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Best Shirts for Men Over 50 in 2024

The latest styles and hues for dressing up or down

Vincent Boucher,

AARP

Published December 24, 2024

three men in long sleeve shirts, in front of an orange and blue background

(Left to right) Sonoma Goods For Life Long Sleeve Supersoft Knit Button-Up Shirt in Burgundy Grey Check, L.L. Bean’s Comfort Stretch Chambray Shirt in Indigo, and Skyline Poplin One Pocket BD Shirt in Riversand.

AARP (Kohl’s, L.L. Bean, Buck Mason)

We’ve all heard the expression, “He’d give you the shirt off his back,” alluding to a man showing his generosity by parting with his most basic possession. That’s how we feel about a guy’s shirt. It’s probably the first thing you reach for in your closet and it’s also the initial tip-off about your personal style since it frames the face.

But shirts also get a lot of wear and tear, so there’s no better time to take stock and weed out the ones with frayed collars, forever stains and shrunken fits. The end of the year is a banner season for bargains too, so it’s time to put something crisp and fresh on your own back.

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(Left to right) L.L. Bean’s Comfort Stretch Chambray Shirt in Dark Indigo and Goodfellow & Co. Denim Button-Down Shirt in Light Wash.

AARP (L.L. Bean, Target)

Truest and bluest

Gray hair? A blue chambray shirt is a no-brainer, and this Banana Republic Monterey button-up is made from organic cotton that’s washed for softness and comes in a sprightly cerulean shade ($70, bananarepublic.gap.com). With a shorter hem that looks good tucked or untucked, L.L. Bean’s Comfort Stretch Chambray Shirt in Dark Indigo ($70, llbean.com) adds a little extra “give” to its breathable, moisture-wicking cotton blend. And the Goodfellow & Co. Denim Button-Down Shirt in Light Wash ($23, target.com) is a good-looking denim with two button-through chest pockets; it also comes in an expanded range of sizes including Tall and Big & Tall.

two long sleeved corduroy shirts, one sage green and one brown

(Left to right) Sid Mashburn’s Spread Collar Sport Shirt in Moss Corduroy and Ramsey Tailored Fit Corduroy Button-Down Shirt in Sandstone.

AARP (Sid Mashburn, Nordstrom)

Wale of a time

Corduroy strikes a nice balance between looking casual yet still feeling a little dressed up, and the Wills Fine Corduroy Shirt ($78, huckberry.com) in an off-white called “salt” looks as good with jeans as it does with flannels. Stormwear standard Barbour offers a cozy-looking Ramsey Tailored Fit Corduroy Button-Down Shirt ($110, nordstrom.com) in a golden sandstone; the shirt is cut with a little extra room through the chest and body for comfort. And for especially dapper guys, Sid Mashburn’s Spread Collar Sport Shirt ($195; shopmashburn.com) interprets the menswear guru’s signature style in soft Italian corduroy in all the standard hues as well as color pops like moss green and mellow ginger.

Most Popular

two light blue shirts on a light background

(Left to right) J. Crew’s Broken-in Oxford Shirt in Harry White Olive Blue and Lands' End Traditional Fit Solid No Iron Supima Oxford Dress Shirt in Blue.

AARP (J. Crew, Lands’ End)

Oxford admissions

Versatility, thy name is oxford — at least when it comes to shirts. Worn with a tie or unbuttoned over a T-shirt, it’s the all-around player. In that spirit, Bonobos Everyday Oxford Shirt ($89, bonobos.com) infuses the classic with added stretch for comfort and offers unusual colors like a nutty oak-barrel brown alongside core blue and white. Also hewing to old-school scholastic style, J. Crew’s Broken-in Oxford ($90; jcrew.com) is made from washed organic cotton, here in Harry White Olive Blue mini-windowpane. Long renowned for its easy care and across-the-board good looks, the Lands' End Traditional Fit Solid No Iron Supima Oxford Dress Shirt in Blue ($70, landsend.com) is made from America’s finest cotton and stays smooth through repeated washes.

three plaid shirts, one green, one white and one red

(Left to right) L.L. Bean’s Scotch Plaid Flannel Shirt, Traditional Fit in Black Watch, Madewell’s Brushed Easy Shirt-Jacket in Italian Fabric in Bleached Canvas Heather, and Outerknown’s Blanket Shirt in Dusty Red Cusco Plaid.

AARP (L.L. Bean, Madewell, Outerknown)

Blanket statement

A heavier weight for layering, Madewell’s Brushed Easy Shirt-Jacket in Italian Fabric in Bleached Canvas Heather ($128, madewell.com) is a gutsy recycled cotton blend with a brushed interior finish and an easy fit. Outerknown’s Blanket Shirt in Dusty Red Cusco Plaid ($168, outerknown.com) from the sustainable clothing company founded by world-champion surfer Kelly Slater, is made from a substantial but soft organic cotton with buttons made from nuts. And L.L. Bean has been crafting the Scotch Plaid Flannel Shirt, Traditional Fit in Black Watch ($50, llbean.com) for over 80 years in longer-staple cotton flannel for durability and then brushed by a master weaver until it is deemed soft enough.

one dark and one light long sleeved shirt

(Left to right) Lands’ End’s Men's Long Sleeve Performance Twill Shirt in True Navy and Skyline Poplin One Pocket BD Shirt in Riversand.

AARP (Lands’ End, Buck Mason)

Do yourself a solid

In a calm neutral or an offbeat hue, nothing beats the crisp look of a solid-color shirt to level up a look. Classic American button-down styling smartly translates in an airy, featherweight cotton in the Skyline Poplin One Pocket BD Shirt ($148, buckmason.com) colored a versatile Riversand shade. Lands' End fashions its wrinkle-free chino fabric as a handsome sport shirt that does dress or casual duty in the Men's Long Sleeve Performance Twill Shirt in True Navy ($46, landsend.com). We like the seasoned Light Olive Green version of Banana Republic’s Washed Cotton Poplin Shirt ($70, bananarepublic.com) with its polished look and subtle fabric sheen for a pulled-together but casual manner.

heavy button up shirts, one in burgundy plaid and one light blue

(Left to right) Sonoma Goods For Life Long Sleeve Supersoft Knit Button-Up Shirt in Burgundy Grey Check and J. Crew’s Seaboard Soft-knit Shirt in Hthr Surf.

AARP (Kohl’s, J. Crew)

Knit pickings

All in the name of comfort, lofty knit fabrics are a welcome twist on the classic woven button-down. The WFH Shirt in Savannah Tan/Chocolate Chip Heather ($128, rhone.com) goes anywhere in a brushed knit fabric and boasts an eased athletic fit and a rounded hem to wear tucked or untucked, the Seaboard Soft-knit Shirt in Hthr Surf ($70, jcrew.com) mimics the feel of a sweater in a supersoft brushed double knit (and it’s slightly large for layering underneath), and the Sonoma Goods For Life Long Sleeve Supersoft Knit Button-Up Shirt looks sharp in an upscale but classic Burgundy and Grey Check ($22, kohls.com).

By your weave

A year-round essential in temperate climes, a linen shirt has a cool attitude — polished but attractively textured — while also helping you to beat the heat with its softly crisp weave, J. Crew’s Baird McNutt Irish Linen Shirt ($98, jcrew.com) comes in a raft of colors including a Pebbel Grey. Or if you prefer a short-sleeve version, Kohl’s For The Republic Linen Button-Down Shirt ($28, kohls.com) looks especially vacation-bound in a soft sage-green shade. For a gutsier take just like your flannel favorite but acclimated for warmer weather, Vince’s Summit Plaid Linen Blend Button-Up Shirt ($78, nordstrom.com) comes in Venice Blue, a melange of watery tones with an easy spread collar.

Vincent Boucher is a fashion journalist whose writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles Times and New York magazine. Earlier in his career, he was the fashion director at Esquire and a celebrity stylist, and he remains a creative consultant.

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