Best Brands for Shirts: Where to Buy a Great Shirt That Fits and Lasts

The global shirt market was valued at over £150 billion in 2024, with online sales accounting for more than 38% of all purchases. Yet despite thousands of options across luxury, high street, and ethical brands, finding a shirt that fits your specific body shape remains a persistent challenge. The root cause? Inconsistent sizing, non-standardised measurement systems, and poor fit-mapping from brand to consumer.

At Tellar.co.uk, we solve this problem by standardising fit data across more than 1,500 fashion brands, mapping actual user body measurements against known brand-specific size charts. Whether you’re shopping for tailored poplins or casual linens, our database ensures you buy the correct size the first time — reducing returns, increasing comfort, and saving time.

This guide reviews the most reputable shirt brands, categorised by segment — luxury, high street, and sustainable — with technical information on fit, fabric composition, and where to purchase them. We also offer direct links to Tellar.co.uk, related blog posts, and sizing insights.

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Understanding Shirt Fit: The 3 Core Dimensions

Most shirts are built around three structural measurements:

1. Chest width – directly impacts armhole comfort and drape.

2. Shoulder width – determines how the shirt sits across your frame.

3. Sleeve and torso length – affects silhouette and mobility.

While many brands label shirts as Small, Medium, Large, or numeric sizes (UK 8–18, EU 36–46), the actual garment dimensions vary widely. For example:

• Massimo Dutti’s UK 10 shirt typically has a chest width of 92–94 cm.

• COS Medium often measures 102–106 cm across the chest — a full size up.

🡒 Use Tellar’s size calculator here to find out how each brand fits relative to your measurements.

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Best Luxury Brands for Shirts (£150–£500)

These brands focus on high yarn-count cottons, refined collar construction, and precision tailoring.

Eton Shirts (Sweden)

• Key facts: Founded in 1928; non-iron finish technology; multi-ply long staple cotton.

• Fit profile: Slim and contemporary, consistent across all shirt ranges.

• Fabric detail: Egyptian cotton, 2-ply yarns, wrinkle-free coatings.

• Recommended for: Businesswear, formal occasions.

• Buy at: etonshirts.com

Thomas Pink (UK)

• Key facts: Established in London in 1984; returned to market in 2021 with a refined silhouette.

• Fit profile: True slim fit with structured shoulders.

• Fabric detail: 100% cotton, 120s–140s thread count.

• Buy at: thomaspink.com

The Row (USA)

• Key facts: Founded by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen; minimal luxury with French seams and Japanese fabrics.

• Fit profile: Boxy, oversized but structured.

• Fabric detail: Silk-cotton blends, mercerised cotton, high-grade linen.

• Buy at: net-a-porter.com, matchesfashion.com

🡒 Read: Luxury Sizing Compared: Massimo Dutti vs The Row

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High Street Shirt Brands (Under £120)

These brands offer widespread accessibility with varied fabric quality and looser size consistency.

COS (Sweden)

• Key facts: H&M Group; known for structured design and unisex fits.

• Fit profile: Generously cut, often oversized by 1–2 sizes.

• Fabric detail: Organic cotton, structured poplins, minimal stretch.

• Buy at: cos.com

Massimo Dutti (Spain)

• Key facts: Inditext group; classic European styling, premium high street tier.

• Fit profile: Tends to run small, particularly in bust and waist.

• Fabric detail: Cotton-silk, modal, lyocell blends.

• Buy at: massimodutti.com

🡒 Read: Massimo Dutti Size Guide – What You Should Know

Whistles (UK)

• Key facts: Focuses on modern tailoring, fitted sleeves, cropped cuts.

• Fit profile: True to size, UK standard.

• Fabric detail: Cotton-viscose blends, occasional elastane for stretch.

• Buy at: whistles.com

Arket (Sweden)

• Key facts: Also owned by H&M; minimal style, genderless fits.

• Fit profile: Oversized body, longer sleeve length.

• Fabric detail: Heavyweight cotton, organic twill, brushed flannel.

• Buy at: arket.com

🡒 Read: High Street Shirt Sizing Demystified

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Sustainable Shirt Brands (Ethical & Transparent)

These brands disclose manufacturing data, offer fair-wage production, and favour regenerative fabrics.

ASKET (Sweden)

• Key facts: 100% traceability from thread to store; lifetime repair support.

• Fit profile: Designed using exact garment dimensions; online size graph available.

• Fabric detail: Egyptian cotton, linen, lyocell.

• Buy at: asket.com

Baukjen (UK)

• Key facts: Certified B-Corp; reduced carbon collections; zero polyester.

• Fit profile: Standard UK sizing; darted waist on most shirt styles.

• Fabric detail: LENZING™ Ecovero viscose, organic cotton, deadstock reuse.

• Buy at: baukjen.com

Thought Clothing (UK)

• Key facts: Pioneers in bamboo fibre and hemp-based fabrics.

• Fit profile: Relaxed through shoulders, suitable for casualwear.

• Buy at: wearethought.com

🡒 Read: How Ethical Brands Handle Sizing Transparently

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Shirt Material Guide: Technical Considerations

Your choice of material directly influences performance, drape, and durability:

🡒 Read: Shirt Material Comparison Guide

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Fit by Body Shape: Optimise Based on Frame

Petite Frames

• Target brands with proportionally shorter sleeves and torso cuts.

• Best: Whistles Petite, & Other Stories, Reiss Petite
  🡒 Guide: Shirts for Petite Women

Tall Frames

• Seek brands offering long-line or tall collections.

• Best: Arket, Long Tall Sally, COS Oversized Range
  🡒 Guide: Shirts for Tall Body Shapes

Curvy / Hourglass

• Prioritise darted waists, stretchy fabrics, and button strength across bust.

• Best: Karen Millen, Phase Eight, Mango
  🡒 Guide: Shirts for Curvy Shapes

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Where to Buy: Trusted Retailers

Multi-brand Platforms:

• Net-a-Porter – designer range.

• John Lewis – consistent sizing info.

• Selfridges – luxury + high street.

• The Outnet – past season luxury.

Brand Direct:

• COS.com

• MassimoDutti.com

• Arket.com

• ASKET.com

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Final CTA: Stop Guessing Your Shirt Size — Know It

With shirt prices ranging from £40 to £400+, guessing your size is no longer acceptable. Poor fit leads to wasted money, time-consuming returns, and wardrobe dissatisfaction. Tellar.co.uk lets you enter your measurements once and instantly match to the correct size in any major shirt brand.

🡒 Create your free profile now
🡒 Search a brand instantly

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Tellar.co.uk: Your Shirt Sizing Ally

• 🌐 Website: Tellar.co.uk

• 📍 Instagram: @Tellarsizing

• 📌 Pinterest: TellarUK

• 💬 Twitter (X): @Tellar100

• 👍 Facebook: Tellar Sizing

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“Find your size in 1,500+ brands real-time. It’s free & easy” – only at Tellar.co.uk.