Nothing scratches that summer itch quite like the best men’s popover shirts. The woven hybrid style, which combines the casualness of a polo with the placketed appeal of a button-up shirt, is tailored-made for high summer style, when priorities (also: weather) make the hard shift from “get a ‘fit off” to “get a neck fan on.”
While there’s nothing wrong with looking like every other mustachioed moon-beam-ice-cream crop-topper out there when the weather gets brutal, popovers present an alternative and often overlooked option to beating the heat. (There are others, too: slutty dress shirt, anyone?) A historically preppy style popularized in the ’50s and ’60s, popovers are traditionally cut from lightweight materials like linen and cotton and fitted looser to accommodate their semi-unconventional design.
The style has faded from menswear consciousness in recent years, but, as forward thinkers, we like to align ourselves with potential here at InsideHook, and the popover checks all the boxes — casual, versatile and moodboard appropriate — you should be looking to tick this summer.
While the popover might be a classically preppy piece of apparel, there are a ton of iterations out there, ranging from an office-appropriate Sid Mashburn number to a striped Todd Snyder situation we’re pretty sure we spotted on Love Island. We’ve done our due diligence and rounded up the best popover shirts for you, each vetted and hand-selected by our style editor. Find them below.
The Best Popover Shirts for Men
The Summertime Hero: Drake’s Madras Check Cotton Mandarin Collar Popover Shirt, $375
The Office-Friendly Fit: Sid Mashburn Pima Cotton-Piqué Half-Placket Shirt, $175
The Splurge Shirt: Stòffa Band Collar Cotton Silk Popover, $675
In This Guide
Best Popover Overall: Drake’s Madras Mandarin Collar Popover Shirt
Drake’s Madras Check Cotton Mandarin Collar Popover Shirt
Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: XS-XXL | Fit: Classic |
As with much of the preppy canon, British retailer Drake’s has become the preeminent purveyor of modern day ivy, and their take on the popover is no exception. Made in Italy, this modern take features a slimmed-down silhouette, with 100% lightweight cotton madras weave and a sleek Mandarin collar (also known as a Grandad collar), but there are still nods to quintessential prep — the color palette, for starters. Worn as part of a summer suit or untucked with chinos, it’s the ultimate middle finger to summer for guys who are much too polite to give the middle finger to anything.
Best Popover for Work: Sid Mashburn Pima Cotton Half-Placket Shirt
Sid Mashburn Pima Cotton-Piqué Half-Placket Shirt
Materials: 100% Pima cotton | Sizes: M-XXL | Fit: Classic |
If office cosplay is your goal, it doesn’t get much more buttoned-up than Sid Mashburn’s half-placket shirt. Still, it’s a much more summer-resistant style than you might expect at first glance; the piqué blend is ultra light and highly breathable, and the fit, while trim, still offers more breathing room than a sweaty dress shirt.
Best Splurge Popover: Stòffa Band Collar Cotton Silk Popover
Stòffa Band Collar Cotton Silk Popover
Materials: 85% Cotton, 15% Silk | Sizes: IT 44-54 | Fit: Relaxed |
Form factor aside, the cotton-silk blend that New York-based Stòffa utilizes for this shirt is the real star of the show. Ridiculously light and deliciously soft, the Italian-milled, Leonardo Genova-designed blend of dyed cotton and undyed silk almost makes us forget about the perfectly sloped shoulder and unbothered fit of this decadant band-collar popover.
More Popovers We Love
Billy Reid Chambray Popover Shirt
If you’re looking for something a little less cooling and a little more heavy duty, Billy Reid’s Chambray Popover dials up the military-inspired vibes to a 11.
Zegna Oasi Linen Half-Placket Shirt
Made from Zegna’s premium french-sourced Oasi linen, this shirt is a vision in lightweight craftsmanship… and the only suitable option for a billionaire yacht party.
Beams Patchwork Plaid Short Sleeve Popover Shirt
Beams might as well have yanked this patchwork plaid popover straight out of Take Ivy.
Todd Snyder Relaxed Cotton Popover Shirt
When you picture yourself on a beach, sipping a Mai Tai and performatively reading a Sally Rooney novel, we hope you picture yourself in this shirt.
Polo Ralph Lauren Classic Fit Striped Popover Shirt
No one has to know your shirt doesn’t have all the buttons.
Dries Van Noten Gray Half-Zip Shirt
Does this sheeny nylon half-zip shirt really count as a popover? It depends; are you going to be a jerk about it, or are you going to cop on sale and get your Brad Pitt on?
Popover Shirt FAQS
What Is a Popover Shirt?
A popover shirt, also referred to as a pullover or a half-placket shirt, is a style of top that combines typical button-up construction with a shortened, half-length placket; the resulting shirt falls somewhere between a polo and a button-up, with casual summer feel and a versatility boarding on endless.
Why Is It Called a Popover?
The shirts get their name from their design — like a knit top, the shirt is pulled (or popped) over the head.
What Are Popover Shirts Made of?
Much like their full-placket counterparts, popover shirts can be constructed out of a variety of materials, spanning cotton to wool, but, given the shirt’s historical precedence as a summer style and a longtime association with the classically preppy wardrobe, the style is often designed from lightweight materials, like linen and madras.
How Should a Popover Shirt Fit?
Given their woven (as opposed to knitted, which offers more stretch) design, a popover shirt should be roomy, with enough give to comfortably pull over your head and enough length to tuck. As menswear writer Derek Guy explains, “In order to easily slide in and out of these things, you want your shirt to be cut a little bigger, but not so big that it looks baggy when worn.”
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