Summer is a great time to spend some clothes cash without any guilt. After all, it’s a new season and you gotta look good. Stay cool and look crazy styling with some of the best men’s summer shirts on the planet. Below, discover the best men’s summer shirts for a casual look that will turn heads and keep you looking fresh from June to August and every other month as well.
For starters, this is a linen shirt, so it practically screams “Men’s Summer Fashion.” The great thing about this shirt is its versatility: you can wear it with the sleeves rolled up and buttoned up (each sleeve has a button at the elbow to execute the move and achieve the more casual look) or you can wear it long sleeve.
It’s a point collar, 100 percent linen shirt, shown in mineral red but it’s available in nine colors. For another rolled button up sleeve option, check out East Castle’s 100 percent linen.
I bet you weren’t expecting to see a long sleeve shirt on our list of the best summer shirts. However, one of the best looks for dudes in 2019 is a long sleeve linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of solid colored shirts.
Amazon Essentials has a great long sleeve linen shirt with a slim fit that’s a great value. Go with a lighter color like this light blue, a white, or the light lavender.
Pair with a slightly longer, flat-front short like a 10 or 11-inch chino with a bold color like red or bright blue, and you’ve got yourself an awesome summer look.
The “popover” shirt is just what it sounds like: you pop it over your head to put it on because it doesn’t button up all the way. The popover definitely fits the men’s summer shirts category: often you’ll find them in long sleeve versions, which is great, but it is a bit unique (and can be tough) to find the men’s short sleeve popover.
Besides the popover being on-trend, the chambray style is also a fresh style. This is 100 percent cotton with a relaxed fit. It’s got a button flap pocket on the left chest. Another popover — this one is a long sleeve — is this Perry Ellis 100 percent linen with a banded collar.
One of the simplest looks to pull off in the summer is a colored t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a dressed-up sneaker.
But to pull it off, you have to really find a high-quality t-shirt that 1) fits you properly and 2) won’t fade after you wash it once. With that in mind, check out ONNO’s bamboo t-shirts. They come in a variety of great colors you won’t find anywhere else like dirty purple (shown here), earth red, and stone – and there are many other colors available.
Having a great t-shirt is a key building block for your wardrobe. You can dress it down with a pair of chino shorts or you can dress it up with dark jeans and a blazer. Simple, easy, and stylish.
A regular, short sleeve button up collared shirt is an essential for men’s summer fashion. We’re showing this shirt in “obsidian” — which is a lot like the color and look of the chambray Polo shirt higher up the list — because it’s a very on-trend style.
The shirt is available in five colors. It’s got a front left-chest patch pocket (no button closure) with a small Hurley logo tag on the pocket. The hem is rounded, so it works very well tucked or untucked.
This men’s casual short sleeve shirt is 100 percent linen from Perry Ellis. It’s got the longer four-button placket, which does include a top button so you can wear the shirt closed if that’s your gig.
It’s got a narrow collar and double patch-flap chest pockets with button closures. The shirt has a slightly cuffed sleeve and the bottom hem is in a rounded finish. It’s shown in bright white and it is machine washable.
RVCA — pronounced “roo-kah” since the “V” is from the Roman alphabet — makes great stuff and this shirt has a unique color: burnt olive with a bright teal. Plaids are great men’s casual short sleeve shirts, and this one is going to be very comfortable. It’s 51 percent cotton and 49 percent Rayon, so it will also be easy to care for. It features tortoise buttons and the discreet RVCA logo on the left-chest patch pocket. Will look great untucked. Another one with the same surfer vibe is from Quiksilver — dark denim wake plaid — and it’s 100 percent nylon.
Here’s another good example of gingham, with the “red spark gingham” from Columbia. Columbia makes a huge range of men’s casual short sleeve shirts, and this style is available in 36 colors and styles. (Many of the options are a larger, true plaid style.)
This one is 100 percent cotton and it features the small button-down collar. It’s got a slightly (very) rounded bottom hem so it’ll work great untucked. It’s a regular fit so it should be nice and comfortable with plenty of room.
While this men’s casual short sleeve shirt is offered in seven different colors, we’re showing it in the rarely seen “lilac melange” color from Scotch & Soda. Scotch & Soda is an apparel maker from Amsterdam and they make a point of talking about their global approach.
To that point, this shirt is cut a bit tighter…more in a “European” cut, so Scotch & Soda recommends ordering up one size if you want a looser fit. It is 100 percent pique cotton (“pique” refers to the way the fabric is woven, and it is a very traditional fabric for polo shirts) and it features ribbed sleeves and the logo on the left chest. As an alternative — and something much cheaper — Amazon Essentials has this pique cotton polo ($12) available in 10 different colors.
There’s something about the golf world that I don’t get, but I don’t care. What I know is that the golf industry makes really nice men’s summer fashion. I particularly like their polo shirts — like this one from PGA Tour — because they always have a great drape (the way the shirt hangs when you wear it).
This is 100 percent poly, which is to be expected because golfers are wanting to stay cool and dry while they’re out there. Wherever you wear this baby, you’ll feel very comfortable in it because of that moisture wicking and ventilating ability of this shirt.
It’s shown in “pale banana” but it’s available in 12 different colors. Gets great reviews, with more than 980 reviews and a 4.2 out of 5-star rating average.
Another polo to consider, this one from John Varvatos. It’s 100 percent cotton and it features a three-button placket. The horizontal striping is woven into the fabric.
Shown in “oxblood” color, the shirt is available in seven different colors. It’s a slim-fit: the shirt’s got small side slits at the hem on each side of the shirt. For something not quite as slim-fit, check out the John Varvatos Star USA Men’s Peace Polo.
I happen to own four of these shirts and they are great. John Varvatos USA is the company’s line that fits a bit more loosely, but not too loose.
The 62 percent cotton, 38 percent poly fabric is moisture wicking fabric, so it’ll keep you dry and, if the shirt does encounter moisture (whether it’s from you sweating or running through the sprinkler), it will dry fast.
The shirt features the classic just-a-little-bit-longer-in-back hem, as well as the banded sleeves. A very nice little detail with the Nautica is that they use their signature taping under the two-button placket. It just adds a little splash of contrast and color. A very popular entry in the men’s summer shirts list, with more than 430 reviews and a 4.3 out of 5-star rating average.
As linen shirts go, this is an affordable piece. Utcoco calls it a “Chinese style” henley and that’s worth noting because they also point out that their shirts are “made in China and shipped from China” so make sure you give attention to the shipping if you need the shirt in a timely manner.
With our list of summer shirts for men, this is the only one to have “frog buttons,” which are the little round balls of fabric that serve as the button (there are three of them). The shirt has short sleeves that are just a tiny bit longer, so they’ll work well cuffed.
It’s got a rounded hem that’s a little bit longer in the back (which is the classic polo shirt construction, for those who are keeping score). Shown in blue, the shirt is available in three colors.
What’s behind the name “28 Palms” is simple: it’s an Amazon brand. Therefore you can count on it to be high quality and very affordable. It’s always a good thing to spend just twenty bucks on some nice men’s summer fashion and this shirt is particularly good looking.
In this case, this standard-fit Hawaiian shirt is going to have the room you need to be comfortable. This 100 percent cotton piece features a classic straight Hawaiian hem at the bottom and side vents and coconut buttons.
This is a terrific shirt when it comes to men’s summer fashion, because it’s completely casual and comfortable. Cubavera makes a wide array of men’s casual short sleeve shirts, in this case it’s a “Bedford Cord.” That’s a certain kind of weave that is reminiscent of corduroy, but it’s not as “heavy” as cords. In fact, it’s a very light striping effect that you end up with with this shirt.
It’s 66 percent Rayon, 34 percent poly, and Cubavera does recommend using a cool iron. This is in the company’s “heritage fit,” which is comfortable and relaxed. Shown in “baby blue,” it’s available in seven different colors.
It’s got a left-chest patch pocket, notched sleeves and hem, and coconut-textured buttons.
Quiksilver’s Everyday Wilsden Short Sleeve Shirt is made with a “modern fit,” which Quiksilver describes as “the longer length of a regular fit with a slimmer cut.”
The fabric — 60 percent cotton, 40 percent poly — has been enzyme washed so it’s going to have a very soft feel. It features a single left-chest pocket with a small Quiksilver tag log on the pocket. Button down collar and the rounded hem, which works great untucked.
Shown in “Vallarta blue,” the shirt’s available in 10 different colors. (Note: the shirt is called “Nightshadow” on Amazon, but we cross referenced it to the Quiksilver website and found that it’s actually the “Everyday Wilsden.”)
Another extremely affordable, quality piece from Goodthreads, which is an Amazon brand. This is a great summer shirt for men because it’s such a classic. It’s got the left-chest patch pocket and it’s 100 percent cotton.
You can wear it under a shirt for some summertime layering, or it will certainly look good alone. Shown in white, it’s available in eight different colors. If you’re looking for a V-neck, Threads 4 Thought has this “triblend” tee, which is around $15.
Sometimes when you’re hunting for men’s casual short sleeve shirts, you gotta spend a little more, even when it’s a plain T-shirt. Keep in mind a couple of things: 1) this is a two-pack — you get two shirts; 2) GQ recently polled its editors about their favorite T-shirts and this one was named as the favorite of one of the magazine’s senior editors.
The editor said it was his favorite white T-shirt — and it is available in white — but we’re showing it in black. The shirt is actually available in four different colors. It’s 100 percent jersey cotton and the manufacturer recommends washing on cold.
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We’re squeaking this one into the summer shirts for men category — at first blush it does seem like a counterintuitive choice, but it does definitely qualify. This Pendleton is 100 percent imported cotton, so it’s going to breathe. But most importantly, it’s got the rolled sleeves, which means you can roll ’em up and button them in place. (When you do, the shirt features a different plaid on the rolled portion.)
The shirt is an open spread collar and has two flap patch chest pockets with button closures. The hem is slightly longer in the back and is lightly rounded, so it will look great untucked. Shown in brown orange/blue plaid, the shirt’s available in three different colors.
A great looking use of color-blocking on a traditional summer shirt for men. In this case, we’re fudging just a bit because it’s actually a three-quarter sleeve, as opposed to a short sleeve. But you get the same casual vibe.
The main portion of the 100 percent cotton shirt is a sort of faded denim color, while the sleeves, collar (banded) and placket (three button) are a teal color. The patch pocket (with a button and the Levi’s tag logo) on the left chest is a rust color.
Overall, the shirt is called “dress blue” but it’s available in six different colors. It gets fantastic reviews, with a 4.3 out of 5-star rating average. If you wanna cop a true short sleeve henley, check out this version from Carhartt, which is extremely popular with more than 2,100 customer reviews and a 4.5 out of 5-star rating average.
The summer shirts for men wardrobe would not be complete without a casual short sleeve button down. This one, from IZOD, is really more a gingham in “blue radiance/cascade” color. (This style shirt is available in a few larger patterned true plaid styles, like this one.)
IZOD calls it an “easycare” because it’s 60 percent cotton, 30 percent poly and four percent Spandex. Not only will you not have much trouble caring for this shirt, it also offers a lotta comfort thanks to the Spandex. Features a small contrasting IZOD logo on the front-left patch pocket.
This one is very popular, with a 4.3 out of 5-star rating average. It’s available in 13 different colors and fabrics. It’s got the rounded bottom hem so it will look great untucked. Another option for a short sleeve button down is this 100 percent cotton piece from Tommy Hilfiger.
The world of men's summer shirts is populated with several styles. We break it down in our list of 21 Men's Summer Shirts for a Casual Look