Why You Will Love Mizzen + Main Mens Shirts

Hey everybody,

Neal here today–I’m excited to be teaming up with another one of my favorite mens brands–Mizzen + Main–in today’s blog post. It’s one I’ve been wearing for years–so I was really excited when Jess received an email in her inbox asking to collaborate!

In our 2019 reader survey, a lot of you asked for more style recommendations for your guys–so ask and you shall receive!

Bold statement alert: Mizzen + Main mens shirts will dramatically improve your guys life. Big claim, yeah? But let me explain.

Why you will love Mizzen + Main mens shirts

First, the brand’s popularity was built on the classic dress shirt, so that’s what I’ll be featuring today. This is fitting because I wear a suit for work almost every day of my life, and under that suit, there’s a pretty good chance it’s going to be a white or blue Mizzen + Main dress shirt.

To fully appreciate the company, it’s important to give you the background: Mizzen + Main was founded in 2012 by Kevin Lavelle, a recent graduate who was interning in Washington D.C. He noticed a staffer (who had attempted to be very professional when he got dressed that day) sweating through his clothes, leaving embarrassing stains on his white button down. He got the idea to create a dress shirt with moisture-wicking capabilities, made with a performance fabric similar to that of an athletic shirt. Thus, Mizzen + Main was born!

As the website says, “We saw a guy on a hot day in Washington D.C., probably with aspirations to become POTUS, go into a meeting drenched in sweat. How can you become the President going into a meeting looking like you just walked out of a pool? You can’t. You’ve got to look good, and you’ve got to feel good. Cotton blocks you from all of that.” ?

You get it, they’re different–right? But HOW different? Let’s discuss:

The Best Things About Mizzen + Main men’s shirts:

Moisture Wicking

Yep–like I said, they’re not made from cotton (which makes you hot and sweaty), but a performance fabric that is very similar to what you’d wear to the gym! I’ve worn all of the top fitness brands’ moisture wicking apparel-they all do that well. But Mizzen+Main has found a way to take the same technology and structure shirts that look and feel like any freshly pressed dress shirt, but wayyy better than your standard cotton.

The material is super breathable–you won’t overheat regardless of what you’re doing–walking to grab sushi on your lunch break in the dead of summer to breaking it down on the dance floor at your best friend’s wedding. If your significant other is that guy that has to bring a change of undershirt to swap partway through the day–like I said, this shirt is going to change his life.

Four Way Stretch

These shirts move with you, are slim fitting, and very flattering–they aren’t awful and stiff like a lot of cotton shirts are. They’re also super comfortable, barely there–and most certainly not scratchy or itchy like many dress shirts can be. They look fantastic on their own, under a suit, and are perfect to wear from the office to post-work drinks.

(Side note: speaking of drinks, a huge thanks to The Robey for letting us shoot in The Up Room, which is one of our favorite swanky cocktail spots. You must put it on your list if you’re in Chicago!)

Broad range of sizes

This may sound like a basic benefit, but trust me, a lot of brands fall on their faces with this one. The size chart on their website is super detailed, (they even add height and weight ranges for help) but also super easy to use. Sizing runs from S-XXL and they cut shirts from Trim to Standard to Tall (and help you/him with those choices too). Basically an guy that’s 5’4″ 130 to 6’4″ 230 is covered! For reference I’m wearing a Trim cut Medium!

Machine Washable

Perhaps the best part of all–no dry cleaning! This shirt alone can save you hundreds of dollars per year! I wash mine in the washer with like-colors (on cold) and hang them to dry. That’s it–they dry wrinkle free & never seem to wrinkle. When I am flying for business (which happens a lot) I see plenty of guys get off the plane with terrible wrinkles all over their dress shirts after a few hours in the air-not me!

Favorite Mizzen + Main shirt styles:

The Manhattan: The classic white button down I’m wearing here. It’s what got me hooked on the brand–I tell everyone who ever wears a suit about them. I think every guy needs at least one in white and in blue–both classic staples and colors that will look good under any suit for pretty much any occasion.

The McKellen: The blue button down I’m wearing as well. I love the subtle pattern to it–not to much to be unsuitable for the most professional office settings, but enough to be anything but plain.

Casual button downs: If you work in a less formal, casual-yet still polished setting–you’ll love their casual button down shirts. They’re great for those who play golf too, because they don’t restrict your movement! Speaking of golf, they make polo shirts, too!

Henleys: A henley (or two, in different colors!) is a casual wardrobe must-have for any guy. As comfortable as anything, but polished, versatile, and great for travel, too.

For weddings: They also make shirts for weddings–whether you need a breathable tux shirt, suit shirt, or groomsmen shirts. (They would make a great groomsmen gift, by the way–especially for a hot destination wedding.)

Shop more Mizzen + Main dress shirts + button-downs:

Shop more Mizzen + Main casual shirts:

Cheers to Mizzen + Main! We hope your guy loves these shirts as much as I do!

Huge thanks to Mizzen + Main, a brand I’ve worn for years, for sponsoring this post. We’re so happy to have been able to team up for this project. As always, all opinions are 110% our own.