Best Performance Dress Shirts for men? - Non-Iron and Washable

[teelainen]

Any recommendations on the best performance dress shirts for men?

They need to be non-iron, washable, and wrinkle-free.

Any good brands? Where can we buy them?

[watchnerd]

I'm going to be a bit snobbish and first state that non-ron / no-wrinkle are not my first choice in dress shirts due to degradations in breathability and hand-feel of the fabric. I much prefer custom made shirts using natural fabrics.

That being said...

I find a place in my life (or used to, in the Before Times of business travel) for non-iron for travel purposes.

Of all the non-iron shirts I've dried, I've been most happy with the Brooks Brothers line.

https://www.brooksbrothers.com/shirts?p ... ron&page=2

[rob]

When I cared pre-covid... I gave up the non-iron for the comfort and style or things like cotton. Every hotel has an iron (or if you ignore the green impact; hang them in the shower and run hot water for a while). The ones that are non-iron are just polyester like feel which is terrible.... LLBean has some great options.

[mw1739]

+ 1 for Brooks Brothers although I haven’t worn anything but athletic clothes for the last 3 years these used to be more first choice in the office.

I am interested in the more athleisure type fabrics I have seen advertised in dress shirts now.

[HereToLearn]

I don't know what you mean by the word performance. If you are looking for machine wash & dry no-iron dress shirts, button down or spread collar, my son has been happy with J. Crew's shirts. You have to hang them as soon as the dryer finishes but they come out looking great. 98% cotton and 2% something else.

[watchnerd]

+ 1 for Brooks Brothers although I haven’t worn anything but athletic clothes for the last 3 years these used to be more first choice in the office.

I am interested in the more athleisure type fabrics I have seen advertised in dress shirts now.

Me, too.

I haven't worn my dress shirts for work in years.

[bendix]

I used to wear taylor made shirts. Very nice and good looking. But laborious to keep tidy. Eventually I switched to Lands` End, where a shirt cost me 20 some Dollars and not 120. They look cheaper, yes. They dont feel much different. Very easy to care for. Then again they´re drenched in all sorts of chemicals to make them "performance" which in principle I dont like. If I would still wear shirts I would probably buy them from LLBean.

[S79L]

Try Charles Tyrwhitt when you can get them 3 for $99.

https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/

[hunoraut]

I'm going to be a bit snobbish and first state that non-ron / no-wrinkle are not my first choice in dress shirts due to degradations in breathability and hand-feel of the fabric. I much prefer custom made shirts using natural fabrics.

These shirts feel amazing. Has no artificial feel to them but rather almost like lightweight knit/merino.

https://kamakurashirts.com/pages/easy-c ... alpa%C2%AE

[sport]

You might find something you want here:
https://www.costco.com/CatalogSearch?de ... ress+shirt

[hunoraut]

i think some people carry legacy perception of non-iron garment from decades past that were heavily chemically treated, that felt stiff. modern textiles have different means of achieving wrinkle resistance, and they're applied to fabrics of all different weights and weaves.

brooks brothers non-iron broadcloth are very light and airy feeling. the kamakura stuff i really like too. i don't buy shirts specifically that are non-iron, but i don't avoid them because they're non-iron either. i buy based on cut/detailing and color/pattern, and some that are non-iron just happen to feel really nice.

**

another tip for those who hate ironing is to buy a handheld steamer. much less fussier as you dont need an ironing stand. just wave it around the shirts and it gets the normal ones presentable enough, and the non-iron ones even in better shape.

[carolinaman]

Brooks Brothers shirts are great. I am retired now but wore them when I worked. They last a long time and look better than most non iron shirts.

[climber2020]

I like Van Heusen slim fit shirts. Amazon has them for $15 to $20 a piece around Black Friday.

Tried Brooks Brothers and the shirts looked great, but they all fell apart in under 2 years. The cheapo shirts look fine and I can get 4-5 years out of them.

[MathWizard]

When I took on an executive position, I went to Brooks Brothers, and never looked back.

A couple of the shirts have worn out, but that is over a 10 year span.

I did wear dress shirts while working from home, as I was on videos call daily.

I bought them when they had the 3 for $225 sales, rather than the normal $90+ price.

[Wwwdotcom]

Personally, I can't imagine spending much effort deviating from the Nordstrom line for office uniform dress shirts, performance or non-performance.

[heartwood]

+1 for Brooks Brothers, but pricey. I find Costco dress shirts to be excellent at a fraction of the price.

I tried Charles Tyrwhitt twice. I do not recommend them. They look limp and less substantial after several washings. The collars would no longer stay on the fold.

[friar1610]

I used to wear taylor made shirts. Very nice and good looking. But laborious to keep tidy. Eventually I switched to Lands` End, where a shirt cost me 20 some Dollars and not 120. They look cheaper, yes. They dont feel much different. Very easy to care for. Then again they´re drenched in all sorts of chemicals to make them "performance" which in principle I dont like. If I would still wear shirts I would probably buy them from LLBean.

I only rarely wear dress shirts these days (special events only). I have 3 L.L. Bean button-down collar Oxfords that I’ve had for probably 10 years (a white, a blue and a yellow) and which still look very good. I would, however, be reluctant to recommend L.L. Bean without knowing more about their current models and their quality. My experience is that the once high quality L.L. Bean brand ain’t what it used to be.

[stan1]

Another for Brooks Brothers, however we do feel they need light touch up with the iron.
I suspect others are OK with what comes out of the dryer.

I have a closet full bought between 2010 and 2019 (pre-COVID) that will last me a long time as they aren't worn very often any more.

I do try to get a shirt that fits well which the BB's do. I'm not one to sacrifice fit for low cost.

I have one Proper Cloth custom shirt that I love but I haven't felt the need to buy another one since events of 2020.

[bendix]

I used to wear taylor made shirts. Very nice and good looking. But laborious to keep tidy. Eventually I switched to Lands` End, where a shirt cost me 20 some Dollars and not 120. They look cheaper, yes. They dont feel much different. Very easy to care for. Then again they´re drenched in all sorts of chemicals to make them "performance" which in principle I dont like. If I would still wear shirts I would probably buy them from LLBean.

I only rarely wear dress shirts these days (special events only). I have 3 L.L. Bean button-down collar Oxfords that I’ve had for probably 10 years (a white, a blue and a yellow) and which still look very good. I would, however, be reluctant to recommend L.L. Bean without knowing more about their current models and their quality. My experience is that the once high quality L.L. Bean brand ain’t what it used to be.

I dont know about LL Bean ten years ago. Anecdotally I heard their quality used to be amazing but I buy them because "I like their products" and I dont have any special expectation regarding durability.

[friar1610]

I used to wear taylor made shirts. Very nice and good looking. But laborious to keep tidy. Eventually I switched to Lands` End, where a shirt cost me 20 some Dollars and not 120. They look cheaper, yes. They dont feel much different. Very easy to care for. Then again they´re drenched in all sorts of chemicals to make them "performance" which in principle I dont like. If I would still wear shirts I would probably buy them from LLBean.

I only rarely wear dress shirts these days (special events only). I have 3 L.L. Bean button-down collar Oxfords that I’ve had for probably 10 years (a white, a blue and a yellow) and which still look very good. I would, however, be reluctant to recommend L.L. Bean without knowing more about their current models and their quality. My experience is that the once high quality L.L. Bean brand ain’t what it used to be.

I dont know about LL Bean ten years ago. Anecdotally I heard their quality used to be amazing but I buy them because "I like their products" and I dont have any special expectation regarding durability.

Fair enough.

[Bitzer]

I am a big fan of Costco dress shirts. However, I prefer non-button down collar dress shorts and their selection of them is very sparse (except for non-Costco brands which I'm not a huge fan of). I found David Donahue and Eton shirts at Nordstom and occasionally splurge when I find a good deal on eBay.

[YeWill]

I think I am cheap or out of the loop on prices but some of the shirts y'all are suggesting are above $100. That price is definitely not a boglehead.

[stan1]

I think I am cheap or out of the loop on prices but some of the shirts y'all are suggesting are above $100. That price is definitely not a boglehead.

Always best to buy these on sale.
For example Brooks Brothers are 4 for $249 right now.
True there was a time they were 4 for $199, then three for $199, etc. But that's not 2023

[stoptothink]

I think I am cheap or out of the loop on prices but some of the shirts y'all are suggesting are above $100. That price is definitely not a boglehead.

Always best to buy these on sale.
For example Brooks Brothers are 4 for $249 right now.
True there was a time they were 4 for $199, then three for $199, etc. But that's not 2023

I'm sure they are nice, but I can't stomach $50/shirt. Even half that is above my threshold.

I'm not sure what a "performance" dress shirt is, but I used to wear a "dress shirt" almost every day to work (before I started WFH) and I now wear one every Sunday. I have a variety from different brands and colors. Most of them were purchased from Ross clearance racks in the past 20yrs for $5-$15 each.

One of my wife's clients is & collar https://andcollar.com/. They are supposed to be nice, but unless they send her a gift card or something, I'll probably never own one.

[NYCaviator]

I think I am cheap or out of the loop on prices but some of the shirts y'all are suggesting are above $100. That price is definitely not a boglehead.

I don’t think over $100 is outrageous for a dress shirt. I certainly wouldn’t pay that for a store bought shirt, but I pay north of $100 for custom dress shirts. To me, they’re worth every penny and are a great value. They fit perfectly, they feel great, and they look good. Plus, they are well made and last a long time. I probable get more wears out of my expensive shirts than a lot of people do from cheapo shirts, which means even though I pay more upfront, long term costs are less. Very boglehead if you ask me

If you have an athletic build, you probably have to get off the rack shirts tailored anyway. I used to wear brooks bros years ago and I hated them. They never fit well. They were too tight in some spots and way too loose in others. Not to mention the non-iron coating made you feel like you were wearing a plastic bag as a shirt.

As someone with sensitive skin, I cannot wear non-iron shirts. There’s a noticeable difference to me in texture and breathability, and certain ones cause major skin irritation. Thankfully I don’t wear dress shirts daily, so I can live with the laundry costs.

[bendix]

I think I am cheap or out of the loop on prices but some of the shirts y'all are suggesting are above $100. That price is definitely not a boglehead.

I don’t think over $100 is outrageous for a dress shirt.

There are situations where wearing a somewhat more costly outfit does something for you. Client meetings or just wearing it in the office. I am convinced there´s something to be said about wearing good cloth which are well maintained in order to give an impression of tidyness and above everything avoiding an impression of looking "cheap". If that does something to help you in your job, it´s worth every penny.

I´ve advised more junior colleagues to do away with their $50 jacket and their $5 tie because they look like a door to door salesman and I wouldnt even do a $10 transaction with them.

[Joey Jo Jo Jr]

Try Charles Tyrwhitt when you can get them 3 for $99.

https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/

+1 These are my staple for the last 5 years. Used Brooks Bros 10 years before that but they got expensive and they would tend to bust at the elbow.

Cotton is ever so slightly more comfortable (something I do not notice wearing) and slightly more breathable (something I occasionally notice in the heat but on the other hand helps in the cold) but the dry cleaning hassle is simply not worth it (or the cost back when I was poor). Cotton shirts also look wrinkled by the end of the day and sometimes overly starched at the beginning.

[chw]

LL Bean fits your needs- not as pricey as Brooks Brothers, and have a nice selection or work casual styles.

[stan1]

Should be obvious that people have different personal preferences and sometimes expectations of others come into play.

"Best", "Performance", and "Dress" are all subject to interpretation which is what we are reading on this post. OP did not ask for lowest cost or even best value.

[JBTX]

I used to use Joseph a banks shirts and had pretty good luck with them.

[Bogle-007]

When I cared pre-covid... I gave up the non-iron for the comfort and style or things like cotton. Every hotel has an iron (or if you ignore the green impact; hang them in the shower and run hot water for a while). The ones that are non-iron are just polyester like feel which is terrible.... LLBean has some great options.

Some misinformation here... Banana Republic was my source for non-iron 100% cotton (NOT polyester!) dress shirts for may years. They seem to be moving away from non-iron these days, unfortunately.

[jodhpur]

I think it's impossible to beat Lands End $$ or Brooks Brothers $$$ Oxford or poplin shirts.
Supima or Egyptian cotton--maybe not pinpoint, broadcloth, or stretch.
Spray the collars, machine wash cold, and hang dry.
Definitely get 100% cotton. Whether it's treated for non-iron is up to you.
Wear them with a suit Monday and maybe with jeans on Friday and shorts with the sleeves rolled up on Saturday. Rinse. Repeat.

https://shopmashburn.com/blogs/hey-sid- ... hite-shirt
https://shopmashburn.com/blogs/deep-div ... ess-shirts

[Purdue]

I used to use Joseph a banks shirts and had pretty good luck with them.

This. I started wearing Jos A Bank shirts after a WSJ article 20+ years ago rated their Traveler shirt the highest. I like that the lowest button was lower than on other shirts and also seem to be slightly longer (both, to me, better for tucking in your shirt). I still wear mine, but haven't bought a new one in about four years.

[JBTX]

I used to use Joseph a banks shirts and had pretty good luck with them.

This. I started wearing Jos A Bank shirts after a WSJ article 20+ years ago rated their Traveler shirt the highest. I like that the lowest button was lower than on other shirts and also seem to be slightly longer (both, to me, better for tucking in your shirt). I still wear mine, but haven't bought a new one in about four years.

Same. Even though wrinkle free I’d take them to cleaners, but I could wear them 2-3 times as I’d wear a T shirt underneath.

[DesertDiva]

I think it's impossible to beat Lands End $$ or Brooks Brothers $$$ Oxford or poplin shirts.
Supima or Egyptian cotton--maybe not pinpoint, broadcloth, or stretch.
Spray the collars, machine wash cold, and hang dry.
Definitely get 100% cotton. Whether it's treated for non-iron is up to you.
Wear them with a suit Monday and maybe with jeans on Friday and shorts with the sleeves rolled up on Saturday. Rinse. Repeat.

…

+1. Another vote for Lands End oxford shirts. I buy them for my DH, as they are available in his size. They pack well and resist wrinkles.

Edit: incidentally, I purchased an LE Oxford shirt for myself. The quality isn’t the same—buttonholes were unusable. But the men’s shirts have been flawless.

[quattro73]

I think it's impossible to beat Lands End $$ or Brooks Brothers $$$ Oxford or poplin shirts.
Supima or Egyptian cotton--maybe not pinpoint, broadcloth, or stretch.
Spray the collars, machine wash cold, and hang dry.
Definitely get 100% cotton. Whether it's treated for non-iron is up to you.
Wear them with a suit Monday and maybe with jeans on Friday and shorts with the sleeves rolled up on Saturday. Rinse. Repeat.

…

+1. Another vote for Lands End oxford shirts. I buy them for my DH, as they are available in his size. They pack well and resist wrinkles.

Edit: incidentally, I purchased an LE Oxford shirt for myself. The quality isn’t the same—buttonholes were unusable. But the men’s shirts have been flawless.

+1 for Lands End for just everyday dress shirts.