
A collection of hand-crafted dress shirts that are custom-made in the southern Italian metropolis of Naples. Years of refinement have resulted in exquisite menswear that is sewn with dedication. These bespoke creations take shape over 21 days and emulate the essence of Neapolitan shirt factories of times passed.
18. Fray
Fray dress shirts employ the passion and artistry that Italian shirtmaking is synonymous with. The finest quality jersey, linen, silk and cashmere are incorporated into their classic and formal lines of menswear that also feature Australian mother-of-pearl buttons. The shirt components are cut individually and attached to ensure the fabric grain pattern matches throughout.
19. Isaia
Isaia is not just a menswear brand, it is a company aimed at providing a lifestyle for the man interested in fashioning their own style identity. The Italian brand is noted for its red coral logo and sells its wares in stores located in fashion hotspots across the globe: Naples, Milan, Beverly Hills, New York City, Tokyo.
20. Kiton
The brand name Kiton is derived from the Greek work chiton, which is a garment that evolved into the Roman tunic. This practiced brand has mastered shirtmaking over generations beginning in the 1950s. Kiton is an Italian name in men’s fashion that shares in the Neapolitan history: providing made-to-measure clothing for the astute gentleman.
21. Ledbury
Ledbury philosophizes that quality is preferred over quantity. After toiling over collars, cuffs, buttons and fabrics, a premium shirt was born with innate innovation. The perfect “V” is a concept men understand in their workouts and their clothing. A lower second button accomplishes a masculine neckline and a lined collar ensures good collar height when worn under a sport coat or sweater.
22. Cesare Attolini
Cesare Attolini is an Italian clothier that has been crafting high-quality menswear since the 1930s. Produced on the shores of the Mediterranean along the southern coast of Italy, these men’s fashions are recognized for their simplicity and effortlessness.
23. Thomas Pink
Thomas Pink offers European-fit dress wear that asks its wearers to “aim high” by choosing its first-class products. Cunning designs belie a notion of exclusivity in keeping with the heritage of traditional British shirtmaking. Dress shirts are thoughtful, ready-to-wear or made-to-order in the UK, and come in proprietary pink packaging.
24. Turnbull & Asser
Turnbull & Asser is a classic English menswear brand rooted in history and upheld for quality shirtmaking and luxury standards. Daniel Craig wore Turnbull & Asser in the Casino Royale motion picture. The monarchy has bestowed the Royal Warrant to the shirtmaker, indicating recognition of providing goods to outfit kings.
