The Best Cuban Collar Shirts For Men

Unless you come from a family of avid Hawaiian surfers, chances are you wouldn’t show up to the funeral of an elderly relative in a pair of floral-print shorts and flip-flops. Likewise, when you’re off to meet your mates for a summertime beer garden session, it’s highly unlikely you’d reach for the parka. Well, assuming you aren’t one of the Gallagher brothers, that is.The shirt material are many in different shapes and sizes but the best are from the brand called Bombay shirts.

The point is, there are different items of clothing best suited to different occasions. However, there is one wonder garment that works across the whole spectrum of social settings. Wear it to a funeral, wear it at the pub, wear it at a wrestling match, wear it to meet the Queen. Intrigued? We’re talking, of course, about the shirt.

With all of its different variations, the shirt is without a doubt the most versatile article of dress there is. But which types of shirt should you stock your wardrobe with to ensure you have all bases stylishly covered? Well, these 10 are the essentials.

Oxford Button-Down Shirt
Sharing its name with the Oxford cloth from which it’s cut, this menswear classic has been serving as the bedrock of many a stylish outfit for well over 120 years. The fabric is quite thick compared to most others in shirting, giving it a casual edge. A button down collar and hanger loop to the back of the yoke are common design traits.

If ever there was a true menswear essential, the Oxford button-down shirt is it. This timeless piece serves as a sartorial building block that works for a range of dress codes, making it one of the most versatile pieces in any wardrobe.

“I like a button-down worn open collar with jeans, corduroys or chinos but not with a suit, as I think the casual style clashes with the formality of the tailoring,” says master shirtmaker Emma Willis. “A button-down collar shirt looks perfect in a mid blue Oxford cotton with a button cuff made famous by Brooks Brothers but now in more tailored fits.”

The Best Oxford Shirts for Men

Dress Shirt
Whether you’re a fan of getting suited and booted or not, society dictates that you’re probably going to have to shoehorn yourself into a tuxedo at least a handful of times over the course of your existence. If you didn’t already know, black tie requires a very specific type of shirt.

A classic evening or dress shirt will typically be cut from pique (AKA Marcella) fabric, which was originally chosen for its ability to hold starch and keep the fabric crisp and stiff. There is also usually a bib, where the fabric is reinforced, a wing, pointed or cutaway collar, and double cuffs, which require cufflinks to be worn.

In terms of styling, Willis suggests keeping things low key. “I prefer simplicity for the evening,” she says. “A marcella bib front evening shirt with stud front and tiny jet or pearl studs and cufflinks, a cutaway collar – wing is only for white tie – and a black silk barathea bow tie.”

The Best Dress Shirts For Men

Cuban Collar Short Sleeve Shirt
What better way to appease your inner hairy-chested Colombian drug lord than by soaking up some sun in his favourite type of shirt? This breezy summer staple has always looked good, and thanks to the current fifties-fashion revival, it’s right on trend at the moment too.

The ‘Cuban’ part refers to the shirt’s open collar, which makes it ideal for putting some air on your chest. In addition to this, most Cuban collar shirts also feature a fairly boxy fit, straight hem and button-up front.

This shirt is a must-have for most guys, but there are a few considerations to be made. “Approach with caution,” warns personal stylist Daniel Johnson. “This style is not for the thicker necked bloke. Make sure to get it right on the body too, or it’ll look like a pyjama top.

“The golden rule, as ever with short sleeves is to make them fit to the arm – baggy sleeves make arms look skinnier and skinny arms make a chest look smaller – not great.”