n this era of mass luxury product, more men have made the move toward upscale and custom shirts from a host of makers: Prada, Thomas Pink, even Dolce & Gabbana. Holt Renfrew and Neiman Marcus have seen their shirt business increase so dramatically over the past few years that they have both created special departments. Does the shirt make the man? The answer these days is a resounding yes. Prepare your closet for the tightly woven goods, because these high-end shirt brands have launched high-count collections for summer.






Gucci
Some men test out colors and shapes, but at the end of the day, it's really about the shirt. Menswear is tenaciously conservative and the shirt has become the personality piece for the silhouette. If you are fetishistically meticulous about the fit of your dress shirt, Gucci has some testosterone in its bones, ensuring that the label every intention of elevating its men's shirt collection to equal status with its women's line.






Prada
If you're trying to figure out how to relieve yourself of your hard-earned bonus, consider Prada, as this line is at the top of its game, churning out shirts inspired by East Coast scenesters and Palm Beach society. Prada still sticks with colorful irregular striped shirts paired with wild nautical print ties.






Charvet
Thread counts aren't just for beds anymore. The best dress shirt is useless if its collar does not fit comfortably, and if this is a consideration in your fastidious shirt-buying criteria – like whether the shirt goes perfectly with your new suit, or is meticulously crafted with a certain number of stitches to the inch - than you'll soon be crawling to the Rolls-Royce of bespoke shirtmaking. Just be prepared to hand over between $430.00 to nearly $1,300.00 for the thing.






Thomas Pink
For business sectors where the suit is the norm, you can't do better than this shirt maker. Thomas Pink recently introduced a 200-count, $325-per-shirt collection, of which you will be in the presence of shirt-making art. This is evidenced in the details; the stripe of its sleeve, for example, lines up exactly with the horizontal line of the yoke's stripe when they meet at the shoulder seams.






Hugo Boss
Moving on, the stunning French-blue Hugo Boss shirts - with incredible buttons, by the way - start at a relatively modest $145. The Boss shirt has gone back to its roots, offering crisp white tailored shirts, along with unusual pastels or bold stripes to be worn with bright eclectic ties. The back of the shirt collar is still distinctively high, but this is shirt holds up well as a formal dress shirt.






Dolce & Gabbana
If you feel that the shirt is a more important element in you wardrobe, chances are you already have this shirt. Dolce & Gabbana pumps out ready-made shirts for the toned body. And, if you're a pocket man, whether to accommodate a fountain pen or an iPod, D&G shirts accommodate, while still keeping that glistening photo-op look. Such theatrics are, in part, why D&G shirts are now seen on the backs of more than just name-droppers and worldly corporate types.