SHIRT TALES : It used to be the same old story. Now menswear is loosening up.

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.

“A man looks more elegant in a blazer and a banded-collar shirt. It’s classier than the old suit and shirt with a tie,” says Linda Beale, buyer and chief executive officer of At-Ease menswear store in Fashion Island Newport Beach. “He’ll get a better seat in a restaurant than a guy in a tie. I’ve watched it happen.”

Among the shirts with banded collars carried at At-Ease: a taupe-colored cotton shirt by Zanella with a tiny basket weave pattern ($125), a soft cotton-linen blend shirt by Mondo di Marco with a twisted woven stripe in salt and pepper ($185) and a lightweight white and taupe checkered linen shirt by Ike Behar with small horn buttons ($145).

“Men are tired of feeling something stiff around their necks. It’s scratchy and itchy,” Beale says. “With these shirts, you don’t have that collar choking you to death.”

Banded-collar shirts were first worn by a few adventurous types several seasons ago; now they’ve gone mainstream.

“If you go to a party in Orange County, a lot of guys are wearing banded collars,” says Wali Mojadidi, manager of Bernini Sport in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa. “They don’t want to wear a tie, but they don’t want to wear an open collar. This isn’t as sloppy as an unbuttoned shirt.”

Banded-collar shirts come in many variations. The bands range from a low, three-quarters-inch style to one more than two inches high. Some shirts have pleats on their collars or down their fronts. Some have softly gathered backs.

They can also go formal.

They’re an alternative to the standard tuxedo shirt, and they don’t require a bow tie. Bernini has formal shirts with banded collars, some with collars in contrasting colors and a jeweled button at the throat. One example: Zanella’s white silk shirt with a black banded collar ($335).

Whether they have collars or not, shirts have grown more comfortable, thanks to airy linens, silks and fine cotton blends that have loose weaves and textured patterns. These natural shirts can be found in all colors, but soft whites, taupes and earth tones suit this relaxed look best.

“Softer shirts in earth tones with a little texture to them is the hottest look for men,” Mojadidi says.

Some shirts have tone-on-tone stripes and herringbone patterns woven into their material. At Bernini, there’s a loose-weave linen shirt in black and taupe plaid with a banded collar by Pal Zileri ($225) that looks great with a long vest in a contrasting window pane print and a textured beige linen suit.

Another easy-to-wear shirt from Zileri comes in white linen with subtle woven tone-on-tone stripes--a cool look for summer ($190).

“Men’s shirts are more unstructured. They’re boxier, and the fabrics aren’t as crisp,” says Laura Downing, owner of the Laura Downing clothing boutique for men and women in Laguna Beach.

Downing has linen shirts with retro-looking plaids in colors such as brown and beige. It’s the kind of plaid Dad might have worn, except that these shirts have more relaxed silhouettes ($45 to $135).

For the guy who wants to get as far away from a pin-stripe dress shirt as possible, there are shirts with bold, campy prints to be worn on casual Fridays or, better yet, at happy hour. Spot International, an Irvine-based shirt manufacturer, has turned out shirts with all kinds of conversational prints.

“We’ve done them with transistor radios, beer bottles, anything we can think of,” says John Bernard, owner-designer of Spot International.

Bernard has also dreamed up shirts with fishing lures, golfers, cocktails, pool balls and cues. He’s even done a shirt with little Hawaiian shirts on it.

“I get my ideas by staring at a wall or sitting around the swimming pool and hoping that a good idea comes into my head,” Bernard says. Spot shirts (about $35) are carried at Nordstrom and Hobie Sports in Laguna Beach.