23 Different Types of Shirts (For Men & Women)

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A comprehensive guide to the most popular tops

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IN THIS ARTICLE

1 Oxford Shirt

2 Button-Up Shirt

3 Button-Down Shirt

4 T-Shirt

5 French-Cuff Shirt

6 Tuxedo Shirt

7 Mandarin Collar Shirt

8 Point Collar Shirt

9 Spread Collar Shirt

10 Club Collar Shirt

11 Flannel Shirt

12 Chambray Shirt

13 Polo

14 Henley

15 Sweatshirt

16 Overshirt

17 Athletic Shirt

18 Raglan Shirt

19 Tank Top

20 Sleeveless Shirt

21 Hawaiian Shirt

22 Turtlenecks

23 Jersey Shirts

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Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: December 11, 2025 References

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A shirt is defined as any top with a collar and sleeves, which really doesn’t help narrow it down a whole lot considering how many different articles of clothing that includes. In this article, we’ll take a look at the most essential and iconic shirts around. From formal options with elaborate collar designs to shirts you’d only ever break out for a beach day, we’ll cover the most popular options.

Most Common Types of Shirts

The most popular types of shirts include the Oxford, the button-up, the button-down, the T-shirt, the French cuff shirt, the tuxedo shirt, and the Mandarin collar shirt. Shirts come in a variety of different styles, materials, cuts, and sizes, so there’s sure to be something out there that matches exactly what you’re looking for.

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1

Oxford Shirt

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1. Oxford shirts refer to collared shirts made out of Oxford cloth, which is a cotton fabric defined by its distinct, comfortable basket weave pattern. These shirts can be worn with suit jackets on formal occasions or dressed down for a night on the town.

   • Fun fact: The name comes from the fabric, not where the shirt was made. The story goes that the Scottish mill that invented the material named their fresh styles after popular universities at the time.
   • Dress level: Formal, business, or cocktail
   • Variations: Heavy Oxford, light Oxford, Royal Oxford, OCBD (Oxford cloth button down)
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2

Button-Up Shirt

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1. Button-up shirts refer to any full-length buttoned shirt with a collar that does not have collar buttons. They come in a variety of different fabrics, styles, colors, and patterns—the important thing here is that it’s buttoned from top to bottom in the front, and there aren’t buttons to pin the collar down.

   • Button-ups can be long-sleeved or short-sleeved.
   • Dress level: Business casual or formal
   • Variations: Flannel, chambray, spread collar, overshirt, Cuban, Oxford, and more

3

Button-Down Shirt

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1. A button-down is extremely similar to the button-up but with one major difference: there are buttons to hold the collar points in place. Button-downs are considered slightly less formal than button-ups, although some people consider them to be more old-fashioned.

   • Button-downs are also more likely than button-ups to have chest pockets, but that’s not a hard and fast rule.
   • Like button-ups, button-downs can be long- or short-sleeved. That said, short-sleeved button-downs are relatively rare these days.
   • Dress level: Business casual or formal
   • Variations: Flannel, chambray, spread collar, overshirt, Cuban, Oxford, and more
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4

T-Shirt

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1. Named after the shape of the shirt, the T-shirt (or “tee” shirt) was originally worn as an undergarment. Today, they’re considered a near-universal inclusion in basically every wardrobe around.

   • Fun fact: Author F. Scott Fitzgerald, the writer behind the iconic novel The Great Gatsby, actually invented the term “T-shirt.”
   • Dress level: Casual
   • Variations: Henley, crewneck, V-neck, scoop neck, raglan, sleeveless, and halter

5

French-Cuff Shirt

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1. A French-Cuff shirt refers to any dress shirt with a distinct, French-style cuff design. These cuffs require cufflinks, which give the wearer another accessory to play with when styling. They’re considered much more formal, stylish, and unique than the traditional button cuffs (which are called barrel cuffs).

   • Dress level: Formal
   • Variations: Oxford, button-up, button-down, and more
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6

Tuxedo Shirt

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1. A tuxedo shirt is a dress shirt designed to be worn with a tuxedo. It’s defined by the hyper-formal fabric and weave pattern, buttons, and distinct collar shape (which is designed to give room for a prominent bow-tie). The cuffs also typically come with a French cuff that requires cufflinks.

   • The distinct tuxedo shirt collar is known as a “wingtip” collar. As a result, tuxedo shirts are often referred to as wingtip shirts, or wingtip collar shirts.
   • Dress level: Formal
   • Variations: Wing-tip collar, spread collar, point collar, pleated, and more

7

Mandarin Collar Shirt

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1. Also known as a standing or Nehru collar, the Mandarin collar shirt is notable for its distinct collar style and often expressive patterns and textures. They’re based on the design of traditional dress shirts from the Qing Dynasty in China, and the collar is instantly recognizable. Instead of folding down away from the neck, the Mandarin collar wraps around itself (or pins itself) on the neck to create a turtleneck-style appearance.

   • Dress level: Formal, casual, or smart casual
   • Variations: Buttoned, no-button, hooked, Mao, Band, and grandad
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8

Point Collar Shirt

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1. The point collar is what most people imagine when they think of a “collared shirt.” Point collars are medium-length collar designs where the tips end in a semi-formal point. The point collar is the dominant design for dress shirts today.

   • Dress level: Formal
   • Variations: Oxford, button-up, button-down, and more

9

Spread Collar Shirt

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1. A spread collar is a highly formal collar defined by the way it sits at or below the lapel of a suit jacket. Normal shirt collars typically have visible points when you wear a jacket, but spread collar tips extend much further from the neck so that they aren’t visible when you throw a suit jacket on. This creates a much more luxurious, elegant look that would be right at home in a Victorian high court.

   • Dress level: Formal
   • Variations: Oxford, button-up, button-down, and more
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10

Club Collar Shirt

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1. If the Mandarin collar is instantly recognizable as a piece of Chinese fashion history, then the club collar is the same for British fashion history. These collars have rounded tips that smooth out around the collarbone. They look archetypally British, and you can find these collars on the shirts of any tough guy starring in a Peaky Blinders-style TV show or Guy Ritchie movie.

   • Dress level: Formal and smart casual
   • Variations: Oxford, button-up, button-down, and more

11

Flannel Shirt

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1. Flannel shirts refer to any long-sleeve buttoned shirt that is made out of flannel, a cotton or wool fabric style where the material is “napped” to give it a thick, raised texture. While they’re often associated with the plaid pattern, flannel shirts can come in any kind of pattern or style.

   • What is plaid, then? Flannel is a fabric, while “plaid” refers to a pattern (like houndstooth or paisley). While many flannel shirts are also plaid shirts, you can have a plaid shirt made of linen or a solid-colored flannel.
   • Dress level: Depends on the item.
   • Variations: Oxford, wing-tip collar, spread collar, point collar, pleated, and more
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12

Chambray Shirt

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1. Chambray is a style of shirt and fabric first pioneered by J. Crew. It’s a blue or blue-gray shirt that may appear like denim at a glance, but upon closer inspection, is actually soft and cotton-like. It was originally a staple in the blue-collar worker’s wardrobe, but it has developed into a rather chic item.

   • Dress level: Casual, smart casual, and semi-formal
   • Variations: Oxford, wing-tip collar, spread collar, point collar, pleated, and more

13

Polo

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1. Also known as a tennis or golf shirt, a polo shirt is sort of a combo of an Oxford shirt and a T-shirt. It has a collar and several buttons at the top, but the body of the shirt is simple and short-sleeved. It’s a classic shirt style that works in both formal and casual settings.

   • Fun fact: While it’s associated with British high fashion, the polo shirt only exists because of India. British polo players in colonial India found their normal long-sleeve shirts too heavy for the heat, so they invented something less heavy to wear instead.
   • Dress level: Casual, smart casual, and business casual
   • Variations: Pique, jersey, short-sleeve, long-sleeve, dress, button-up, or button-down
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14

Henley

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1. Picture a polo shirt and remove the collar but keep the buttons. That’s a Henley. These (usually) knit shirts typically come in a single color, but there may be designs or flourishes around the buttons and collar. These shirts originated as a popular option among rowing teams.

   • Dress level: Casual
   • Variations: Hooded

15

Sweatshirt

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1. The sweatshirt is a sweater made out of cotton. That’s it. They were invented by football players who found that their wool uniforms were too uncomfortable and hard to wash.

   • Is a sweatshirt really a shirt? It’s a good question. We suppose the sweatshirt sits right in the middle of the Venn diagram depicting “sweaters” and “shirts.” There is good debate to be had here, though!
   • Dress level: Casual
   • Variations: Crewneck, hoodie, v-neck, zip-up, quarter-zip, half-zip, and button-up
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16

Overshirt

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1. Overshirt is a general term for any casual shirt that is thicker than a traditional shirt, but thinner than a jacket. Overshirts are meant to hang loosely on the body, and they often convey a kind of “high fashion” vibe.

   • You could arguably include denim jackets in this definition, especially since they have collars and sleeves (like a shirt).
   • Dress level: Depends on the item.
   • Variations: Hooded

17

Athletic Shirt

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1. Athletic shirts are a broad range of shirts with one thing in common: you wear them when engaging in any kind of physical activity. They’re often (but not necessarily) T-shirts, and they’re typically made with at least 5% elastane (or some other synthetic fiber) to give the material some sweat-wicking abilities and stretchability.

   • Dress level: Casual
   • Variations: Jersey shirt, tanks, long-sleeved, and compression top
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18

Raglan Shirt

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1. A raglan shirt is any shirt with raglan sleeves. These are defined by their seams. While normal shirt sleeves either have zero seams or a horizontal seam on the shoulder, raglans have diagonal seams that run from the underarm to the neck. This gives the sleeves a “chunkier” appearance that is completely distinct from other shirt styles.

   • Dress level: Depends on the item.
   • Variations: None

19

Tank Top

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1. Tank tops are shirts without sleeves or collars (which is kind of funny because those are normally the two requirements for a “shirt”). They can have V- or U-shaped necklines. They’re usually worn as casual summer garments or as undershirts. Some tank tops are meant to be worn on top of other clothing, though.

   • Dress level: Casual or smart casual
   • Variations: Muscle, cami, crop-top, tunic, and racerback
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20

Sleeveless Shirt

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1. Take a T-shirt and hack the sleeves off at the underarm. Voila! You’ve got a sleeveless shirt. These shirts are popular among athletes and casual beachgoers, but you won’t find them in more formal environments.

   • What’s the difference between a tank top and a sleeveless shirt? It’s all about the collar. Sleeveless shirts have a traditional shirt collar, while tank tops expose the collar bones entirely.
   • Dress level: Casual
   • Variations: V-neck, crew neck, and overshirt

21

Hawaiian Shirt

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1. The Hawaiian shirt, also known as an aloha shirt, is a casual short-sleeved collared shirt with an iconic Polynesian or Hawaiian pattern. They’re a classic option if you’re beachgoing or lounging around on vacation.

   • Dress level: Casual and smart casual
   • Variations: None
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22

Turtlenecks

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1. While they’re typically worn as sweaters, turtlenecks do technically fit the rubric for shirts. A turtleneck is defined by its distinctive collar, which wraps around the middle of the neck to create a tight, luxurious vibe.

   • Turtlenecks are also known as polo necks or roll necks.
   • Dress level: Depends on the item.
   • Variations: Cowl, mock turtleneck, buttoned, deep cowl, and ribbed cowl

23

Jersey Shirts

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1. A jersey shirt is a T-shirt made out of “jersey” fabric—a kind of small-grain, single-knit material constructed using a machine. They’re popular options for daily errands and workouts, since the material is really good at wicking moisture away. They also tend to be very good options if you want to buy a graphic tee that won’t shrink or lose its design due to fading.

   • Dress level: Casual
   • Variations: Henley, crewneck, V-neck, scoop neck, raglan, sleeveless, and halter
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