The best Simon Carter shirt alternatives in the UK are Claudio Lugli for limited-edition conversational prints in satin cotton at 60 to 100 GBP, Blake Mill for witty British storytelling prints, Joe Browns for playful designs on a tighter budget, and Paul Smith if you want a designer label and are happy to pay for it. Which one is right depends on how loud you want the print, how much you want to spend, and whether you mind seeing your shirt on somebody else.
Simon Carter deserves its reputation. Founded on the King's Road in 1985 and built on cufflinks before it ever made a shirt, the brand was named Drapers Menswear Brand of the Year in 2013 and has spent four decades proving that a grown man can wear penguins, sharks or animals in hats without looking as though he lost a bet. If you already own a few, you are not looking for a replacement so much as a wider hunting ground. This guide is that hunting ground, written honestly.
What is a Simon Carter shirt, and why do people look for alternatives?
Simon Carter shirts are conversational prints in the classic British sense: small, repeated motifs on a light cotton ground, often drawn with a wink. Planes, chess pieces, skiing posters, Liberty florals and a menagerie of animals appear season after season. The cut is neat, the collars are conventional, and the shirts are designed to slide under a blazer at work as easily as they go out on a Friday.
The reasons people search for alternatives tend to fall into three groups. The first is price: on the brand's own site, shirts sit at roughly 135 to 185 GBP at full price, which is a serious commitment for a shirt whose whole point is that you will want several. The second is scale: the prints are charming but small, and once you have worn ditsy motifs for a while, some men want something bigger and more painterly. The third is ubiquity: Simon Carter is stocked widely, and the same pieces surface regularly in department stores and off-price retailers, which is wonderful for a bargain and less wonderful for feeling unique.
Which brands make shirts like Simon Carter?
Claudio Lugli. A British design house that has been designing limited-edition printed shirts in London for more than twenty years under founder Hoss Salimian. Where Simon Carter keeps its motifs small and tidy, Claudio Lugli lets the artwork breathe: animals on bicycles across a sky blue ground, a full chessboard rendered in grey and chalk, the Red Arrows in formation. Each print is produced in a limited run, so a shirt you buy today will not be hanging on twelve rails next spring. Fabric is Egyptian satin cotton with a soft sheen, prices sit between roughly 60 and 100 GBP, and the brand carries around 2,800 verified reviews at 4.8 out of 5. The trade-off is that these are statement shirts; if you want a print that disappears at three paces, look elsewhere.
Blake Mill. The closest match in spirit. Blake Mill is a British label whose prints tell stories, with a heavy dose of humour and considered detail in the collar stands and cuffs. It is the brand to try if what you love about Simon Carter is the wit rather than the volume. We have written a full guide to Blake Mill alternatives if you want to go deeper.
Joe Browns. The budget option. Joe Browns makes playful, colourful shirts at a price that lets you buy three without guilt. The fabrics are lighter and the finishing is simpler, but for a holiday or a festival that is often exactly the point. Read our honest take on Joe Browns alternatives.
Paul Smith. If you want the print with a designer name inside the collar, Paul Smith is the obvious step up. Expect to pay considerably more and to receive a quieter print in exchange. Our Paul Smith alternatives guide covers the value question properly.
For the full landscape, our printed shirt brands compared guide puts every one of these side by side.
Simon Carter vs Claudio Lugli: the honest comparison
These two brands share a customer and a philosophy: that a printed shirt should have a personality. They part company on scale, fabric and exclusivity.
On scale, Simon Carter is a miniaturist. The motifs are small enough to read as texture from across the room and only reveal themselves up close. Claudio Lugli is a painter. The artwork is larger, more saturated and unapologetic, which is why the brand has ended up on television presenters, boxers and comedians who need to be seen from the back of the room. Neither approach is better; they are for different rooms.
On fabric, Simon Carter uses fine plain cottons, sometimes Liberty prints and, for summer, linen and seersucker. Claudio Lugli uses Egyptian satin cotton throughout, which gives the colour a depth that flat poplin cannot and drapes a little more fluidly under a jacket. Satin cotton wants a warm iron and a little care, which we cover in our guide to washing a printed shirt without fading.
On exclusivity, the difference is structural. Simon Carter is a wholesale brand with wide distribution. Claudio Lugli produces limited editions and, while it has 250 or more stockists worldwide, each print is made in a small run and then retired. Buying one is closer to buying a numbered print than a shirt.
- Fabric: Claudio Lugli uses Egyptian satin cotton with a soft lustre; Simon Carter uses fine plain cotton, Liberty prints, linen and seersucker.
- Fit: Claudio Lugli shirts are cut tailored-slim; if you are between sizes, size up. Simon Carter describes its long-sleeve shirts as a tailored fit.
- Price range: Claudio Lugli roughly 60 to 100 GBP; Simon Carter roughly 135 to 185 GBP at full price on its own site, often less in outlets and department-store sales.
- Occasions: Simon Carter for the office, smart lunches and low-key weekends; Claudio Lugli for nights out, weddings, race days, parties and any occasion where the shirt is the outfit.
- Best for: Simon Carter if you want a quiet joke under a suit; Claudio Lugli if you want the joke told out loud, in a shirt nobody else in the room is wearing.
How should you wear a conversational print without looking like a novelty act?
The rule is one story per outfit. A print that depicts something, whether penguins or planes, is already doing the talking, so everything else should be plain, dark and well cut. Navy or charcoal trousers, a neutral blazer if the occasion asks for one, and shoes that are better than they need to be.
Keep the collar open by one button and the sleeves either fully down or turned back once to show the contrast cuff lining, which is where Claudio Lugli hides most of its detail. Resist the matching pocket square. If you are over forty and wondering whether a print with animals on it is still for you, our guide to shirts for men over 40 answers that with a confident yes, and explains how.
For a night out, the Grey Chess Print Shirt is the clever choice: monochrome enough to pass at a smart restaurant, witty enough to start a conversation at the bar. For a day at the races or an air show, the Red Arrow Planes Print Shirt earns its keep, and our going-out shirts guide covers the rest of the wardrobe.
Frequently asked questions
Are there cheaper alternatives to Simon Carter shirts?
Yes. Joe Browns sits well below Simon Carter on price with playful, colourful prints, and Claudio Lugli sits between the two at roughly 60 to 100 GBP while using a heavier satin cotton and producing each design in a limited run. Simon Carter itself is frequently discounted in department-store sales and outlets, so it is worth checking before you pay full price.
Which brand is most similar to Simon Carter?
Blake Mill is the closest in spirit, with witty British storytelling prints and careful trim details. Claudio Lugli is the closest in ambition but bolder in scale and colour, so it suits men who found Simon Carter a touch too discreet. Both are British and both design their own artwork rather than buying stock prints.
Do Claudio Lugli shirts fit like Simon Carter shirts?
Broadly, yes, with one caveat. Both brands cut a tailored shirt rather than a boxy one. Claudio Lugli shirts are cut tailored-slim, so if you are between sizes, size up. Check the chest measurement on the product page against a shirt you already own before ordering, and you will rarely go wrong.
The verdict
Keep the Simon Carter shirts you love; they are good shirts made by a brand that earned its place. But if the prints have started to feel small, if the price has started to feel large, or if you have seen your own shirt walk past you on the high street one too many times, the alternatives above are where to look next. Start with the Animal and Wildlife collection, or browse every limited-edition printed shirt currently in stock before it retires.
