I have a pathological distaste for cotton. It has been my lifelong textile arch-nemesis, and I am slowly, but surely, winning the battle of banning it from my existence. More or less, anyway.
Cotton may have been the world’s most spectacular fiber for hundreds of years; it’s soft, strong, absorbent, and versatile enough for cozy pajamas, or super-tough denim; but, on the downside, it wrinkles like crazy, and holds onto water like a terrified toddler holds onto mommy: Annoyingly.
And, much like the horse-drawn carriage, all good things must come to an end, when supplanted by utterly superior alternatives. And of all clothing categories in which cotton is losing its luster, button-up dress shirts make for quite a welcome change. I mean seriously, how has the entire globe settled on the prerequisite of passing a slab of hot metal over the fabric every time you wear the damn thing? Why must we deal with such nonsense?!??!
The good news is: We don’t. There’s an escape route. A non-wrinkly, super soft, long-lasting, self-cleaning, all-natural miracle fabric that will have you feeling a little…ahem…sheepish that you’ve had the wool pulled over your eyes for so long.
…I have more puns, but I think you get the idea.
Why merino wool dress shirts are your new best friend
Merino wool has long been a mainstay of hikers and scruffy backpackers alike, prized for its ability to regulate body temperature, handle immense perspiration, remain utterly immune to wrinkles, and entirely impervious to body odors of any kind. Mountaineers have pushed its legendary anti-odor ability to the limits, wearing merino wool clothing for several months at a time without washing at all; it’ll still look (and smell) brand new.
And, in recent years, these spectacular performance advantages have arrived in formal attire, as merino wool dress shirts have become a reality. There are all sorts of perks that arise from this, but my favorite part is: They don’t wrinkle. They literally cannot wrinkle.
Here, I’ll show you:
I cannot get wrinkles in there, even if I try. Check out a close up:
This is a shirt you can stuff into a backpack and yank out looking great, and why would you ever want anything else!??!
Straight out of the box, some of these shirts have creases, from sitting packed on a shelf for a while. Once you get those out (either with ironing, steaming, or, my favorite, the vinegar-in-a-spray-bottle method), you won’t have much to worry about from then on.
And this certainly isn’t the only advantage merino has over cotton; merino wool is softer, more breathable, more temperature regulating, and, most famously of all, it’s immune to body odor. But my favorite thing of all is that it won’t require dragging a hot slab of steel over the fabric over and over again just to keep it from looking like garbage. Argh! Ironing is so damn stupid. I’m going to throw out all of my cotton shirts someday, and I will never look back. Never I say!
One thing that was interesting was that they probably won’t dry faster than cotton after a sink wash. If you’re comparing t-shirts, merino wool generally dries faster than cotton, but when it comes to button-ups, most cotton dress shirts are paper-thin, whereas some of the merino dress shirts I’ve seen are a little thicker, for added durability, and will thus take a little longer to dry. Not a huge deal, since you don’t have to wash them that often, but something to be aware of.
Okay! Lecture over. Let’s take a look at the options. Some are made of pure merino wool, and some are blended with cotton to give it a crisp, dressy look, although 100% merino shirts look great too. They have a bit of a looser drape, but I don’t mind. Here we go:
100% merino wool buttoned shirts:
1) Icebreaker Departure Plaid
This was my first foray into merino wool button downs (it’s the one pictured above), and it was a good one. This is the only one I know of (at the moment) that has a casual rather than a dressy look, with some modern flair with the unique chest pocket.
The fabric is more on the lightweight side at 150 grams per square meter, although some of the dressier options below are even lighter, and this felt just a bit on the warm side on hot days, especially with an undershirt.
It’s plain and simple, with just a single chest pocket, and no other features, though it makes use of diagonal plaid along the button placket and side panels. I’ve seen it available in solid colors as well, but I think it looks great in plaid, and it’s one of the few that comes in that pattern, as most of the alternatives are much dressier. I managed to find mine on sale for half off, and it shouldn’t be too hard for you to do the same, given Icebreaker’s product proliferation.
- Price: $150 (easy to find on sale)
- Fabric: 100% merino wool
- Fabric weight: 150 g/sq. m
Get it here, and check out the other Icebreaker options, as they tend to have quite a few (Ibex and Smartwool have been getting in on this too, although they rotate through products every year, so I probably won’t add individual items to this list).
2) Wool & Prince Better Button Down
This shirt launched on Kickstarter by managing to raise over 1,000% of its funding goal, spurred on by the viral anecdote of the founder wearing a single shirt for 100 straight days. He never washed it… and it never wrinkled, and never smelled. Shouldn’t everything work that way?
Wool & Prince has expanded quite a bit since then to offer the widest dress shirt selection of anything on this list; they started with button downs, and have since added spread collars, short sleeves, patterned styles (with a finer, softer merino than their solids), thicker fabrics, relaxed-fit versions, work shirts, t-shirts, and many other options. While other companies might offer just a few colors and styles, Wool & Prince already has a few dozen, and can practically supply your whole wardrobe.
I received a test sample of this, in the slim fit, and it’s definitely great for long, lanky, athletic builds. The sleeves are long, the body is slim, and the hem falls down pretty far, meaning it’ll do a better job staying tucked in. It’s quite slim though, so even the regular fit is still going to be what other companies would consider a “slim” fit. The fabric actually has a bit of stretch as well, which was a nice little surprise. It actually fits better than other dress shirt fabrics with spandex, despite not having any. It fits me really well, as I’m one of those long, lanky people, and I love it; shorter people (like 5’7″ or below) might find it a bit too long, but anyone up to 6′ or more, especially with a lean or athletic frame, will absolutely love it.
The solid colors use a slightly coarser fiber than their patterned options, however; it’s not enough to bother me too much, but definitely check out those finer options if you have sensitive skin. It’s also quite light at 130 grams per square meter, which is a weight I think is ideal for dressy situations, especially when you have to wear a blazer and maybe an undershirt, but they’ve got options at 170 grams per square meter for cooler weather, too.
- Price: $128
- Fabric: 100% merino wool
- Fabric weight: 130 g/sq. m (with other thicknesses available as well)
Get it here.
3) Libertad Apparel
A relative newcomer that’s finally transitioned from the Kickstarter campaign to general availability, Libertad makes a 100% wool dress shirt, in a point collar, and rich, deep colors, with the added touch of a “convertible cuff,” which allows you to close the cuffs the normal way, or the cufflink way. It was inspired by the way they make shirts in Thailand, which have this option as standard, for easy conversion.
These are going to look at first glance quite similar to the Wool & Prince, especially as they’re more or less the same price, thickness, and composition; the major difference is that Libertad is using a finer grade of merino in their solid colors, making for a softer, smoother fabric. They’ve also got a point collar (rather than button-down or spread), and they make a more solid blue than you’ll find elsewhere. The fits are also roomier in the waist, whereas the Wool & Prince fits are better for athletic or slender guys. Even in Libertad’s slim fit, it’s broader than W&P’s slim, so this is definitely better for stockier builds.
Libertad sent me a test sample, and I’ll be doing a full review in the near future, but it’s a top-notch dress shirt, with those important differences to set it apart from the rest. It even has a little pen slot, hidden in the chest pocket.
- Price: $129
- Fabric: 100% merino wool
- Fabric weight: 130 g/sq. m
Get it here.
4) Seagale Active Merino Shirt
Seagale is all the way over in France, and they make a literal head-to-toe range of casually-styled performance products to cover whatever situation you might run into. If you’re reading this over in Europe, you’ll probably have an easier time shopping with them than the American companies, as you won’t get stuck paying international shipping fees, so they’d be a good one to keep an eye on.
Their brand new wool dress shirt is made of 100% merino, in a thicker fabric than the alternatives above, making it more suitable for moderate or cooler weather, rather than tropical summers (although Icebreaker and Wool & Prince have options this heavy too). They’re using a fine grade of merino that’ll be nice and soft, in a classic, button-down style.
This is relatively new, so they’ve only got a few colors, but they’re the standard ones that you’d expect dress shirts to be. Just avoid wearing this in hot summers, as you’re likely to overheat, especially if you’re also wearing a blazer and an undershirt.
- Price: 120 euros
- Fabric: 100% merino wool
- Fabric weight: 200 g/sq. m
Get it here.
Merino/cotton blend buttoned shirts:
Minor update: It looks like just about all the options in this section have been discontinued…but I’ll be leaving them here as a eulogy for now.
5) Outlier Merino/Co Pivot
Outlier has informed me that this is the shirt they’re most proud of. They literally went around the world looking for something suitable, and built a merino/cotton button-up that combines the wrinkle resistance and the temperature and moisture regulation of merino wool with the crisp, structured appearance of cotton. They call it “the one to travel the world with.”
It has a mostly-classic appearance, though with a unique chest pocket (the flap actually goes down, so you can do a handstand and nothing will fall out), and a hidden button-down collar. It also has Outlier’s Pivot Sleeve, which allows stretchy arm movements, even with mostly non-stretchy fabric, by using a technique called “cutting along the bias,” which allows stretch along a diagonal, if you orient the fabric at that angle.
It’s definitely on the warm side though, so it’s not quite a summer-appropriate sort of thing, unless you’re the type of person that’s always cold.
- Price: $175
- Fabric: 59% merino wool, 41% cotton
- Fabric weight: 200 g/sq. m
Update: This one is no longer available, but Outlier has released a few new ones for 2018 made of merino in a variety of weights and styles.
Any other brands?
I just wanted to give a quick mention to the others entering the market, such as Civic, a sub-brand of Taylor Stitch, and Wolk-Antwerp (located in Europe), although both have an extremely small selection for now.
Is there a poor man’s alternative?
Yup! Merino is pricey, and there’s just no way around it. Those adorable little sheep need to eat, you know. But a cheap alternative is a cotton/polyester blend button-up shirt. Even just a little polyester will practically eliminate all the wrinkles, and it’ll help a shirt dry fast enough that you can wash it in the evening, and it’ll be ready to go by morning.
Cotton/polyester blends probably won’t be as good as merino wool (partly because most of them include polyester because it’s cheap, which means they’re looking to cut corners, and might cut several), but if cash is a concern, this is a decent option. I’ve got a 60/40 cotton/polyester plaid button-up from Volcom that looks fine, and cost me $40. Not as good as merino (particularly in terms of odor resistance), but not bad. Tencel is another promising fabric alternative, but nobody’s using it at the moment.
But, whichever way you go, you’ll be set for low-maintenance adventurousness all over the world, looking snappy and presentable even if you are scruffy and uncultured. Or, alternatively, it’ll enhance your ability to be incredibly lazy at home, because merino wool dress shirts will convince you to never pick up an iron ever again.
Either way, win-win.
Hi – your site has been helpful for my planning upcoming travel, and the reviews about the merino shirts had me sold – I bought two of the Icebreaker departure shirts (clearance/discontinued) and one of the Outlier Merino/Co shirts. Now that I have them and have tried them out on 85 deg days, the Icebreakers are quite itchy even though they say “no itch” (which is not something you ever see a cotton or linen product have to say) and sweat dampness stood out very visibly. The Outlier is a pretty shirt, but it feels like wearing canvas – it is quite heavy and stiff – seems more for winter weather than any weather. When I put on one of my cotton/polyester blend no-iron (cheaper) shirts, I sigh with relief in the comfort – and they line-dry just as quick. I am wondering what you consider as the trade-off between comfort and being able to wear something for days without stinking, which I am currently not convinced there is no other reason for getting these more expensive merino shirts.
Cotton/polyester shirts can work well enough, but I’ve found that quite a few of them start smelling terribly by the end of the same day I’m wearing them. It’s true that wool can be warm, especially if the fabric is thick enough, so it usually has to be really thin (something like 150 g/sq. m, which is true of the Icebreaker one) for summer use. Cotton is easier to make super-thin (like 100 g/sq m pretty easily), so that’s why it can be useful for hot weather, but it wrinkle, unless you include polyester; but then it’ll smell, unless you include an anti-odor treatment. So I think the merino provides a good balance of qualities, though it is generally a bit warmer. Also, the itchiness can be fixed a little by throwing it in the washing machine once or twice. That should help a little, though you might have to use an undershirt if it still itches.
I’d really like to see linen blends, which are great for hot weather, combined with some sort of non-wrinkly material, like polyester or merino, but that’s probably many years away still. Sorry if I oversold the merino shirts for you, but I’ve found the qualities to provide a good balance of easy care, wrinkle resistance, temperature regulation, quick drying time, and so on, to a degree that I find somewhat difficult to find in cheap cotton/poly blends, which are usually made as cheap as possible, and have all sorts of associated problems because of the budget cuts.
I have a 150g merino t-shirt that I have been wearing for exercise and yard work in hot Louisiana weather. I find it to be a tad itchy (compared to cotton, but not even close to regular wool), but once I start sweating in it (which I find to be a little faster than other shirts), it’s not itchy any more. Ironically, one bad quality (I sweat more in it) starts to cancel out another (it’s still a tad itchy). It does breathe pretty well in the sense that, when there’s a breeze, I feel it through my shirt, so that’s nice. But, if there’s no breeze, it’s warmer than other t-shirts (cotton or UA/Nike synthetics). But for me, what still makes it worth it is, even after wearing it for half a dozen 3-mile runs in 90+ degree weather and 2 days of sweating through lots of outdoor chores, it dries out quickly and doesn’t really smell. I’ll happily take those small trade offs (slightly itchy compared to cotton and sweating a little more) for the ability to do a whole lot less laundry (the amount of dirty laundry I generated from running between spandex and shorts that had to be washed immediately when my merino wool shirt and socks didn’t….). So, while I wish it felt like a cotton t-shirt and it doesn’t, I still find it to be worth the trade offs.
Hmm…maybe give the Ninox a try. It’s slightly more than half cotton. I’ve also heard of a few companies working to blend merino with other fibers, like linen, which would make it more appropriate in really hot outdoor weather. Climate change is going to make that sort of thing more and more important, so hopefully we’ll see it soon…
Could you name the companies / products that blend merino wool with linen ? I’d be very interested to see how they compare to full merino especially regarding heat management, wrinkles and odors. Thanks !
I’m not aware of any at the moment, but I did hear of some experiments. I think Outlier was attempting to do this, but it hasn’t materialized yet. But some of the options above are thin enough that I think they’d work, especially if it’s a short sleeve.
I have a few Icebreaker shirts for a couple of months now, and while the Departure is great (as was mentioned before), I like the Seeker better. The texture seems different, it feels softer, and with the 13% nylon added, there is some horizontal strech, so it’s even more comfortable in my opinion.
It’s only available in a dark green and dark grey, hopefully they will add more colours at some point.
I’ve noticed poly-wool blend U.S. navy and marine dress shirts are to be had on Ebay. Anyone have any experience with these shirts? The blend of fabrics suggests they’d be good at wicking. Also, being military surplus, they seem to be a poor man’s option.
Polyester and wool both have varying grades of quality, but I think it could be worth a try.
Hey SN,
Thanks for the review, I’m very interested in picking one of these up for an upcoming trip. In particular I’m looking at the Wool&Prince button-down, where you give a brief update on fit after getting your hands on one. I am tall and thin, 6’3″ and around 175 lbs. I’m debating between a medium and large and here a common problem for me comes up– thinking a medium could be too short but I could be swimming in the large. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Best,
J
Wool & Prince say their shirts match the J. Crew fit, so if there’s one of those nearby, maybe check them out. I’m quite a bit smaller (I went with a size small) so I’m having trouble picturing what would be ideal for you…but maybe order both and return the other one.
Thanks for the reply! I may go ahead and order both as you suggest.
Ended up trying both and the medium fits me well. Long enough in the body and sleeves, can wear it tucked in or un-tucked, and the body is neither overly tight nor does it look like a potato sack. Very happy with it and looking forward to trying it out on an upcoming trip to SE Asia. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Great post! Planning a two month trip to SE Asia (Dec-Feb) and just discovered your site. Finding it incredibly helpful and entertaining, thanks!
Wanted to ask.. have you ever traveled with wrinkle-free/non-iron cotton shirts? I have a button-up one in my closet that I would like to take as I love the fit and style, has just enough stiffness to look good and it’s nice and thin, so it dries really quickly (plus, I own it, already). Guess I’d be missing out on the odor fighting properties of merino but I really don’t sweat all that much in the heat (not sure how, should prob see a doctor).
Anyway, I’m getting older, and would like to switch from T-shirts to button ups for my travels and curious as to your (or anybody’s) experience with these non-iron cotton shirts.
Thanks!
I would recommend folding it up and stuffing it in a bag for a few days, then taking it out and seeing how it looks. If you’re happy with it, there’s no reason to change. Consider yourself lucky that you don’t sweat much, because those of us who do must find all sorts of ways to deal with it, whereas you guys can just use cotton and it’ll work out just fine. So jealous.
Hey Snark
I strongly suggest you check this one out! It’s a Kickstarter project that sounds extremely promising.
http://libertadapparel.com/home01-alt/
Second to this one – I’ve got one and love it. It’s not cheap, but it’s 100% merino and I’m into the styling
I love merino mid layers like sweaters, but I can’t stand wool directly against my skin. It seems like a number of the companies like Rohan use silver chloride to combat smells. Not sure why it works or if it holds up to numerous washes. Nor do I know if there are negative environmental impacts. But, perhaps the best option for us merino-less types.
Silver is anti-bacterial, and the amount of silver is supposedly small enough that it’s no big deal…but I’d pretty to see alternatives, like Tencel fabric. Element Pure launched a Tencel base layer that’s available now and seems quite promising.
Thanks for pointing out the Tencel product. Have you seen a review anywhere? Looks like it’s only available in black—not ideal for summer…
Nah, nothing yet, aside from the user reviews on the site itself. It’s on my list of things to try, though.
Just a heads up, Outlier’s Merino Co/Pivot has (likely) been discontinued and replaced with the S120 No Pocket Pivot.
Thanks. I’ll try to keep this updated as the transition happens.
I gave up on merino for hot weather. Sure its better at stink and wrinkle prevention, but its not some infallable material. It feels, breathes, dries and smells worse than cotton. I prefer a well done blend of cotton, linen or hemp with a bit of stretch lycra or poly. Tropical countries have been wearing super thin cotton blends for ages. Patagonia does tropical shirts fantastic. Wool looks and more importantly, feels drapey. Sweat soaks up too easily. A nice raised texture crepe or wrinkle organic linen or cotton summer shirt is worlds better looking and feeling than merino wool. Most modern summerweight blend shirts don’t wrinkle either because of their materials or existing crepe design. I agree the Wool n Prince shirts are great, but again we arent talking about a shirt you’d wear in hot humid weather. I think a great blend would be 5%hemp for durability, 65%cotton or linen and 30%merino.
Yeah, merino does create some warmth, although I still think it’s the best all-around option for any scenario, but super-thin cotton can win when it comes to tropical heat, although linen would be even better. But then linen gets wrinkly, so it has its own downsides, which is why I wish more companies would do linen/polyester blends (although Patagonia’s cotton/polyester blends might be good enough). I’ve heard some talk of hot weather fabric blends from some of these companies, so keep your eye on them.
This shirt isn’t wool but I think it fits here. I have a merino dress shirts that I love, but this one from Uniqlo has become my favorite:
https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/men-easy-care-comfort-long-sleeve-shirt-183592.html?dwvar_183592_color=COL69&cgid=
It will not wrinkle and does amazing at handling moisture. I really only wear to the office so can’t attest to how it handles smell, but everything else is great. I have no idea why its so cheap either.
Hmm, interesting. It looks like they borrowed that idea from the Ministry of Supply Apollo. Uniqlo has some pretty good stuff, and it’s dirt cheap compared to the competition. I tend to peruse their options quite a bit.