Fashion is cyclical, and one type of shirt that’s coming back in a big way is the Cuban collar shirt. Also known as the bowling shirt or cabana shirt, this classic men’s shirt has been gathering momentum for a few years now—and it’s just about ready to break into the mainstream.
Tons of brands are now trying to make the best Cuban collar shirts, which means we’re blessed when it comes to the amount of quality products that are out there. Just like always, though, a new clothing item becoming popular means that there are lots of brands pushing out lower-quality imitations.
We’re going to cut to the chase in this article about the best Cuban collar shirts and deliver recommendations for products that are real winners. There are also lots of tips about how a modern gentleman can wear a Cuban collar shirt.
Let’s get right into it.
Key Takeaways
I’ve been following the progress of Cuban collar shirts’ rise in popularity for years, and I’ve bought more than one of them in that time. I was excited to put this experience into coming up with this list of the five best Cuban collar shirts that you can get for the summer.
I’ve decided to recommend the Oliver Spencer Havana Short Sleeve Shirt Dumont Green as the overall best men’s Cuban collar shirt. It’s made from incredibly high-quality materials, and its green and white pattern looks funky but doesn’t ever cross over the line into being too much.
A couple of other notable recommendations include the luxurious Percival Viscount Cuban Shirt and the simple and easy-to-wear LESTRANGE Cuban Collar Tencel™.
Why it’s great: This downright awesome Cuban collar shirt is made from an amazing linen cotton blend that feels great when you’re wearing it. It gives off the same relaxed and carefree vibes as a vibrant Hawaiian vacation shirt while keeping a bit of a classy sense of reserve.
Who is this for? I struggle to think of anyone I know who wouldn’t love the Oliver Spencer Havana Short Sleeve Shirt Dumont Green—and look great in it.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: I do wish that this shirt came in a few more color and pattern variations, since there’s only the dumont green one and an off-white version. I’d like to see what the shirt looks like in a few other colors.
Material: 55% Linen, 45% Cotton | Sizes: S–XL | Colors: 2 | Care: Machine wash
Why it’s great: The Foret Cabana Shirt – Boule Print is an excellent and affordable Cuban collar that manages to look unique. Its blue print on a white background really draws the eyes and gives you lots of chances to style the shirt with a T-shirt or use it as a replacement for a standard dress shirt.
Who is this for? If you’re somebody who’s looking to add quality pieces to your wardrobe without breaking the bank, then this is a great opportunity.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Foret’s shirts tend to be cut a little bit boxier than others for style reasons, which you may or may not like.
Material: 100% Organic Cotton | Sizes: M–XL | Colors: 1 | Care: Machine wash
Why it’s great: I’m a huge fan of this classic white Cuban collar shirt. And I’m not alone, judging from its perfect 5-star rating after 38(!) reviews. The fact that it’s a simple white shirt gives you the ability to wear it very widely—it works just as well in casual settings as formal ones. And I do mean as formal as, like, a beach wedding.
Who is this for? One of the upsides of shirts with the kind of simple elegance that the LESTRANGE The Cuban Collar Tencel™ possess is that they look great on everybody.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Some people might want a bit more of a pop of color with their Cuban shirt, which I totally get, but white can pop just as hard as any color in the right setting. The shirt does also come in a couple of other colors if that line of thinking isn’t convincing to you.
Material: 30% Linen, 70% Polyester | Sizes: XS–XL | Colors: 3 | Care: Machine wash
Why it’s great: Percival’s Viscount Cuban Shirt combines the shape and cut of a Cuban shirt with an Italian knit fabric to an absolutely stunning effect. All the details are really on point; one that I really like is the buttons made from coconut wood, which fit the look of the tee perfectly.
Who is this for? Those among us who are used to having the best and looking like they have the best.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Unfortunately, this luxury level shirt does come with a luxury level price tag as well—but I will say that it’s not quite as bad as you’d think.
Material: 100% Italian Viscose fabric | Sizes: XS–2XL | Colors: 1 | Care: Machine wash
Why it’s great: The Makkrom Mens Cuban Collar Linen Shirt is obviously influenced by the older style of Cuban collar shirts that you might see in ’80s gangster movies. It’s definitely a look. But there’s no drop in quality here: the cotton-linen blend looks and feels great.
Who is this for? This men’s Cuban collar shirt is for someone who really wants to wear something that seems like a throwback to the heyday of the Miami Cuban collar shirt.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Some people might not like the graphic elements on the version I’ve recommended, but luckily there’s a couple of other options.
Material: 70% Cotton, 30% Linen | Sizes: M–2XL | Colors: 6 | Care: Machine wash
Buying Considerations for the Best Cuban Collar Shirts
Material
Cuban collar shirts are a quintessential summertime item, so it shouldn’t surprise you that they tend to be made out of light and breathable material. Linen is probably the most popular material for modern Cuban collar shirts, but you can also find lots of them made from high-quality cotton and even silk.
When it comes to choosing what material you’d like your ideal Cuban collar shirt to be made from, I’d say that you should be guided by what materials your favorite shirts are made from. If you really love linen, go with that.
But if you feel more comfortable in cotton, there’s nothing wrong with going in that direction. All sorts of materials can work well in Cuban collar shirts.
Color
Once again, you want to be guided by the seasonal nature of Cuban collar shirts when you’re shopping around and trying to find the right color for you. The comfortable and carefree appearance of Cuban collar shirts makes them a great platform for bold colors and patterns, so don’t hold back.
Since you’ll be wearing your new shirt during the summer, I’d recommend going with the bold colors that look really good in the sun instead of the more reserved tones you tend to wear in the fall and winter.
Size
Cuban collar shirts are generally worn more loosely than many other types of shirts, such as athletic-fit or performance dress shirts (that’s why they’re actually one of the best types of shirts for bigger guys). As a result, I’d usually recommend sizing up a little bit in order to ensure that you don’t end up with a shirt that looks awkwardly tight.
However, it’s always a good idea to take a look at the sizing guide of whatever brand you’re considering ordering a shirt from. This can get you the best quality info and ensure that you’re going to get a shirt that fits exactly how you want it to.
How We Chose
When we’re selecting items for a list like this one on the best Cuban collar shirts, we always keep our eyes peeled for products that are made from top-quality materials and feature singular design.
In the case of Cuban collar shirts, that means products made from light and breathable materials like cotton and linen. It also means products that respect the classic heritage of Cuban collar shirts but bring something new to the table.
We also ensure that each and every product comes from a brand that does well on the following four metrics.
Brand Reputation: The brands that feature on these lists always have a long and consistent track record of producing quality clothes.
Customer Reviews: If a product we’re considering for one of our lists doesn’t have absolutely stellar reviews, then it simply doesn’t make the cut.
Price: We really love clothes that offer shoppers real value for their money instead of a high-price tag without the quality to match.
Transparency: Lastly, all the brands we recommend on FashionBeans are up-front about crucial details like where they source their materials from and what the details of their return policies are.
Why Trust Us?
We’ve had Cuban collar shirts on our radar here at FashionBeans for quite some time. It’s exactly the kind of throwback trend that we love: one that brings an item that’s both expressive and capable of carrying real quality back to the public eye. As a result, we’ve all bought one or two.
The editorial team here at FashionBeans went through a ton of options when we were doing the research for this list of the best Cuban collar shirts. In addition to the shirts we actually own and the ones we’ve considered over the years, we also did a thorough search for new items that might make it onto the list.
After doing all this research, we each came up with a list of our individual favorites and hashed out the final version of this list in an editorial meeting.
Final Verdict
We decided to recommend the Oliver Spencer Havana Short Sleeve Shirt Dumont Green as the overall best Cuban collar shirt for men for a few different reasons. One of the most important ones is the shirt’s super cool green and off-white pattern. The other really important one is the outrageous quality of its linen-cotton blend.
When you put those two considerations together, it’s easy to see why this one topped the list.
FAQ
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You have a bunch of different options when it comes to the question of what the best material for a Cuban shirt is. The most classic, and still the most popular, material is linen. However, you can find really well-made Cuban shirts made from cotton and silk. There’s also a whole universe of different fabric blends that work really well for Cuban collar shirts.
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Cuban collar shirts go by a ton of different names, including as a bowling shirt or a cabana shirt. Whatever you call them, Cuban collar shirts are a great summertime option to wear with some light pants and a smart blazer.
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