You want the best. And heck, you deserve the best. But there's a lot of choice out there, and sometimes the best is hard to find. Fortunately, we know where to find it. Every week, the Esquire editors reveal their favourite brands, from under-the-radar steals to luxury loves, so you can invest in the best clothes, watches and accessories that money can buy.
This week, the big bit of menswear fun we all love (and need): the summer shirt.
Dior Men
Tom Banham, digital editor
"Since Kim Jones took the reins in 2018, Dior's summer collections have centred on shirts that play with print, cut and fabric. Last year's standout was a sheer white shirt, hand-embroidered with feathers, which felt like a marriage between tailoring and couture. This season's spins on see-through were more playful, patterned with deep blues and sunset oranges, and deserve to be worn somewhere more interesting than the garden. I'm considering mine an investment in hope."
Folk
Charlie Teasdale, style director
"For something so simple, only a few brands make really good casual shirts. Really good for me, anyway. Proper shirt companies hand-make exquisite things from the finest fabrics, but their adherence to the rules of tailoring leaves their shirts a bit stiff, slim and long in the body.
"At the other end of the scale, hypier brands make shirts in the weird patterns and boxy fit you want, but the fabrics ain’t so heavenly. So, you need to find something in-between: a brand that considers both how a shirt should perform and how it should look and fit in 2020. To that end, I gravitate toward Folk for casual summer shirting – its range comprises both the simple and the wavy; the boxy and the sleek – and I suggest you do the same."
Jacquemus
Murray Clark, digital style editor
"Can I say that a brand of just 11 tender years is the best maker of summer shirts? Yes, I can. Because Jacquemus – the eponymous label and lovechild of fashion's incumbent golden child, Simon Porte – has put the other side of France through the menswearification process.
"It's not as serious as Paris, and it's not as terrifyingly sexy as Milan. Instead, Jacquemus looks to the sunny, pastoral idylls of southern France, and as such, makes shirts that are fun, lighthearted and unlike much we've come to see on modern runways, and I really like that. Finally: a shirt I can party in this summer, and enjoy pottery lessons in rural Provence. At the same time."
Howlin'
Finlay Renwick, deputy style editor
"Howlin’ is a cool Belgian brand that started off making superlative knitwear in funky colours and trippy patterns. More recently it has turned its hand to perfecting the summer shirt, creating a range in both long- and short-sleeve styles, made out of a light and sturdy Italian seersucker.
"I own the navy long-sleeve and it might just be the Platonic ideal of summer shirting. Trim, with a slightly boxy fit, it’s airy enough for muggy city dwelling, smart enough to wear out for dinner on a Greek island holiday and, if worn with a T-shirt underneath, can even pass for a light 'shacket'. No mad patterns here, but if it’s versatility that you’re after…"
Prada
Dan Choppen, fashion assistant
"Summer is a time for flexing: the menswear kind. After the dark and stormy months have passed, the moment to retrieve that special summer shirt finally arrives. And year-on-year, Prada ensures there's a new Cuban collar masterpiece to add to your wardrobe.
"With boxy fits and galactic, psychedelic prints (much like the iconic collaboration with Christophe Chemin in 2016), Miuccia Prada is the ruling empress of summer shirts that quietly show off. Don't you forget it."
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