The Best Men's Silk Shirts to Buy in 2023, According to Style Editors

May 19, 2024

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Look and feel as smooth as ... silk.

Here us out: you should add some silk to your summer shirt collection. Sure, old school men's silk shirts look a scotch tacky, but if styled correctly, they're one of the best ways to look and feel cool this summer. Today's best men's silk shirts range from vibrant camp collar shirts to sophisticated dark polo shirts, and they all have a super luxe feel. In other words: there are plenty of men's silk shirts to fit into any guy's wardrobe.

The one catch with silk is that it can get pretty pricey. Thankfully budget-conscious menswear brands have been blending silk with other lightweight, synthetic fabrics to bring the price down. Rayon, also called viscose, is an artificial textile that has been used to replace silk since the 1950s. You are probably most familiar with this fabric from Hawaiian shirts, which are traditionally made from rayon. Then there is Tencel, which is a recently developed textile made from wood pulp. Both closely mimic the feel of silk while providing the added bonus of being vegan. So whether you go synthetic or the real deal, the best men's silk shirts are a warm weather staple to dress up all your looks.

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Buck Mason made the perfect short sleeve shirt to dive into silk for the first time. A good old fashioned short sleeve camp collar looks great with just about everything, and the jacquard weaving make for a really nice texture. Our editors found both the navy and white versions to be perfect go-to top all summer long.

Knitted polo shirts are having a moment this summer, and Olebar Brown makes one of our absolute favorites. Even though this silk shirt is solid white, the knit pattern, collar, and fit make it a standout piece. Wear it over your favorite summer pants or swim trunks.

Tommy Bahama is always a dependable source for affordable Hawaiian shirts. The brand has so many to choose from, but we settled on this watercolor-inspired motif, since it plays nice with bright summer pants and shorts.

Seersucker is already an essential summer shirt fabric, but adding 88% silk to the mix makes takes it to a whole new level. Not only is the fabric soft, but we love the boxy fit of this shirt with chinos or short-shorts.

Read more: Best Seersucker Suits

In a brilliant move, Havana Breeze blended silk with viscose to keep it affordable (but still classy looking). The result is a low key short sleeve button down with a 100% silk look and feel for a super cheap price. You really can wear this shirt to work, on vacation, nights out, or just lounging around.

Karu Research used a "raw silk" texture for this boxy camp collar shirt, which is extra soft to the touch. Not only is it 100% silk, but the pattern was hand-died using block print. Our editors loved wearing this with jeans because the denim blue made the colors of the shirt pop.

For a work ready silk shirt, Todd Snyder is always a good option. This 55% silk, 45% cotton blend is fir for the office or a backyard BBQ. Our favorite benefit to blending silk evenly with cotton is that it makes the shirt machine washable. Low maintenance, high style.

There aren't many companies out there having as much fun with retro silk shirt designs as Tombolo. Straight out of a 1960s surf film, this nautical themed-top will be your new favorite party shirt. We've received plenty of compliments wearing it.

Frescobol Carioca went retro in the classiest way with a wide ribbed knit and an XL collar on this polo, which looks great under your favorite summer blazer. We love that it's a great alternative to a standard button down shirt for hot summer events.

Bode doesn't do anything subtle, which is why silk is perfect fabric for the New York brand. The multicolor border along the collar, placket, and waist is based on the fringe of a decorative carpet.

A&F used polyster to create a silk-like shirt that's affordable, and features a relaxed, breezy fit.

Getting a 100% silk shirt for under $200 is a great steal. Banana Republic sweetened the deal with an indigo tie dye finish that feels on trend.

Quince offers great deals on top quality products like a 100% silk button down for on $70. With a camp collar and slightly boxy fit, this shirt as as versatile as it gets. We're partial to the blue. but the olive and white styles are great too.

The Casablanca Tennis Club might not be a real place but the we love this shirt all the same. It's the rainbow ring detailing on the sleeves, waist, collar and pocket that make this shirt so much fun.

Club Monaco upgraded a standard issue knit polo by adding 55% silk to the mix. We like this one because it's a subtle silk shirt that looks great with just about any menswear staple.

Tencel is a great silk alternative, because it is plant based. Todd Snyder did such a bang-up job with this floral camp collar shirt that feels just as luxurious as real silk.

A leafy black and white print adds texture to your outfit without going too bold. We love this downplayed take on a silk Aloha shirt.

The cotton, nylon, and silk blend in this shirt balances the softness of silk with the durability of cotton and nylon. We love it for the check board texture and the stretchy, athletic fit.

Bonobos is another great source for 100% tencel silk-alternative shirts. Quite a few options in colors and patterns are available in the versatile Riviera Cabana Shirt. We honestly found it hard to not stock up on the whole collection.

This 90s style rayon bowling shirt looks like you snagged some vintage shop gold. It is perfect for a casual night out with some friends, whether you go bowling or not.

Brad is a contributing style commerce editor. After a decade working for menswear brands including J.Crew and Ralph Lauren, Brad switched from selling fashion to writing about it. His words have appeared in Huckberry, Heddels, and The Manual.

As Men's Health's Deputy Editor, Commerce, Christian Gollayan oversees all shopping content on menshealth.com. He relocated back to New York by way of Portland, where he was the Associate Managing Editor at TheManual.com. Christian's work has also been featured in InStyle, Food & Wine, the New York Post, and Tatler Asia.

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