White Dress Shirts That Are Not See Through

The 18 best white dress shirts for men

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White dress shirts are the perfect base from which to build your look.
There is nothing quite as sharp as a crisp white dress shirt.
Even if you're foregoing a tie, a white dress shirt amps up your style.

Your closet should include some space for white dress shirts, preferably several in varying degrees of formality. The white dress shirt is a perfect base from which to build your look, an essential, like flour in the pantry or vodka in your bar cabinet.

We've gathered together some of the best white dress shirts out there, from the very formal that you're probably only going to wear once or twice a year (but should still own) to everyday workhorses you'll get plenty of use out of. We've included a few Oxfords in the mix, which are defined by their button-down collar and the heavier Oxford cloth they're made from. Even though some do not consider them true dress shirts, they have become a standby for office wear and de facto dress shirts that just are a bit more laid back.

Here are the best white button-up shirts:

Charles Trywhitt Semi-Spread Egyptian Cotton Deco Weave Shirt

Charles Trywhitt's Deco Weave Shirt is made from silky Egyptian cotton and is crisp, classic, and ready for work or play.

Charles Tyrwhitt started out as a British mail-order company in the 1980s but has since grown into an international men's clothier specializing in dress shirts. The Deco Weave Shirt is made from a silky mid-weight Egyptian cotton fabric with a breathable, textured weave. It has two-button cuffs and a clean front without a pocket, but you can have one added for $8.95.

State & Liberty Springer White with Navy Accents

State & Liberty's Springer shirt is ultra soft, stretchy, cut to emphasize the athletic, inverted-triangle body shape, and can be worn casually to reveal navy blue accents at the placket and cuffs.

State & Liberty crafts dress shirts and other clothing with comfort, performance, and athletic builds in mind. The Springer looks like a typical white dress shirt but is cut to emphasize the athletic V-body shape and is made from a super soft, stretchy, wrinkle free active-wear performance fabric more commonly found in your workout gear. The Springer looks great with a suit and tie but can also be worn more casually, revealing a pop of navy blue at the placket, and inside the collar and cuffs.

The Tie Bar Herringbone White Non-Iron Dress Shirt

The Tie Bar Herringbone non-iron white dress shirt comes in a wide range of sizes, has a subtle herringbone pattern, and comes with a reasonable price tag.

The direct-to-consumer brand Tie Bar has made its name with ties and formalwear that are well made and priced right at $55 or three for $140. Their Herringbone non-iron white dress shirt features a subtle herringbone pattern with a slight sheen for a little something extra, a semi-spread collar, and a little more length at the hem so your shirt stays tucked in. It's made from 100 percent cotton but is specially treated so it won't wrinkle after being washed and dried and stays looking crisp all day long.

Gitman Bros. Vintage Button Down Oxford

Made in the U.S. of a strong but soft cotton fabric, the Gitman Bros. Vintage Button Down Oxford is a classic that will never go out of style.

With a family history in the apparel business that stretches back to 1932, Gitman Bros. Vintage is one of the last shirt makers with all its production still in the U.S. Their Button Down Oxford is a classic made with the same cloth they've been using for more than 40 years that's long-wearing but soft and only gets softer with each wash. This made-in-the-U.S. shirt is cut slim and is pre-shrunk and unlined at the collar and cuffs for a lived-in feel that still looks sharp.

Indochino Helston Plain-Front White Tuxedo Shirt

Indochino, known for its nicely priced customizable suits, also offers a made-to-measure Helston Plain-Front White Tuxedo Shirt that can be further customized to fit your body and your style.

Indochino, the brand that helped revolutionize the online custom suit business, also offers dress shirts that are made to measure. The measuring process is straightforward and only takes a few minutes to complete. The Helston Plain-Front White Tuxedo Shirt is made from fine cotton and the collar style, cuffs, and placket are customizable. Since it's a tuxedo shirt, it's meant to be worn with traditional studs at the placket that are sold separately.

Ralph Lauren RLX Tailored Fit Stretch Shirt

The Ralph Lauren RLX Tailored Fit Stretch Shirt combines the beautiful tailoring you'd expect from the Purple Label line and an Italian fabric that provides great mobility and breathability.

If you're going to splurge on a white dress shirt, it should be a Ralph Lauren Purple Label dress shirt. More specifically, it should be the RLX Tailored Fit Stretch Shirt. Combining the beautiful tailoring you'd expect from the brand, the Italian fabric is a cotton-lyocell blend that's soft, breathable, and has plenty of stretch for a clean look and a comfortable you. It features genuine mother-of-pearl buttons, a spread collar, and buttoned barrel cuffs.

Banana Republic Standard-Fit Non-Iron Dress Shirt

The Banana Republic Standard-Fit Non-Iron Dress Shirt is a workhorse of a shirt that will keep you looking sharp even after a long flight or a hard day on the job.

The Banana Republic Standard-Fit Non-Iron Dress Shirt gives you exactly what you want in a workhorse dress shirt: wrinkle resistant 100 percent cotton fabric; seams, armholes, and collar that are specially treated to stay smooth; and cross-stitched buttons that are securely fastened. This shirt will take a beating and still look smart.

ASOS DESIGN Stretch Slim Fit Work Shirt in White

The ASOS DESIGN stretch slim fit work shirt is a no-frills version that has a nice bit of stretch and incorporates responsibility sourced cotton into the fabric.

ASOS is best known for its fast fashion, but the British brand also makes white dress shirts that are timeless and beloved by bartenders and wait staff across the globe. The stretch slim fit work shirt is a basic dress shirt made of stretch cotton and sits close to the body so it won't bunch around the middle. The best part, besides the price, which is just over $20, is that this shirt is part of the company's push for sustainability. The company responsibly sources the cotton used in this shirt.

Everlane Slim Fit Japanese Oxford

Everlane's Japanese Oxford is durable without sacrificing comfort and looks as good with a tie as it does thrown over a tee.

Everlane's Slim Fit Japanese Oxford delivers just what you want in this style of shirt. It looks as good with a tie as it does when thrown over a tee and is tough enough for everyday wear without sacrificing softness. The fabric is made in Japan and the shirt is put together at an ethical factory in Vietnam. This shirt is part of the company's Uniform collection, meaning they'll replace it within a year of purchase for free if it gets a hole, shrinks, or has some other mishap, within reason.

T. M. Lewin Non-Iron Twill Button Cuff Fitted Shirt

The T. M. Lewin Non-Iron Twill Button Cuff Fitted Shirt is a classic that's easy to care for, wrinkle resistant, and will add polish to whatever you pair it with.

The British heritage brand T. M. Lewin has been around for more than 120 years, so they know how to make a dress shirt that looks good, feels good, and will stay that way for a long time. I have T. M. Lewin dress shirts that are more than a decade old and still look smashing, so to say they're durable is an understatement. Plus, they'll help bring a polish to whatever you pair them with. The Non-Iron Twill Button Cuff Fitted Shirt is a wash-and-wear classic with a flattering cut for most body shapes.

Ministry of Supply Aero Zero Carbon Neutral Dress Shirt

Ministry of Supply's Aero Zero Carbon Neutral Dress Shirt is sustainably made, stylish, and super comfortable.

Boston-based Ministry of Supply is an engineering firm disguised as an apparel brand. The company, founded by two MIT students in 2012, is one of the leaders in using innovative technology for business wear. The Aero Zero Carbon Neutral Dress Shirt goes even further since it's 100% recycled and milled using solar power. It's light, stretchy, has vent holes at the underarms, and doesn't look like workout gear trying to masquerade as a dress shirt.

Proper Cloth Reda Off-White Merino Wool Dress Shirt

Proper Cloth's Reda Off-White Merino Wool Dress Shirt combines impeccable style with the benefits of Merino wool and the ability to customize the shirt to the nth degree.

Proper Cloth is a custom clothing brand that goes above and beyond when it comes to the choices you're given, and more importantly, the results that are backed by a Perfect Fit Guarantee, meaning they'll remake it for free if it isn't a perfect fit. I wanted to highlight Merino wool as a dress shirt fabric option as it's an amazing material that's cooling in the summer and warming in winter, naturally wrinkle and odor resistant, lightweight but sturdy, and has a wonderful handfeel. While it's difficult to get a true white with wool, this version from the Italian company Reda is the closest I've seen. Further, Proper Cloth lets you customize this shirt from the cuffs to the yoke.

J. Crew Bowery Wrinkle-Free Stretch Cotton Shirt

J. Crew's Bowery Wrinkle-Free Stretch Cotton Shirt is a wash-and-wear dress shirt that won't let you down whether you're a work or on a date.

Crew's Bowery is another workhorse of a dress shirt that's made from a soft cotton with a touch of stretch from added elastane. It's wrinkle resistant so you can throw it on and go whether you're headed to your job, a date, or meeting your soon-to-be in-laws.

Kamakura Shirts Tokyo Slim-Fit Cutaway Dobby Dress Shirt

Japanese label Kamakura Shirts makes beautifully crafted shirts at reasonable prices. The Tokyo Slim-Fit Cutaway Dobby Dress Shirt has a subtle vertical stripe pattern and an elegant cutaway collar.

Kamakura Shirts is a Japanese label that's been around since the '90s and has steadily made a name for itself for its beautifully made shirts that are reasonably priced. The Tokyo Slim-Fit Cutaway Dobby is a dress shirt that's made in Japan of 100 percent cotton using a special Dobby loom that imparts a subtle vertical striped pattern to the fabric. It features a clean front, without a placket or a chest pocket, and an elegant cutaway collar.

Brooks Brothers Stretch Regent Regular-Fit Dress Shirt

Brooks Brothers has been making dress shirts for more than 200 years. So, Yes, they know how to make them right.

Any discussion of white dress shirts needs to include Brooks Brothers. After all, the brand has been around since James Monroe was president back in 1818 and has been the uniform for both work and play for generations of Americans. The Stretch Regent Regular-Fit Dress Shirt is wrinkle-resistant, has a touch of added stretch, and features the brand's signature six pleats at the cuff, and its famed quality. The Regent fit sits close to the chest and body. There are six other fits to choose from, including a big and tall option.

Deo Veritas Tab Collar White Twill Dress Shirt

If you're looking for a classic Tab collar dress shirt, you can design one with Deo Veritas' straightforward website that offers a vast range of customization options.

Deo Veritas is another DTC custom-shirting company that allows you to design your dress shirt from the fabric up through a fairly straightforward online process. Their claim to fame is the extraordinarily fast turnaround time of 14 days. The brand also offers a fit guarantee, meaning on your first order if there's a measurement error they'll fix the issue no matter who was at fault. If you're looking for a classic Tab collar, they've got it, along with 18 other styles and 10 choices of white fabrics (with close to 200 fabric choices total), among other customization features. You can even choose between a fused or sewn collar interlining (for a $10 up-charge).

Todd Snyder + Hamilton Tuxedo Shirt

Hamilton, which has been around since 1883, continues to make its shirts by hand in the U.S. This Tuxedo shirt is made of Egyptian cotton, woven in Italy, and is a Todd Snyder exclusive.

Todd Snyder's design aesthetic sits squarely in the American classic style, so it makes sense the brand would tap Texas-based Hamilton, which has been around since 1883 and still makes its shirts by hand in the U.S, for an exclusive Tuxedo shirt. The fabric is woven in Italy from Egyptian cotton. This classic shirt has French cuffs (the material folds back on itself and requires cufflinks), a sewn collar, and mother-of-pearl buttons. With its spread collar, this beauty also proves a suburb-looking tux shirt doesn't require a wing tip collar.

Andrew Amelinckx

Freelance Reporter, Insider Picks

Andrew Amelinckx is a freelance journalist and narrative non-fiction writer represented by Aevitas Creative Management. He covers men's style, cannabis, food, urban ag, and the arts. His newest book about the true crimes that inspired Edgar Allan Poe will be out in 2020. He's a former crime reporter and an admitted clotheshorse. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.