Yes, You Can Pull Off a Collarless Shirt — Here Are Our 15 Favorites Available Right Now

The collarless shirt comes with a confusing array of nomenclature: there’s the band collar, grandad collar, mandarin collar, standing collar, choker collar and officer collar.

While these terms represent minor stylistic differences, they all refer to collars that don’t fold and can’t be worn with a tie. This style represents a unique, Eastern-inspired alternative to the traditional men’s dress shirt collar. The best collarless shirts are still formal enough to be worn at dinner or the workplace, but also speak to your more laid-back, fashion-forward aesthetic.

Before we dive into our list of the best collarless shirts available online, let’s break down the different styles. A mandarin collar is a short, unfolded stand-up collar that “…can be traced back to early 200 BC where it was a traditional feature on the gowns worn by the Mandarins in Imperial China.” In modern men’s fashion, choker collars, standing collars, and band collars are various types of mandarin collars.

A grandad collar (often used synonymously with “collarless shirts”) is generally flatter with the shirt than a Mandarin collar, and this style allegedly originated in 1920s New York, when housewife Hannah Montague cut off the collars to wash separately to get more wear from the shirt. This could, in the absence of fact, be nothing more than a marketing ad’s fictional origin story. When it comes to styling grandad collars, don’t overthink it. Like with any dress shirt, the shirt’s silhouette and material determine how you wear it and what you wear it with.

The Best Long-Sleeve Collarless Shirts

With that brief explanation out of the way, let’s take a look at the best collarless shirts available right now. Because the weather’s warming up and most guys are shopping for summer, we’ve listed long-sleeve options at the top and short-sleeve options at the bottom. However, even a lot of the long-sleeve collarless shirts below are perfect for summer wear, as we selected options made from lighter fabrics like linen and chambray.

So if you’re looking to upgrade your summer wardrobe with the best collarless shirts for men, check out our favorite styles for the season.

1. Everlane The Linen Band Collar Shirt

BEST OVERALL

We love this black collarless shirt from Everlane. Black is incredibly easy to match, which makes this one an easy pick up. You can pair with black pants or chinos and black boots for a clean look, or leave it open over a white T-shirt for a casual take. You can even dress up this shirt by wearing it under a sweater or blazer (thanks to the band collar), and it will have the same formality as a formal dress shirt when worn by itself. Plus, the linen fabric gives this piece the breathable nature of a regular tee, making it an ideal staple to have on hand in the warmer months.

2. Topman White Grandad Collar Slim Shirt

BEST FORMAL SHIRT

Class your look up a bit with this White Grandad Collar Slim Shirt from Topman. This cotton-polyester slim-fit shirt has a clean, pressed, starched look with a flat hem on the front and tail, which are typically meant to be tucked in. Dress it with some nice slacks and a pair of Oxfords or brogues for an effortlessly formal look that’s dialed up a notch for the office or a nice cocktail bar.

3. ZARA Mandarin Collar Stretch Shirt

BEST “WITH ANYTHING” SHIRT

A straight-up black shirt can be a dangerous fashion choice: you don’t want to get mistaken for a waiter. As a result, most men avoid plain black dress shirts when going out for the night. However, this upmarket, collarless dress shirt is the exception to the rule. Without the collar, there is a certain panache that you don’t get with its badly aged older brother. This slim, stretch poplin shirt by Zara might just have revived the most controversial shirt color of all time.

4. Banana Republic Untucked Slim-Fit Chambray Shirt

BEST WEEKEND WEAR

This lightweight Untucked Slim-Fit Chambray Shirt from Banana Republic has the weekend written all over it. Chambray is a woven cotton fabric similar to denim, but it’s generally a bit lighter in both appearance and breathability. This shirt comes in a denim color and it’s designed to be untucked for a casual look as you make moves from place to place. Whether it’s a cool evening hitting the bars or a warm backyard barbecue, this shirt will have your back. It also goes with just about everything for easy dressing. Try pairing it with a pair of khaki chinos or jeans of any color with sneakers.

5. Riccardo Pozzoli for Brooks Brothers: The Collarless Shirt

BEST FORMAL WEAR

When it comes to dinner formal wear, Brooks Brothers is always a safe bet. This shirt is a part of their limited collection with Italian entrepreneur Riccardo Pozzoli that elevates casual style and creates iconic staple options. This shirt is made in the USA from fine Italian fabrics that are breezy and high-quality. For a unique touch, each shirt has a single navy blue button at the end of the placket as well as Riccardo’s initials stitched onto the sleeve. This elegant, airy shirt will last for years and serve as formal enough for dinners without sacrificing comfort.

6. A.P.C. Alejandro Shirt

BEST FASHIONABLE PIECE

If you’re looking for an elevated band collar shirt, look no further than A.P.C.’s Alejandro Shirt. This striped, textured cotton shirt from the French brand is pretty minimalist, but that’s a good thing. There are no frills or pageantry in this straight-cut shirt with high-quality Italian materials. It’s just a well-made band collar shirt with a cool dark and light blue stripe pattern. Wear it to dinner or for weekend activities and you’ll be bringing a bit of European flair with you. If the dark and light blue color scheme is a little too much for you. A.P.C. offers the same Alejandro Shirt in a simpler blue-gray and white stripe pattern too.

7. Ermenegildo Zegna Men’s Trim-Fit Linen Banded-Collar

PREMIUM PICK

If you’re looking for something on the high end, this men’s Trim-Fit Linen Banded-Collar Sport Shirt from Ermenegildo Zegna will do the trick. It’s made of linen for comfort and breathability and cut in a slim, trim fit for a modern look. With those qualities, you can dress this shirt up or down as you like while still getting the guaranteed high quality you expect from clothing made in Italy.

8. Goodthreads Men’s Standard-Fit Long-Sleeve Band-Collar Denim Shirt

BUDGET BUY

Amazon has been trying to quietly enter the fashion game with a number of Amazon-owned brands and storefronts. Because Amazon sees everything that’s purchased, it’s trying to put that knowledge to use by offering lower-priced versions of the most popular and essential items. While that might be a pro or a con depending on what kind of shopper you are, it does mean consumers can get some pretty solid, basic pieces for their wardrobes. That brings us to Goodthread’s Band Collar Denim Shirt. This Amazon brand offers the essential casual band collar denim shirt here in five different basic colors for a bit of variety. Basic design with a medium weight denim translates to an all-year round shirt at a price you can afford. Pick up one or more of these shirts and you’ll always have a solid band collar shirt option to wear.

9. H&M Denim Band-collar Shirt

ALSO CONSIDER

You probably hear quite a bit about the demise of fast fashion these days. There are a lot of good, compelling reasons for that discussion, but at the end of the day, fast fashion continues to exist and thrive due to its variety of pieces and generally low prices. If you’re cool with shopping fast fashion, H&M is still around and still doing what it does best: offer cool fashion at great prices. That’s why we recommend H&M’s Denim Band-collar Shirt. The light denim blue shirt delivers on that promise. It’s a simple, soft-washed cotton denim for a cool look, comfortable feel and weekend readiness. This shirt can’t go formal, but it’ll work with anything casual.

10. Club Monaco Band Collar Linen Shirt

COOLEST COLOR

So many shirts, especially band collar shirts, come in just the basic colors, like white, black and shades of blue and grey. That’s why we really dig this Club Monaco Band Collar Linen Shirt. It comes in an atypical light mauve color, and like a number of others options, is made from a lightweight linen for extra breathability on warmer days. Go for this shirt if you’re looking for a band collar shirt with some extra flair to it.

The Best Short-Sleeve Collarless Shirts

Up next we’ve got out favorite short-sleeve collarless and Mandarin-collar shirts from brands like Uniqlo, COS and ASOS. Choose from slim-fit collarless shirts and looser fits that are ideal for hot summer days.

1. Uniqlo Men Linen Cotton Short-Sleeve Shirt

BEST OVERALL

This short-sleeve collarless shirt from Uniqlo is perfect for wearing during the hot summer months at that weekend pool party or out to a classy brunch. It comes in a few cool colors for the hot weather and is a perfect combination of the freshness of linen and the soft comfort of cotton. The collar makes it easy to wear with jeans, slacks or other flowy pants for a super laid back look. It’ll keep you looking and feeling cool during the warmer summer months and lasts longest after machine washing in cold water.

2. COS 3/4-Sleeve Grandad Shirt

BEST FORMAL SHIRT

This fitted 3/4-sleeve shirt is perfect for a formal gathering to pair with slacks and a fancier boot. It’s got cotton for an added stretch and can be worn in the summer or layered in the winter. It’s got hidden front buttons, a classic collarless shirt trope, and is machine-washable for quick care after wearing. A lot of the best collarless shirts for men are designed to be very slim fitting, but this grandad shirt has a looser fit that’s ideal for summer wear.

3. ASOS DESIGN Stretch Skinny Shirt With Grandad Collar

BEST SKINNY SHIRT

This ASOS Design shirt has a grandad collar and a skinny, flattering fit. The short sleeves will keep you cool but the structured chest button-up still gives off a more formal, trendy vibe. It’s a shirt that’s worthy of a spot in your closet for its versatility. Pair it with jeans and sneakers for Sunday brunch or black pants and a nice jacket for a night out. Afterwards all it takes is a machine wash to look good as new.

4. Ted Baker London GRANCOL Grandad Collar Shirt 

BEST SOIRÉE SHIRT

We see this shirt going down well at a soirée, a dinner party, a sophisticated bar, a banquet or at any classy event. The potentially casual short sleeves are offset by the silky smooth fabric and olive green color. It will look great with black or blue pants and smart black or brown shoes. The dark green gives it a sophisticated earthy vibe while the collarless style gives it sophisticated charm.

5. Taylor Stitch Short-Sleeve Heavy Bag Henley

BEST HENLEY

OK, so when thinking of band collar shirts, we typically think of button down shirts. That’s only because pretty much all other kinds of shirts except for polo-style shirts don’t even have collars. They have neck-hole shapes, like crewneck or v-neck. Henley shirts are somewhere in between, and we figure if you’re into band collar short-sleeve shirts, then you might be into a nice short-sleeve henley shirt. We recommend Taylor Stitch’s Short-Sleeve Heavy Bag Henley. This cotton-polyester shirt has a nice weight that’ll stand up to sweat and all kinds of outdoor activities, while remaining soft enough to enjoy any time in any place. So if you’ve decided you don’t want any old t-shirt but that maybe fancier band collar shirts aren’t for you, go for a compromise with one of the best short-sleeve henley shirts there is.

Looking for something more traditional? Try these Oxford shirts