#1. The White Poplin/Pinpoint/Twill

Quick. Think of a white dress shirt. Got it? Good. That’s the #1 shirt we should all have in our closets. The collar does NOT button down on these, and they’re made of a mid to lightweight fabric. Some call these “oxfords” even though that’s not quite right (being that the fabric isn’t an oxford cloth). It’s a shirt that’ll look just as good with a suit and tie as it will under a V-neck sweater with jeans. It’s crisp, it’s clean, and you’ll want a collar with enough beef to look substantial. If you like going tieless, favor semi-spread collars instead of full spread collars.

#2. The Light Blue Poplin/Pinpoint/Twill

Pretty much the same thing as shirt #1, only in a very pale, light blue shade. Not royal blue. Not kinda light blue with grey buttons. You want a true, light blue with the standard off-white/bone colored buttons. Slightly less formal than white, but can still be dressed way up.

#3. The White Oxford Cloth Button Down Collar

Not really a “dress” shirt. At least, not most of them. (Brooks Brothers original polo collar oxfords are pretty dressy.) But still needs to go on the list due to its versatility. OCBD is an abbreviation for “oxford cloth button down.” And the “button down” part refers to the collar, not to the front of the shirt. A few lighter, pressed OCBDs can pull duty in the office, but just make sure those have fabrics that aren’t that much thicker than a standard poplin. Otherwise, the thicker OCBDs are best used in more smart casual environments.

#4. The Blue Oxford Cloth Button Down Collar

Noticing a pattern here? White and light blue are the foundation of your shirt lineup. You could easily get away with wearing white and light blue shirts for your entire life. Also, just because this list is a little boring so far doesn’t make it wrong.

#5. The Striped Shirt (Bengal or Thin Stripe)

What do you get when you combine a white shirt and a blue shirt? You get a white and blue striped shirt. Ta-da. And no, you don’t have to stick to blue stripes. Green, pink, gray, it can all work. These look great tieless with a solid suit or sportcoat, or, under a sweater with jeans or chinos.

#6. The Windowpane/Tattersall

Starting to break free from solids, but still sticking with a white and blue foundation. A windowpane is just different enough from the stripes that most guys default to. When under a jacket of some kind, they’ll give your look a bit of depth. When it comes to the size of the squares, ideal is between a pencil eraser and a quarter. If your wardrobe leans more casual, button down collars on these shirts would absolutely work and be more versatile for day-to-day life.

#7. The Bold Gingham

Color is up to you. Black and white obviously offers the most contrast, but deep blue, green, even red can deliver. It’s a dressed up version of a dressed down pattern. The button down collar strategy would go the same here for the gingham shirts as it does for windowpane. Live and work in a more casual environment? Button down collars might just be the way to go.

#8. The Micro Pattern

Whether it’s a tiny check, micro-plaid, or houndstooth, these are the shirts that have two (three max) colors going on with a very small pattern. From a distance they may even look solid. But up close, they’re not. Lots of depth with these.

#9. The Dressed Up Chambray

In ten years we very well could look back and say “the hell were we thinking?” But for now, a shirt that looks a bit like denim, yet is much lighter in weight, is a great way to dress down a suit or mix it up with your casual attire. Blue or grey works here.

#10. The Pink or Subtle Red Striped/Checked Shirt

Just fine for most. Beware though. For those with a super pale skin tone, a solid pink shirt might look a little flushed up against their easy to sunburn skin. Opt instead for a red or pink micro-check or stripe on white, which will break up that visual texture a bit more.

A version of this post originally ran in 1/2015, but has since been updated with current product suggestions.