Cheapest dress shirt to wear under a sweater

[tim1999]

In the winter I like to wear dress shirts underneath wool V-neck sweaters. Usually I have several button down dress shirts that have gotten too old or ratty to wear by themselves, but they still look good under a sweater where all you can see is the collar. Unfortunately all of the ratty ones I have either got too ratty or developed large rips and had to be thrown out. And, my "nice" ones are still too nice to downgrade to "under a sweater duty."

Criteria:
-Under $25, preferably under $20.
-Does not need to be non-iron.
-Durability not particularly important at this price range. I machine wash these, not dry-clean.
-I prefer regular fit, not slim fit or "fat guy extra bely room" fit.
-NO button-down collar or French cuffs.
-Color fairly unimportant but I don't want those bright J. C. Penney style ones that look fit for a used car salesman. Think Brooks Brothers style for WalMart price.

I checked Marshall's but they no longer seem to carry dress shirts in numerical sizes. (Probably got tired of customers ripping apart the bags and throwing the pins on the dressing room floor when trying them on.) Regional department stores like BonTon or Boscov's didn't have anything in my price range even after sales, cheapest was around $30 and they did not have anything decent in my size. I'd check Target but that place is such a zoo when I can get there on weekends that I'd rather not bother.

Anyone know of a store that sells these cheap shirts? Even online is fine if the shipping is reasonable.

[DeepRoots]

Amazon.com has good prices on dress shirts. I've gone to brick and mortar places-- like Men's Wearhouse-- to try on certain brands first. Then, if the price is too high there, I check Amazon.

[corysold]

I would assume Kohl's would fit your criteria.

[michaeljc70]

At least in my area, Marshalls still carries numerical dress shirts. They are no longer in the plastic packages on shelves. They are now hanging up on racks sorted according to size. Usually by the belts and underwear. I think that is a good bet for decent shirts for under $25. I've seen some pretty good deals at Macy's too on clearance dress shirts, but that is more hit or miss.

[CABob]

J C Penney has a lot of shirts other than the car salesman ones. I don't wear a lot of dress shirts any more but have several sport shirts from Penneys including some of the major brands. Watch for sales and store coupons.

[123]

If you've got the time for a treasure hunt you could browse local Goodwill stores. Inconsistent sizing but lot of variety. Getting stuff from Goodwill can help to avoid comments from co-workers such as "New shirt?".

[Raymond]

Men's Pattern No Iron Supima Pinpoint Straight Collar - Lands' End

Dress Shirts - Costco

[brokendirtdart]

I'm not a huge dress shirt guy, but I have had luck browsing Kohl's sales(already mentioned), Eddie Bauer online sales, Eddie Bauer outlets(Brick & Mortar in outlet malls), and LL Bean's sales. Average price I pay is approximately $25.

[heartwood]

Dress Shirts - Costco

Second the Costco recommendation. Brooks Brothers quality at less than a third the price.

[livesoft]

If you've got the time for a treasure hunt you could browse local Goodwill stores. Inconsistent sizing but lot of variety. Getting stuff from Goodwill can help to avoid comments from co-workers such as "New shirt?".

Thrift shops, 2nd-hand stores, etc. Seriously.

[michaeljc70]

I don't know if you take your dress shirts to the cleaners. I do. So what I do is after wearing the shirt on its own (typically with an undershirt), I wear it under a sweater. It is a little wrinkled but you don't see it under the sweater.

[Kenkat]

I typically wear a polo style short sleeve shirt under sweaters in the winter; you can go with the cheapie Wal-Mart or Target style ones since all you see is the collar.

[dm200]

Costco has some modestly prices dress shirts.

My wife finds some low cost ones for me at Kohls.

[tim1999]

If you've got the time for a treasure hunt you could browse local Goodwill stores. Inconsistent sizing but lot of variety. Getting stuff from Goodwill can help to avoid comments from co-workers such as "New shirt?".

Ehh, thanks but I have to draw the line somewhere, I don't wear other people's used clothes, no matter how like-new the clothes appear.

[snowshoes]

If you've got the time for a treasure hunt you could browse local Goodwill stores. Inconsistent sizing but lot of variety. Getting stuff from Goodwill can help to avoid comments from co-workers such as "New shirt?".

Ehh, thanks but I have to draw the line somewhere, I don't wear other people's used clothes, no matter how like-new the clothes appear.

wow, just wow.
"Savers" is a multi-Billion dollar annual sales, used only retail out fit, selling primarily apparel.

There are many NIB closeout items there you might consider.

If you think about it as treasure hunting I found a NIB 149.00 space heater/ cooling unit for 4.99 w/a additional 33.333% off for elders.
One of a kind items are sold there for special people too!

[brokendirtdart]

If you've got the time for a treasure hunt you could browse local Goodwill stores. Inconsistent sizing but lot of variety. Getting stuff from Goodwill can help to avoid comments from co-workers such as "New shirt?".

Ehh, thanks but I have to draw the line somewhere, I don't wear other people's used clothes, no matter how like-new the clothes appear.

I have the same line with clothes I buy. Don't ask why I buy it and then donate it.

Most of the clothing I donate to Goodwill is new in the package.

It can sometimes be worth the look. Even if you just end up checking out the book section.

[michaeljc70]

If you've got the time for a treasure hunt you could browse local Goodwill stores. Inconsistent sizing but lot of variety. Getting stuff from Goodwill can help to avoid comments from co-workers such as "New shirt?".

Ehh, thanks but I have to draw the line somewhere, I don't wear other people's used clothes, no matter how like-new the clothes appear.

wow, just wow.
"Savers" is a multi-Billion dollar annual sales, used only retail out fit, selling primarily apparel.

There are many NIB closeout items there you might consider.

If you think about it as treasure hunting I found a NIB 149.00 space heater/ cooling unit for 4.99 w/a additional 33.333% off for elders.
One of a kind items are sold there for special people too!

There are plenty of multi-billion dollar businesses I don't frequent....

[Nicolas]

I buy all my shirts from Goodwill now. They cost me about $2.99 each and are perfectly fine.

[livesoft]

I buy all my shirts from Goodwill now. They cost me about $2.99 each and are perfectly fine.

My son buys his shirts at Goodwill or a Thrift store, then hands them down to me.

[RudyS]

No reason not to buy from Goodwill, or SA, etc. You can just wash them before wearing!

[maroon]

I just bought a dress shirt this week - $16.99 at Kohl's. Go to Kohl's.

IMO, dress shirt selection is better at Kohl's than at Ross or TJ Maxx. Nordstrom Rack also has a wide selection, but pricier shirts.

[Pajamas]

I don't have personal experience with the Costco shirts, but the low average rating made me look at the reviews. Seems that they have a new supplier and quality has significantly decreased.

[badbreath]

TJ Maxx has a great selection inexpensive. Even designer brands.

[obgraham]

Another vote for Kohl's.

Also for WalMart. Over the years there have been comparisons between Wally's clothing items and name brand items, with little perceptible difference. All these apparel items now come from third world countries, regardless of whose label is stuck on them.

[Nowizard]

TJ Maxx, Marshall's and Steinmart all have overstocks of quality shirts. Personally, I think Costco shirts are as good as those of upscale retailers.

Tim

[spammagnet]

Amazon.com has good prices on dress shirts. I've gone to brick and mortar places-- like Men's Wearhouse-- to try on certain brands first. Then, if the price is too high there, I check Amazon.

I do the same but will buy at least one at the store where I tried it on. Keeping the doors open costs them more than it does online vendors. I'm willing to pay for that benefit. If everybody shops at brick and mortar stores but nobody spends any money there, they'll soon be gone completely.

[spammagnet]

Anyone know of a store that sells these cheap shirts? Even online is fine if the shipping is reasonable.

Try Plato's Closet (http://www.platoscloset.com), if you have one in your area. It's a for-profit used clothing franchise operation that buys only current style clothing in good marketable condition. I've found some clothing there that is better quality than I usually buy myself, new.

[Montclair]

Old Navy has Oxford Cloth Button Downs that would work well under a sweater. They can be had on sale on a fairly regular basis for $20. I just ordered a couple for under $20. The pink one was $6. They have 40% off sales on a regular basis, and have one going on now.

[DeepRoots]

I do the same but will buy at least one at the store where I tried it on. Keeping the doors open costs them more than it does online vendors. I'm willing to pay for that benefit. If everybody shops at brick and mortar stores but nobody spends any money there, they'll soon be gone completely.

Agreed! I split my business between online and brick and mortar, especially the latter when the customer service is good and its a local shop.

[tim1999]

I ended up going to a different Boscov's location 30 miles away as I was in the area visiting relatives today, and found a few for between $9 and $17 each. Went to two additional Marshall's and both had almost zero in terms of dress shirts - only casual button downs, mostly with button-down collars, in letter sizes. Macy's had nothing in the desired price range. I generally avoid Kohl's as per my wife you generally have to play games with coupons to get big discounts there and I don't have the desire to deal with that. Though her account of Kohls may or may not be correct for men's wear. Thanks for everyone's input!

Nordstrom Rack is a great store that I frequent for my "not under a sweater" dress shirts.

[aqan]

cheapest under the sweater?? here you go

[clutchied]

Dress Shirts - Costco

Second the Costco recommendation. Brooks Brothers quality at less than a third the price.

they are ok but they are NOT brooks quality. The elbows tear out within a year. The collars fray.

I've had both and currently I deal w/ the Costco shirts but I hold them up to my Brooks shirts and they look cheap in comparison.

Not to be combative but they're NOT comparable, unless of course the basis is that they are shirts.

[pennstater2005]

Men's Pattern No Iron Supima Pinpoint Straight Collar - Lands' End

Dress Shirts - Costco

I checked these out. I like them! And there was no surcharge on these for not being a member when I checked out.

ETA: Just saw the above post. If they last two years I'll keep buying them. If they wear out in a year I'd be pretty disappointed.

[fourkids]

My husband (and I) really like Costco non-iron dress shirts. They are $18, good quality cotton (in our opinion).
He's had several for years, and the collars and elbows are still in good condition. No, they aren't quite Brooks Brothers quality, but they are also a quarter of the price

[SmileyFace]

How often do you wear these shirts?
It may actually be cheaper to spend more than $20 or $25 for a shirt that will hold up. For double the price you will get more than double the quality.
You can buy a few $20 shirts at Costo or Khols - wear them once a week or so - and replace them after a year (due to the fraying/wearing you will experience). Or you can spend double the price for something higher quality that will last a number of years.