Short answer: for most Latter-day Saint congregations, men wear a white dress shirt with a tie and dress pants, usually with a suit coat for those with assignments. Boys wear the same, scaled down. Beyond that the expectation is modest, clean and unremarkable — the clothing shouldn't be the thing anyone notices.

This is a practical guide to Sunday dress: what men and boys typically wear, how to handle the parts nobody explains, and how to buy for a growing kid without buying twice.

The standard for men

• White dress shirt. Long sleeve is the default. Short sleeve is common and accepted in most wards, especially in summer.
• Tie. Conservative pattern or solid. This is the one place a little personality is expected rather than tolerated.
• Dress pants. Dark grey, navy, charcoal or black.
• Suit coat for those passing or blessing the sacrament, speaking, or serving in leadership. Optional for most others, and more common in some wards than others.
• Dress shoes and a matching belt. Dark leather, belt matched to the shoes.

The most useful thing to know as a newcomer: watch what the men in your specific ward do. Practice varies more between congregations than any written guidance would suggest, and matching your ward is the whole objective.

The standard for boys

The same outfit, sized down, from roughly age eight.

Two things change for kids. First, the white shirt will be worn every single week and treated the way an eight-year-old treats clothing. Second, he will outgrow it, sometimes mid-year.

Practical approach:

• Two white shirts, not one. One in the wash, one on the hanger, and no Sunday morning crisis.
• Buy his current size rather than sizing up. A shirt he swims in looks worse for a year than a correctly sized one he outgrows in nine months.
• A clip-on or pre-tied tie until he can tie one, then teach him — it takes about a week of mornings.
• Dark pants that can take a scuff. He's going to run in the hall.

Boys who pass the sacrament are usually expected to add a tie and, in many wards, a suit coat or at least a white shirt pressed and tucked.

Young men preparing for a mission

Sunday dress and missionary dress converge around age sixteen, which is a useful time to start buying shirts that meet mission standards anyway — he gets two years of use out of them before he leaves.

The full breakdown is in The Complete Missionary Clothing Packing List and Missionary White Shirts: Long Sleeve or Short, Pocket or Pocketless?

Things nobody tells you

White shirts go grey. Cotton whites yellow at the collar and grey overall after a year of washing. It's gradual enough that you don't notice until you hold a new one next to it. How to slow it down: How to Keep a White Dress Shirt White.

Three hours is a long time to sit. Especially in a warm chapel, in a suit, holding a child. Fabric that breathes and stretches is doing more work than it gets credit for.

Opacity matters. White shirts vary a lot in how sheer they are. Check the shirt against the light before Sunday rather than discovering it in the chapel.

Kids and the sacrament. Water, bread, small hands. A stain-repellent shirt earns its keep here faster than anywhere else in the week.

Common questions

What do men wear to an LDS church service?

A white dress shirt, a tie and dress pants, often with a suit coat. Dark leather shoes and a matching belt. Practice varies by ward, so matching your congregation is the best guide.

Do you have to wear a white shirt to church?

It's the strong convention for men, particularly for those with assignments such as passing or blessing the sacrament, speaking or serving in leadership. Colored shirts are worn in some wards but white remains the default.

Can you wear a short sleeve shirt to church?

Yes, in most wards, and it's common in warm climates and summer months. Long sleeve reads slightly more formal and is the safer choice for speaking assignments.

What should a boy wear to church?

A white dress shirt, tie and dark dress pants, the same as the men, from around age eight. Buy his current size rather than sizing up, and keep two shirts in rotation.

Do men need a suit coat at church?

Not usually for general attendance. It's expected for those speaking, serving in leadership, or in many wards for young men passing the sacrament.

What color tie is appropriate for church?

Almost any conservative solid or pattern. Ties are the one item where a bit of color and personality is normal and welcome.

What we make

&Collar makes white performance dress shirts in long and short sleeve, standard and button-down collar, with and without a chest pocket, in slim and athletic fits, sizes XS–5XL including tall. Youth white shirts run roughly ages 5–14.

The fabric is wrinkle-resistant, stain-repellent and machine washable with four-way stretch — which covers most of what a three-hour block and a small child will do to a shirt. We also make stain-resistant ties, dress pants, suits, belts and socks.

Shirts are $49.99 or any three for $99. Youth shirts are $32.99. Ties are $19.99. Returns are 45 days from the day your order arrives.