Shirts have existed in the wardrobe of 9-to-5ers since women first entered the professional workplace.
But, even as collective dress codes have relaxed and Silicon Valley-inspired hoodies have replaced standardised suits, the humble button-down has reached cult status.
In classic hues of white, soft blue or pinstripe, the ubiquity of the style is an upshot of the move to more considered shopping practices. Shirting has the miraculous ability to look sophisticated (even if you forgo an iron) as a hard-working staple that eases the daily sartorial burden. Throw it on, button it up and you’re ready for the executive suite.
But beyond its credentials as your clothing employee of the month, its versatility shines on the weekends, especially when you go oversized with the proportions. Slipped into baggy blue jeans with a logo belt and layered over with a trench coat. French tucked into black jorts with sandals. Collar popped and thrown over a bikini. This is corporate dressing in a way that is so wearable it has shed all formality to become beachwear.
In fact, when soaking up the sun’s rays in the Continent’s most dreamy dance destinations from Mykonos to Ibiza, you’ll see shirting leading the sartorial charge of the carefully curated ensembles of the fashion elite.
Back to its roots, however, and you can lean into the corporate look, pairing a well-cut, fitted shirt with suit trousers – preferably high-waisted for the leg-lengthening effects and throw over an A-line coat during the colder months. This brings a polish to your work rotation and exudes an old-money, quiet luxury quality.
So, consider this is your cue to fill your wardrobe with elegant shirting – and for the best, we have the brands you need to know below.
With Nothing Underneath The Boyfriend
- Best for: Effortlessly chic
- Price range: £85-£275
- Size range: UK6-18
Beloved by Meghan Markle, With Nothing Underneath was founded by former British Vogue editor Pip Durrell to create timeless and effortless styles that you’ll treasure for life.
The Boyfriend is the most popular silhouette and, as the name suggests, takes a slightly oversized approach to fit and boasts the features most appreciated by the menswear equivalent. The plain-weave cotton fabric is hard-wearing, opaque and soft with a strong collar. Among the range, you will also find silk, silk crepe de chine, denim and linen as well as classic, Oxford and collarless designs.
Buy now £95.00, With Nothing Underneath
The Frankie Shop
- Best for: Laidback look
- Price range: £165-£228
- Size range: XXS-XL
The Frankie Shop was founded by Gaelle Drevet with the idea to create timeless, capsule designs that will be workhorses in your wardrobe, instead of adhering to the trend cycle.
The shirts from the fashion editor-favourite label are immaculate pieces that can worn during working hours as well as styled up or down for the beach or bar respectively. The stalwart Lui silhouette is made from an organic cotton poplin fabric with a rounded hem so it looks as chic tucked into shorts or capri pants as it does relaxed and unbuttoned.
Buy now £130.20, Net-A-Porter
Arket
- Best for: Scandi minimalism
- Price range: £45-£319
- Size range: UK4-18
Luxe basics have ensured that Arket is ubiquitous among the style-savvy office set. Tailoring is truly where the H&M-owned label shines and this extends to shirting. While it comes at a higher price point than its traditionally low-cost sister brand, you get higher quality materials and more well-fitting designs for the price tag.
Encapsulating its Scandivanian roots, you won’t find eye-popping colour palettes here. Instead, the pieces adhere to muted tones, clean lines and classic fabrics - namely linen and cotton. There is a combination of loose-fitting designs and straight-cut poplin for all your smart-to-casual needs. Arket favours organic cotton.
Buy now, Arket
Sezane
- Best for: Parisian elegance
- Price range: £85-£100
- Size range: UK4-20
Parisian clothing label Sézane has been capturing the sartorial essence of the French capital since its inception in 2013. The brand boasts both menswear and womenswear collections with city living driving the design process. A self-proclaimed ‘love letter to Paris and those who inhabit it’, the collections are timeless, while sitting perfectly at the balance between sophisticated and casual. Each piece would fit right in on the streets of the City of Light.
The range includes denim, knitwear and shirting, the latter of which is made up of well-fitting silhouettes and oversized styles, colourblock and pinstripe designs and decidedly feminine flourishes with ruffles, embroidery and lace embellishments.
Buy now, Sezane
Everlane
- Best for: an expansive offering of wonderfully stylish and sustainable clothes
- Price range: £90-£200
- Size range: Men's - XS-XXL, Women's - XXS-XL
Creating wardrobe essentials for men and women that have the least impact on the planet is Everlane’s MO. The offering is expansive, from quality denim and the perfect T-shirt, to sleek shirting and comfy knitwear you’ll never want to take off - there’s something for everyone.
The brand has a focus on using sustainable materials, like recycled fibres and organic cotton, reducing carbon emissions to become Net-Zero by 2050 (or sooner), and enhancing livelihoods worldwide, including donating $1.4m to fund social and environmental efforts and ensuring the factories pay higher than minimum wage. It’s aiming to leave the fashion industry cleaner than when it started.
Buy now, Everlane
Cos
- Best for: Timeless sophistication
- Price range: £45-£225
- Size range: UK4-16
Dramatic, asymmetric cuts, trend-led silhouettes and colourblock creations dominate the shirting department of Cos’ digital storefront. Contemporary minimalism drives its design department and that is evident immediately by its pared-back button-downs in hues of navy, black and white. These are essential shirts that will form the basis of your wardrobe for years to come, whether you select the silk-chiffon, cotton-silk, twill or minimal cotton.
Buy now, Cos
Ralph Lauren
- Best for: Preppy silhouettes
- Price range: £70-£2,430
- Size range: XXS-XXL
Ralph Lauren may be most instantly recognisable for its logo-embroidered polos but its shirt range is a close second. Worn oversized, half buttoned and relaxed in fit, the brand is a favourite among content creators and their holiday wardrobes - one scroll down your feed come the warmer weather and you’ll be hard-pressed not to spot it in their carefully curated OOTDs.
The colourful, lively pinstripe designs or soft blue hues are perhaps the most popular but don’t sleep on the luxe end of the preppy American label’s offering that includes tuxedo shirts, silk and suede fabrics.
Buy now, Ralph Lauren
Reformation
- Best for: Relaxed beach-ready silhouettes
- Price range: £138
- Size range: XS-3XL
Shirting does not yet play a dominant role in Reformation’s range that excels in its wedding guest dressing. However, the couple of silhouettes that the brand has in its arsenal demonstrate its mastery and prove you need not have an expansive collection to be one of the most sought-after labels in the department.
These are not necessarily shirts that you will style for the boardroom as they sit on the oversized end of the spectrum but when we reach double-digit weather, you won’t take them off. There is also a huge selection of patterns, from pinstripe in pops of pink and sky blue to this season’s most popular leopard print.
Buy now, Reformation
ME + EM
- Best for: Contemporary designs
- Price range: £57.50-£295
- Size range: UK4-18
ME + EM is a British label that excels in functional fashion. The brand believes in the notion of a capsule wardrobe, so each piece in the collection will be a hard-working hero that fights against sartorial stress.
Created to be flattering and a stalwart in your work rotation, its shirting comes in luxury fabrics and contemporary designs. The sumptuously soft fabrics will have you reaching for them time and time again, while the combination of classic creations with broderie and lace inserts will give your outfits flair.
Buy now, ME + EM
Anine Bing
- Best for: Endless styling potential
- Price range: £108-£220
- Size range: XXS-XL
Anine Bing is the sartorial embodiment of where the cool, casual LA aesthetic meets sleek Scandi style. From the logo-adorned sweatshirts to the tailored trousers, there are pieces to capture each element of your personality and do so in a way that feels effortlessly chic.
The eponymous designer covers the basics of shirting with cotton poplin creations that hit formal office dress codes on the head but then there’s the co-ords featuring shirts in relaxed fits, sloped shoulders and halved sleeves that can be worn as seamlessly to the beach as they could to your next big meeting.
Buy now, Anine Bing
Gant
- Best for: Pinstripe perfection
- Price range: £90-£210
- Size range: XS-XXL
Gant’s heritage may be in American sportswear and some aspects of its collections retain that varsity vibe but on the flip side is the brand’s elevated casual wear that is brimming with tailored treasures. Its collection of shirts has that borrowed-from-the-boys oversized feel but are sophisticated and elegant with unusual colour juxtapositions.
The label is not one to shy away from prints and if it’s bold floral or monogrammed patterns that you want to break away from the traditional one-hue that dominates the formalwear market, you have come to the right place.
Buy now, Gant
Reiss
- Best for: Sharp officewear
- Price range: £28-£435
- Size range: UK4-26
Feel confident in your next presentation with sophisticated shirting from the high street’s most office-friendly label. Reiss is known and loved for its sleek pieces that toe the ever-fine line of being work appropriate but also encourage that look good, feel good feeling. Its range of shirts is expansive with the classics as well as oversized cuffs, exaggerated collars and sultry silk numbers.
Buy now, Reiss
