The Best Men's Linen Shirts Are Extremely Light and Incredibly Cool

“J.Crew’s linen shirts return every spring and summer for a reason,” says GQ style commerce writer Gerald Ortiz. “The fabric is top-notch, they come in a variety of silhouettes that fit just about everyone, and they're available in a gang of great colors and patterns.” Ortiz says that the linen fabric feels especially cool to the touch and silky smooth. “For the price, quality, and variety, why would you go anywhere else?”

Best Men’s Linen Camp Shirt: Bather Traveler Shirt

Sometimes, a style of shirt works well in linen. And sometimes, it absolutely thrives in linen. Camp shirts are the latter—and Bather's riff is one of our favorites, period. It starts with an assertive, unambiguous camp collar before moving into three (3!) pockets at the front—including two at the hem that offer more utility than you might imagine—and ends with an easy-going flat hem that works well buttoned or open. The linen fabric is robust, which lends it just a bit of structure, but because it’s linen, it stays airy regardless of the thermometer reading. Just because it’s called the Traveler shirt doesn’t mean you won’t love it at home.

This isn't the first time we've waxed eloquent on Bather's signature button-up: way back in 2022, GQ contributor Eugene Lardy penned the definitive ode to the style, which ended his quest to find the platonic summer shirt. Two years ago, Lardy praised the shirt for how cool it looked, sure, but also how cool he felt wearing it, “like a welcome midday breeze” was gently buffeting his torso. “What I initially thought was going to be a fairly straightforward camp shirt,” Lardy wrote, “ended up revolutionizing my summer fits. I can’t take it off. Its breathable construction makes it ideal for warm weather layering, and those nifty trio of pockets offer a level of functionality I never knew I was missing.”

Best Men’s Linen Dress Shirt: Emma Willis Linen Shirt

All the work you did to find a breezy summer suit is instantly undone if you pair it with the wrong shirt. Plenty of more casual-leaning options promise to maximize airflow, but when those RSVPs hit your inbox, a proper, capital-D Dress Shirt is your surest bet to make the right impression—and crush the “garden party” theme in the process. The best one we've tried comes from Emma Willis, the storied British shirtmaker headquartered on Jermyn Street, the stretch of London that is to shirts what Savile Row is to suits. The linen is light, airy, and somehow not remotely flimsy; the collars and cuffs hold their shape without feeling stiff; and the silhouette looks equally killer under a jacket early in the evening or leading the charge on the dance floor late at night.

“Emma Willis is one of Britain's lesser-known menswear gems, at least stateside” says GQ commerce editor Avidan Grossman. “Her flagship boutique is a stone's throw away from the legendary cutters on Savile Row; she brings the same rigor and craftsmanship her neighbors are famous for to her otherworldly chemises.” Grossman digs how the brand's sizable spread collars look with a funky paisley tie, but he recommends treating its shirts the same way you would any other on this list. If their formal bent (or the tony zip code they hail from) feels daunting, he says, it really shouldn't: “Few shirts looked better wrinkled, sweaty, and with half a bottle of Aperol spilled down the front.”

Best Men’s Linen T-Shirt: Alex Crane Sun Tee

We're not going pretend like there’s anything wrong with wearing a plain-Jane cotton T-shirt in the summer—the more threadbare the better. Compared to linen, though, cotton isn’t actually all that breathable, and it dries like paint. Which is precisely where Alex Crane's perfectly nubby pure linen joint comes in. It’s made with 100% sustainably-grown linen, which adapts to rising temperatures faster than you ever will, and washed with biodegradable softeners to help it feel like a beat-up tee you already know and love. Just, y'know, better.

“To keep it a buck, I never though I'd recommend a linen tee,” Grossman confesses. “But enough of my buddies keep asking about ‘em, so I did my due diligence.” T-shirts are notoriously difficult to perfect, but Alex Crane nails the details; Grossman has yet to hear from a friend who regrets the purchase. “Nine months of the year, I prefer a slimmer cut and a tighter neckline,” he says, “but this is exactly how a tee should fit when you're sweating through your fifth park hang in as many weeks.”

Best Men’s Linen Shirt for the Weekend: Wythe Cotton Linen Plaid Workshirt

If your flannel went on vacation it would come back looking an awful lot like Wythe's Hometeam work shirt. The plaid is just as rugged as its cold-weather counterparts and the construction is rock-solid, but it’s crafted from a super soft linen-cotton fabric that breathes like a window screen and wears like a hand-me-down. Don't let the out-of-the-box comfort fool you, though: It's built to last years, not seasons.

“My personal qualm with most linen shirts isn't their wrinkly nature," Ortiz says: “it's that they're too stiff or suspiciously thin.” Wythe's version is the exception to the rule, he mantains—the fabric really does feel vintage, like it's been washed and worn to perfection. If you are worried about wrinkles, Ortiz notes that the shirt's mix of cotton and linen lends it the latter's telltale breathability and the former's crispiness. As for the fit, it’s a spot-on relaxed, yet tailored fit. For reference, Ortiz is 5’9” and weighs about 165lbs.

Best Men’s Linen Polo Shirt: Banana Republic Giorgio Linen-Cotton Resort Shirt

In the LCU (that's the Linen Cinematic Universe, FYI), the linen polo shirt might be as underrated a character as the linen tee—until now. When done right, linen polos work with almost everything, in just about any context—and this loose-knit button-through number from Banana Republic is done very, very right. It's available in a range of eminently wearable colors, and the ribbed hem means you can dress it up with slacks or just throw on jeans and let those cheeky stripes do the heavy lifting.

“I’m not sure if it’s a polo, a button-up, or, like, some weird short-sleeved cardigan," says GQ contributor Reed Nelson, “but I don’t really care.” Nelson prizes its versatility above all else; he's worn it pretty much everywhere, and with pretty much everything. “It’s almost jarringly lightweight," he notes—the linen yarn is super dry and airy, and the distinct full placket allows him to play around with any button configuration he likes (especially the weird ones).

1. Great linen doesn’t usually come cheap—but it doesn’t have to break the bank. Like all fabrics, there’s a spectrum when it comes to linen quality, and most of the time, the good stuff is going to cost you. It’s worth it—not only will it last longer, but high-quality linen tends to wear better as well. But that’s most of the time. Places like Banana Republic and J.Crew are using world class linens that won’t break the bank.
2. Know what you’re looking for. A “linen blend,” for instance, means it has more than just linen in it, which can be great for a number reasons—it can lower the costs, make it a touch more amenable to a washing machine, and won’t wrinkle as much as 100% linen shirts will—but it also means that the benefits of linen will be tamped down a bit too. If you’re looking for something a bit more familiar or a bit easier to care for, a blend is great. If you’re looking for the unadulterated linen experience, the pure, uncut variety is the way to go.
3. Crank the volume. Linen is a less-forgiving fabric than cotton, which means it won’t stretch nearly as much. Even cotton without any elastane woven in will naturally give over time, which is why the waistband on even the most rigid of jeans will relax over time. But linen is a stiffer fabric, which means that you won’t get the same kind of give. To be clear, this isn’t bad, even in the slightest—you just have to account for it. And while we love, and recommend, a sized-up, breezy linen shirt, you don’t need to go full ‘90s Armani to make it work. You just need to make sure your shirts aren’t pulling at the chest, for instance, or super tight around the arms. Not only will they not stretch the same way cotton will, you’ll also be putting more stress on the seams, fabric and buttons.

The best way to wash linen is to hand-wash it with lukewarm water and a mild detergent—there are a host of linen-friendly options available—or on the gentle cycle, if the washing machine you use has that option. If you do go digital, try to remove it from the washing machine as quickly as possible when the cycle wraps to avoid harsh creases. And remember, never use bleach on linen fabrics: it’s harsh on all clothing, but it’s a WMD on linen clothing.

When it comes to drying your linen shirts, au natural is the best option. Preferably laid flat or hung on a line, which might sound cumbersome, but (!) one of linen’s charms is its quick-drying nature, making the process far quicker than, say, air-drying a pair of jeans. Also, don’t wring out your linen clothing when it is wet—wrinkled is good, pruned is less appealing. This all might sound a little more involved from a care perspective than, say, your trusty oxford, but know that ROI is well worth it.

Your Linen FAQs, Answered

Both the weave and the physical properties of the fibers: when the individual linen fibers get hot, they expand, allowing for more airflow. They also have a slightly rougher texture and a dryer hand, which keeps them from clinging to sweaty skin the way cotton does—a combination that also makes for a fabric that dries much faster. For all those reason, folks have relied on linen to beat the heat for thousands of years, and still haven’t found many replacements.

Absolutely. Long-sleeve linen shirts will keep you sufficiently warm through light-jacket weather so long as it's not too blustery. And just as a linen shirt will get more airy the warmer it gets, it also contracts in the cold, which means that the same properties that keep you cool in the summer will also help you when it cools down. From a dress code perspective, linen shirts are on the more casual end of the spectrum, unless they're teamed up with a suit or blazer (or you're living in a humidity hotspot like Miami or New Orleans).

Linen-blend shirts, which weave in cotton, trade a little breathability for added crispness and breeze-blocking. Though in chillier weather, the best linen shirts can turn into underrated layering heroes, too, under a thick sweater or cardigan. If you run hot even in the colder months, swapping a linen shirt for a denser, less-breathable cotton shirt might make life more bearable.

The short answer: yes, at least a little bit. Or it will, if you treat it like a T-shirt. That being said, if you wash it on cold and line-dry your shirts, they should maintain their original dimensions for as long as you do (it'll air-dry faster than most clothing will, too). If you accidentally put it in the dryer, linen tends to shrink slightly both horizontally and vertically, depending on the weave, but a bit less than cotton, because its fibers are less naturally elastic.

Again, the short answer is yes. But be super careful if you feel like rejecting the natural wrinkles—again, we recommend leaning into 'em. If you’re ironing a linen shirt, make sure it’s damp, for starters. Linen is very sturdy, and the moisture will soften the fibers a bit. Also make sure you have a pressing cloth between the iron and the fabric, and a solid ironing board underneath.

The GQ office is just as varied in body type, stylistic preference, and budget as the rest of the world; if you polled our colleagues, you’d be hard-pressed to land on a single winning shirt in any category. By and large, though, we gauged the merits of each shirt we tested across three key metrics: quality, fit, and price.

For this guide, we prioritized shirts that were either 100% linen or those with other natural fibers blended in, like cotton or hemp. Synthetics aren't always a no-go, but tend to interact with natural fibers unpredictably over time, and have far less history to fall back on. Linen has been around for thousands of years; the kinks in the fabric are natural, the kinks in the processes have been worked out. And while we often gave credence to shirts made with linen from mills we know, “often” is doing some lifting there—many of the shirts on this list don’t need provenance to shine.

Which brings us to fit, arguably the most subjective metric. To state the obvious, every one of us is delightfully unique, which is wonderful, but it also makes assessing something like fit a bit of a moving target—two people with the same height and weight might have completely different measurements in key areas. So to narrow our search, we primarily focused on a few different types of linen shirts, and primarily stuck to what has become colloquially known as a “classic cut,” or the one that doesn’t trend too slim or too baggy. The Goldilocks Fit, if you will. (Because we couldn't help ourselves, you'll find a few breezier joints in the More We Love Section, which made for more work on our end, but hopefully is helpful on yours.)

When it comes to price, we tried to stay in the middle cut of the spectrum—you can certainly find a linen shirt south of $30, and there are plenty that will run you more than $1,000, but those poles don’t always deliver. That being said, be wary of the super pricey options: expensive doesn't necessarily mean better, and affordable doesn't always mean bad. During our testing, there were $70 shirts that surprised us and $500 shirts that let us down—but for the most part, the best of the bunch landed squarely between those two extremes.

To kick off the process, we enlisted a who's who of GQ staffers to wear-test our contenders. Some of our colleagues have worked in retail; others have toiled for small-batch labels; all have a deep appreciation of both shirts and staying cool. We leaned on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrowed down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price. (Like we said—different strokes for different folks.)

Our testers owned some of the shirts on this list already, but because linen is so seasonal, a whole bunch were totally new to us. So after wear-testing the entire crop, we recorded our deeply scientific observations and rejiggered our selections accordingly. Based on those evaluations, we ran the numbers, collated the anecdotal evidence, and emerged with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best linen shirts for men right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs. Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be one for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)

• Gerald Ortiz, GQ Style Commerce Writer
• Reed Nelson, GQ Contributor
• Avidan Grossman, GQ Senior Commerce Editor