Men used to be up to their necks in standard dress shirts. Until a few years ago, there was little escape from cardboard-like collars and stiff fabrics.

Since companies began loosening their dress codes and instituting casual Fridays, men have found alternatives to those stuffed shirts. Many guys are now sporting shirts that have a relaxed fit, a softer feel and a fashion-forward attitude.

Some guys have found that the most comfortable kind of shirt has little or no collar at all. Nehru or banded-collar shirts, the kind that encircle the neckline with a short band of fabric instead of a folded-over flap, have turned up in big numbers this spring.

Guys like the shirts because they don't have to wear them with a tie but they can still wear them with a suit--the best of both worlds.