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The Best Silk Shirts for Men Are the Sexiest Button-Ups Money Can Buy

We're excited to report Right Said Fred was wrong.
The Best Silk Shirts for Men 2023 21 Lustrous ButtonUps to Help You Feel Your Sexiest
Image: Getty

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The best silk shirts for men promise to imbue your fits with the smoothness of a ‘70s disco icon. Decades ago, they conjured images of sweat-soaked club rats and cartoon-ish Miami Vice villains, but today they represent the natural evolution of the retro-sleazy shirting sweeping the market. Post-discotheque boom, the silk shirt fell out of favor and into the kitsch corner before once again slinking its way back to the limelight. And though the feathery hairdos and gaudy getups might be the only images that come to mind, today's silk shirt renaissance means the sultry button-up is a lot easier to pull off than you’d expect.

Whether you’re looking to up the ante on a relaxed dinner date or shvitz up a storm on the dance floor, there's a good-looking, downright sexy option with your name on it. Below, we rounded up 21 of the best silk shirts for men to jumpstart your collection (or merely fill it out, if you're already ahead of the curve). Fair warning, though: like a primo pair of boxer briefs or a spiffy PJ set, springing for one of these will make buttoning-up their less luxe counterparts feel a whole lot more mundane.

  • 1/21

    Elwood rayon button-up shirt

    $65

    Nordstrom

    Silk shirts can easily fall into loud, obnoxious territory. But this shirt is proof that simplicity, when done right, is undeniably sexy.

  • 2/21

    Another Aspect ANOTHER Shirt 1.0

    $145

    Another Aspect

    A shirt that keeps you cool while looking hot? This silk seersucker number is it.

  • 3/21

    Go Barefoot Tiger convertible-collar printed cotton-blend shirt

    $90

    Mr Porter

    Big cat, big fit.

  • 4/21

    Needles cowboy convertible-collar checked voile shirt

    $325

    Mr Porter

    Bowling might not be the most lustful of sports, but whoever designed the bowling shirt didn't get that memo.

  • 5/21

    Gucci silk shirt with neck bow

    $1,400

    Gucci

    This present comes with its own bow.

  • 6/21

    Banana Republic silk resort shirt

    $180

    Banana Republic

    Let your inner animal out.

  • 7/21

    Remi Relief checked flannel shirt

    $315

    Mr Porter

    Made from a billowy rayon fabric, this "flannel" is a ways off from the burly buffalo plaids that get lumped into lumberjack style—it's just plain ol' sick.

  • 8/21

    Thom Browne cropped shirt

    $795

    SSENSE

    Is it hot in here or is it this shirt? (Both, probably.)

  • 9/21

    Saint Laurent silk-satin shirt

    $1,550

    Mr Porter

    Scientific studies have found a strong correlation between V-neck depth and maximum sexiness. Glad to see those findings confirmed.

  • 10/21

    NN07 "Cohen" 5029 garment-dyed twill shirt

    $195

    Mr Porter

    If your office's dress code doesn't allow for a plunging neckline, but would let you get away with a silk button-up, here's your new uniform.

  • 11/21

    Serapis printed shirt

    $520

    SSENSE

    Serapis makes some of the most mesmerizing photographic silk prints anywhere, proof that silk shirts are more than monograms and zany geometric patterns.

  • 12/21

    The Letters western shirt

    $420

    SSENSE

    It's hard to think of anything hotter than a silk western shirt.

  • 13/21

    L.E.J. Le Plage pyjama shirt

    $375

    No Man Walks Alone

    This may be called a pajama shirt, but the luscious silk fabric and gorgeous daffodil print is all the justification you need to wake up and smell the flowers.

  • 14/21

    Casablanca embroidered shirt

    $805

    SSENSE

    Like an Olivia Rodrigo album cover you can wear.

  • 15/21

    Portuguese Flannel Finger Print convertible-collar jacquard shirt

    $170

    Mr Porter

    Hands-down the coolest use of finger prints we've ever seen outside of a middle school art class.

  • 16/21

    Todd Snyder Italian cotton silk tipped Riviera sweater polo

    $248

    Todd Snyder

    We'll say it 'til we're blue in the face: polos make you hotter. Add some silk to the mix and your sex appeal is about to off-the-charts.

  • 17/21

    Bode "Lehariya" plaid-print silk crepe de Chine shirt

    $590

    Matches Fashion

    The gateway garment for Hollywood's leading dressers will turn you into an A-lister too—or at least help you feel like one.

  • 18/21

    Prada silk twill bowling shirt

    $1,720

    Prada

    300 points worth of silky Prada perfection.

  • 19/21

    CDLP home shirt

    $210

    CDLP

    Sure, this shirt is technically made of sustainably-sourced lyocell, but it delivers on all the silky-smooth vibes of its real-deal counterparts.

  • 20/21

    Our Legacy classic shirt

    $230

    END.

    Despite its usual sheen, silk can come in a wonderfully textured matte appearance, too. Raw silk shirts like Our Legacy's boast a softer approach with plenty of slub that adds a ton of character, sans the extraneous psychedelic prints.

Jake Woolf is a writer who has covered men’s style for over ten years and has contributed to GQ since 2014. A graduate of Parsons The New School for Design (good school, long name), he also has bylines at Robb Report, HighSnobiety, Pitchfork, and the defunct #menswear website Four Pins ... Read More
Writer
Gerald Ortiz is a style commerce writer for GQ covering fashion, grooming, and occasionally lifestyle. Previously, he was the style writer for Gear Patrol and the managing editor at Heddels. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with three degrees, none of which directly relate to fashion (so it ... Read More
Style Commerce Writer
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