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Best overall
This Mizzen + Main dress shirt really has it all, from moisture-wicking fabric to four-way stretch to an astonishing array of colors. Select from two fit and two length options, and feel confident about its anti-microbial technology, too.
Best budget
Uniqlo‘s penchant for some of the most affordable menswear on the market extends to your office wardrobe. This subtle, timeless shirt features sizes up to 3XL, a flattering slim fit and an impressive sub-$40 price tag. It’s sure to sell fast, so stock up accordingly.
Best machine washable
Bonobos bills this shirt as a commuter favorite, and with its tech fabric and versatile fit options, it’s not hard to see why.
Bonobos is a brand seemingly never at rest when it comes to innovation, be it the company’s game-changing chinos or its well-executed performance dress shirt. The wrinkle-resistant, moisture-wicking fabric delivers an activewear feel with the crisp look of a dress shirt, but the real key is that this shirt stands up more than adequately to repeat machine washing.
Best moisture-wicking
Ministry of Supply doesn’t cut corners when it comes to the best performance dress shirts on the market. Case in point: The fact that this stylish dress shirt is built with NASA-grade temperature regulation and an absurdly breathable, lightweight and sweat-wicking pique knit fabric. It’ll make your other dress shirts look pedestrian, and for good measure, it’s available in both Slim and Standard fits.
Best sustainable
The brand that makes some of your favorite boxer briefs and socks covers the rest of your formal wardrobe with this sleek, eco-friendly dress shirt.
Mack Weldon is on a mission to take over your wardrobe, and the DTC basics brand appears to have hit it out of the park with one the best performance dress shirts that goes a step further with eco-conscious design. Yes, the lightweight AIRFLEX fabric wicks away moisture and resists wrinkles, but it’s the use of recycled ocean material in those fibers that makes this shirt so impressive.
Best short sleeve
There are times — say, on Casual Friday — when a long-sleeve dress shirt is going to feel a little too formal. Ditch the excess fabric in a way that’s still dressy with a stretchy performance shirt in a short-sleeve cut from Untuckit, and feel confident about your #OOTD knowing that this shirt is made to be worn, well, untucked. It’s also flexible enough to wear with everything from shorts to chinos.
Best stretch
Rhones takes its activewear tech and know-how, then translates that into a commute-friendly, comfortable dress shirt.
Searching for the feel of a workout shirt with the polish of a dress shirt? It’s a tricky formula to perfect, but Rhone gets it right with the aptly named Commuter Dress Shirt. It’s ideal for staying cool and comfortable (yet refined) on the go, whether your plans take you through the city to a rooftop happy hour or across the country for a coastal wedding. Crucially, it’s built with 4-way stretch and anti-odor technology.
Best for inclusive sizing
Swet Tailor makes it easier than ever for guys with a bigger or more athletic build to get a sharp, well-fitting dress shirt.
Polished performance is the name of the game with Swet Tailor, which delivers a substantial range of size options and builds its shirts with bigger guys in mind. The shirt blends a tailored look with a cotton-spandex blend for crucial stretch and breathability. Better still is the fact that this shirt can be worn tucked or untucked, and any of the versatile, breezy color options should match other classic wardrobe colors.
Best white dress shirt
The white shirt is an undeniable staple in every man’s closet, especially if you need to wear one of the best performance dress shirts more than once a week (or even once a month). Stantt infused its take on a timeless essential with wrinkle-resistant tech, and the fact that it’s available in neck and sleeve sizes helps you dial in your perfect fit. The spread collar works particularly well for wearing with a tie, and the white color is as reliable as it gets.
Best slim-fit
A slim-fit dress shirt can add plenty of polish to your wardrobe, whether worn tucked in with the sleeves rolled up or paired with a well-fitting sweater or cardigan. Here, Ash & Erie makes it easy to find your perfect fit by neck sizing, and two reliable colors deliver plenty of styling potential in any season. For good measure, the wrinkle-resistant cotton is an optimal touch for tailored occasions aplenty. These shirts are also ideal for shorter guys (5’8″ and under).
Best oxford
It’s not often you come across a dress shirt that can perform as readily out in the field as it can back at the office or at a rooftop happy hour, but Western Rise has somehow managed to do the impossible. The key is the use of moisture-wicking, anti-microbial merino wool. What really seals the deal in terms of wearability is the expertly designed, hidden Oxford buttondown collar – that makes this one of the best performance dress shirts you can actually wear with dark blue jeans as well as tailored wool trousers or stretch cargo chinos.
Best business casual
Shake up your next day at the office with a performance shirt in a vibrant color – roll up those sleeves and get to work.
Opt for a better kind of business casual by switching out your polo for a stretchy dress shirt in an eye-catching color. B. Draddy specializes in performance apparel suitable for the golf course, but this cotton-nylon stretch shirt is well-suited for a post-links dinner or drinks (and again, the office). Memory collar stays ensure your collar frames your face, rather than lays flat.
Best business formal
The famed British shirtmaker delivers an exceptionally polished take on the white dress shirt, this one featuring a distinctive spread collar.
For formal affairs — everything from a black tie to an all-important business meeting — a dress shirt with a more dressy flair is more than acceptable. In fact, it’s practically required, and Eton dress shirts rise to the occasion. The elastane-enhanced recycled yarn is plenty stretchy, but it’s the cutaway collar that takes this performance-minded shirt to the next level.
Best with pockets
If you split your time between the field and the office, opt for a performance dress shirt that delivers reliably in both areas.
Some dress shirts are made for only the most buttoned-up offices, but others inject a touch of outdoor-ready performance into the mix. KUHL used an advanced polyester performance fabric featuring UPF+ technology to nail the right balance of rugged and refined. Better still is the handy pocket to store small EDC essentials when the time comes to venture into the field.
Best made-to-measure
Buying one of the best performance dress shirts doesn’t have to feel intimidating – it can be as easy as taking your measurements (a fairly simple process) and then selecting from a wide array of options via Woodies. The results are tailored to your liking, from the collar to the cuff design, and you can even add a monogram.
Beau Hayhoe
Freelance Reporter, Insider Reviews
Beau Hayhoe is a freelance men’s style contributor for Insider Reviews. Beau’s entry into the menswear world started with the classics — Levi’s jeans, Timex watches, Red Wing boots —and now spans a decade of freelance writing for some of the industry’s most prominent men’s lifestyle publications. Beau covers daily menswear essentials both rugged and refined, from blue jeans to flannel shirts, dive watches, henleys, leather boots and more. Beau’s work has appeared online at a range of publications, including Maxim, AskMen, Fatherly, Gear Patrol, SPY and StyleCaster. Prior to entering the freelance world, Beau worked in menswear PR, while at the same time building his own daily style blog (The Style Guide). Aside from his passion for menswear, Beau also covers whiskey, music and craft beer, and his music writing has appeared at Esquire and InsideHook. Beau graduated with Honors in Journalism from Michigan State University. Connect with Beau online via Twitter, Instagram and his daily style blog. Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests style and beauty products.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.
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