Yes, seasoned streetwear veteran Stussy technically does not make silk shirts. Yes, we know that it's a bold move to start this list with a brand that has more viscose (effectively artificial silk) shirts than true silk. Yes, even following celebrated artistic director Ryan Willms' total brand overhaul—which included an entirely revamped ready-to-wear line with a higher price point—the label tends to stick with more humble fabrics. Still, the each summer the Southern California staple produces a number of rayon and cupro camp collars that are seasonal must-haves. Yes, it’s no Prada “Impossible True Love” shirt, but featuring a boxy cut and a dizzying array of colors, they stand up to the best “silk” imitations.

Though there is an ever growing amount of options, our personal favorites are the tie-dye reminiscent series released as part of last year’s Spring/Summer 2019 collection. With a sublimated print, wide spread collar and tonal buttons the shirts are a perfect wallet-friendly alternative to silk season.

Of course, on the opposite end of the spectrum, for those dead set on a premium fashion-forward silk shirt—and price is not an object—Haider Ackeramann makes one of the best oversized silk shirts in the business. A Royal Academy dropout, Ackermann developed a unique aesthetic defined by louche tailoring while merging various cultural and tribal motifs. His famously androgynous collections include tops that toe the line between blouses and dress shirts, both voluminous and slender.

Preferring premium materials—python, alligator, velvet and obviously silk—Ackermann amassed a cult following, with noted fans including Tilda Swinton, Timothée Chalamet and, most famously, Kanye West himself.

Each season, Ackermann releases an oversized silk shirt to pair with his shrunken razor sharp tailoring. While the haute pirate aesthetic is difficult to pull off for even the most seasoned fashion veteran, individually, the beautifully tailored pieces made with the finest fabrics are top notch. As for the shirts, we recommend the mandarin collars with the off-set patterns ranging from grid to barbed wire. In wild colors for purple stain to electric yellow, these flowy numbers are hard for even the most fashion averse to disagree with.

Equal parts cliche and gauche, the Versace silk shirt is considered vile by many, the de-facto uniform of Miami cornballs and Euro-trash. In reality, however, given its historical significance and enduring relevance in popular culture (when done right) the Versace silk shirt is a clear indication of wealth and taste.

The legacy of house founder Gianni Versace—himself a famously lavish dresser—the silk shirt has been a house staple for nearly four decades. Featuring gothic and baroque prints ranging from gold links to the houses’ iconic medusa head, the overtly ostentatious design was a smash success during the maximalist '80s. While often lacking a logo, the immediately recognizable design attracted a highly specific clientele, first in Italy and eventually in Versace’s adopted home of Miami where it was embraced by everyone from the club scene to cocaine kingpins. A decade later, the Versace silk shirt collided with hip-hop, with Biggie, Tupac and Dr. Dre noted fans, a tradition that in many ways continues to this day.

A strange combination of Miami Vice and Notorious, the shirt is once again emerging as a summer staple. Heavily associated with late A$AP Mob founder A$AP Yams, the Versace silk shirt never went out of style uptown. With brands ranging from Gucci to Casablanca offering their own iterations on the form shaped by Versace, the rest of the industry may finally be catching up.

If bold prints are decidedly not your taste, consider Swedish staple Our Legacy as an alternative. Despite skewing towards minimal, the brand cuts no corners insofar as fabric and construction are concerned, meaning its seasonal silk shirts are the real deal. In neutral colors and often on the verge of sheer, the Our Legacy silk button ups boast a romantic, almost sensual quality, making them ideal for a summer night out or intimate dinner.

Available in both long and short sleeve iterations, our personal favorite are the off-white and ecru sheer numbers previously mentioned. Yes, they are sheer, but it’s summer—and given our current menswear climate its your best chance ever at pulling them off. Paired with wide linen trousers and some slip-on loafers, the Our Legacy shirt is ideal for the perfect louche summer look.

As you would expect, Louis Vuitton boasts an extensive range of silk shirts. The epitome of luxury, the French house works with the gamut of premium materials and silk comprises a sizable part of each ready-to-wear collection. During Virgil Abloh’s tenure, the Off-White founder has utilized the material to make everything from pajama shirts and wide trousers to scarves and bandanas. For his predecessor Kim Jones, the material was predominantly reserved for long sleeve printed button-ups, and they were some of the best pieces from his decade at the helm of Louis Vuitton men’s.

Famously fond of collaboration, Jones loved to work alongside both cult and celebrated figures, their respective motifs often wound up incorporated into silk button ups. From Christopher Nemeth’s interlocking ropes to Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment Design lightning bolt, brand insignias regularly appeared on gorgeous silk shirts.

Our personal favorite, however, is no doubt the Giraffe print, courtesy of the Chapman Brothers. For Spring/Summer 2017–the second time Jones had worked with the British visual artists—the Chapman Brothers beautiful animal illustrations appeared on both a short and long sleeve silk button up. Inspired by Jones’ childhood obsession with African safaris, the drawings are quasi-realistic, however possess an inherent quirkiness typical in the duo’s work. Instantly selling out and far out of production, today Grailed is the only place you can find these masterful gems. Yes, they are pricey, but considering Jones’ Louis Vuitton legacy, they are well worth it.

Similarly to Stussy, given Supreme’s client base and price point, New York’s premier streetwear label usually opts for more affordable options including rayon and cupro. Yet, constantly bucking trend and defying expectations, on occasion the label has worked with more luxurious materials, from its recurring collaboration with Loro Piana to the occasional 100 percent silk button up. While these pop-up somewhat randomly every few seasons, when they do, given the higher price point and more niche audience, they tend to fly under the radar–but, if you know you know.

Although there are a number of options out there including the “Melting Clock” shirt from the Salvador Dali Spring/Summer 2019 collaboration and a short sleeve polka-dot version from Spring/Summer 2018, our personal favorite is the “Golden” silk shirt. Available in three base colors (black, red and blue) with an interlocking gold overlay reminiscent of vintage Hermès, the long sleeve from Fall/Winter 2016 is, in our humble opinion, an all time Supreme great.

Historically, Gucci is best known for its loafers, belts, luggage and scarves. Under current creative director Alessandro Michele, the ready-to-wear collections play arguably as big a role in the label’s success as the accessories—at least, from a cultural standpoint. Famously maximalist and kitschy, the designer’s Victorian-meets-Bohemian-meets-Italian aesthetic catapulted the label into unprecedented success since his appointment in 2015. While the heat has since simmered down, each season the massive collections'—120-plus full looks combining men’s, women’s and children’s—are peppered with greatness including a number of silk bowling shirts.

In a classic wide camp collar shape, the shirts range in color and boast the usual illustrations Michele is so fond of—tigers, dragons, flowers and embroidery galore. While retail on these is a hefty sum, thankfully there are plenty well below market on Grailed.

The Japanese master, Yohji Yamamoto is no stranger to delicate fabrics. While his collections are predominantly black, the fabrics within are always top notch, and silk regularly makes an appearance. His oversized silk shirts, often layered underneath drapey unstructured tailoring are a particular favorite, ones that Yamamoto himself has worn regularly for the past five decades. Available nearly every season, they range from elongated white band collar button ups to black popovers. Regardless of the color or pattern, the fit is always nearly identical.

While some of the printed iterations featuring graphics ranging from femme fatales to anime characters and pin-ups are strikingly beautiful, we recommend a classic black long silk button up. For avant-garde and Japanese fashion enthusiasts alike, they are a wardrobe must.

A Grailed staff favorite, Maison Margiela—at least, historically, prior to the appointment of current creative director John Galliano—produced luxe version of simple wardrobe basics. Straight leg jeans, wool sweaters, outerwear and tailoring were all stripped down to the bare necessities, then revamped with premium fabric and clever design flourishes to elevate them into something else entirely. In the case of the silk button up, Margiela essentially transformed a standard cotton piqué dress shirt by extending them hem, altering the width and opting for silk as oppose to the aforementioned cotton. The result is one of the best (and most underrated) silk dress shirts on the market.

Although usually plain, for Spring/Summer 2017 the brand added a wrap-around fox print, which—while atypical for the label—elevated the piece to new heights. A seasonal stand out, the shirt quickly sold out and was a fashion week street style regular, gracing the back of some of the industry’s best-dressed. A favorite amongst the Grailed community, these tend to sell quickly when they hit the site; if an opportunity presents itself, move quickly—it won’t be there for long.

Of course, we could not in good faith discuss "silk shirts" without mentioning the silk shirt holy grail. When Kanye West hit the Coachella stage in 2011 in the women’s Spring/Summer 2011 Celine blouse, menswear history was made. Already a noted fan, name dropping then creative director Phoebe Philo on “Dark Fantasy” a year prior, when West hit the main stage, the women’s silk blouse instantly became a decade-defining wardrobe icon.

Nearly impossible to track down then—Celine was always in incredibly high demand–following West’s performance the piece became more than a collection highlight, but emblematic of a new era of high fashion conscious rap. Suddenly, men across American were interested in a womenswear label predominantly catering to ladies in their late-50s. West irrevocably shifted the fashion paradigm, and the Celine blouse was the top to do it. Then, in 2018—no doubt and homage to that Coachella moment—Travis Scott wore the same Celine blouse.

In the midst of #OldCeline—the viral hashtag an instagram account celebrating Celine under Philo–both the shirt and the West moment were back in the spotlight.

Clearly, given the history, designer and numerous co-signs, these are by no means cheap. Finding one in a rare size large—they are oversized, however still intended for women—for less than five figures is pretty much unheard of. That said, if you have the wallet for it, this isn't just a silk top, it’s a piece of history.

When it comes to flowy patterned shirts, no one does it quite like Dries Van Noten. The Belgian mastermind has a knack for developing the most intricate patterns in often entirely unexpected color combinations then seamlessly transferring them to a wide range of fabrics for various uses from tailoring and outerwear to wide cut camp collar shirts.

Nearly every season, the brand releases a long and short sleeve version of its beloved silk shirt, featuring one (if not multiple) of that season’s unique patterns. Recent seasons have ranged from from gothic Hawiian print aloha shirts to neon tie-dyes and, for this spring, crisp blue satin with embroidered iris flowers. While many of the wilder prints are in fact viscose or poly blends, each season the designer does indeed make 100% silk numbers, which apart from being far pricier are always the most coveted. For those looking for a truly beautiful shirt and willing to pay a price, this is it.

Though still new to the game, upstart label Casablanca has made a name for itself by embracing the sort of nouveau-riche gaucheness labels like Versace and Gucci embraced throughout the 1980s—only with taste. The Parisian-based brand is a mix between clay-court tennis chic and the French riviera, and it’s focus on quality, graphics and quite frankly a lifestyle any sane person dreams of, has made it a hit.

Designed by French-Moroccan Charaf Tajer, the label has combined terry cloth gym shorts with $800 al-fresco still life print silk button ups since its inception, and with our increasingly casual lifestyle—not to mention a hit New Balance collab—it’s working. As for the shirt itself, premium silk is printed and cut into a relaxed fit shirt. Casablanca’s silk shirts feature everything from ripe fruit to idyllic white sand beaches, and with its generous cut and proportion, it’s practically built to feel like you’re on the breezy shores of a secluded beach... even if you’re stuck at your makeshift home office. Granted, these cost a hefty sum, but for their transportative properties alone, they are well worth it (whether you’re wearing it on a vacation, or a staycation.

New York’s latest fashion success story, Bode’s eclectic, artisanal approach to menswear has resonated well beyond its home town. While collections are now shown in Paris, the brand itself is still very much a hands on, DIY operation, with weekly drops of various limited edition pieces and custom one-offs only available either via the brand’s web shop or in-store at the downtown Manhattan flagship. One such example is the silk crochet knit shirt.

Made from crocheted silk (as the name suggests), this is the sort of piece only the bravest can pull off, Slightly oversized and undeniably breezy, this, like many Bode pieces, is not for the faint of heart. But, it is precisely this sort of “found in your grandparents’ attic” aesthetic—a romanticised Americana that makes fans fall in love with the label in the first place. And yes, you could wear this with an undershirt (or without, and if that’s what you prefer, more power to you). Personally, we suggest if you’re going to splurge, go all in.

Keep in mind: Part of the charm of Emily Adams Bode’s aesthetic is that—while she and her team produce pieces for wholesale, there’s usually slight variations in each item given the unique qualities (and limited quantities, in some cases) of the fabrics she’s chosen to work with that season. If you don’t like the design of one shirt for example, we encourage you to explore similar styles within her catalog or collections—you’re bound to find something that was made of a one-of-a-kind fabric (and picking up something that’s sure to become something of an heirloom in its own right).

The preeminent French luxury brand, Hermès mastered the use of silk in a luxury fashion context years before most of these brands even existed. While best known for its silk scarves (and leather goods), the brand is secretly home to arguably the most expensive menswear line one earth, with pieces regularly entering the six-figure price range. Suffice to say: This stuff aint cheap.

That said, quality comes at a cost. Few brands on earth boast the sort of access or technical wizardry as Hermès, evident in the legendary durability of its pieces. Of course, this being Grailed, we are by no means insisting you to go out and spend a high four-figure sum on a silk button up. Instead, grab a unique vintage piece at a fraction of the price. Many buyers simply do not not know what they are looking at, but for those in the know, Hermès silk is the stuff of legend.