It's taken me a while to get my shirt preferences in order, but I'm pretty sorted these days. In order of polish (roughly):
Graphic tees and breton tops. I like v-necks and boatnecks. I often chop the tight, restricting crewneck off cheap t-shirts and leave a raw-edge scoop neck.
Merino tank tops. Mine ore old, and from Icebreaker; they fit great and are real workhorses for me. They look good under a cardigan or light jacket. I also like Uniqlo's supima cotton tanks for a very basic sleeveless baselayer.
Chambray and linen button-front shirts, usually long sleeve with the sleeves rolled, although I've added some short sleeve button-fronts this year that I like a lot. I also have several oxford shirt which I consider a step up from chambray/linen.
I'm considering adding a silk shirt/shell or two, but that is a level of refinement I've never needed. In situations calling for that level of polish, I've always ended up in a dress anyway.
This is a warm-weather list. In the winter it's flannel and chamois, wool sweaters over a thin long-sleeve baselayer, and heavier-weight bretons.
Things I tend to shy away from in tops:
tunic lengths, or anything that falls much below the hip (I do actually have a couple tunics, but I tend to think of them more as "mini-dresses" than as tops. )
all-over prints (floral, abstract, geometric, etc.)
synthetic fibers
three-quarter sleeves
bell sleeves, or anything else that can't be rolled/scrunched
dolman sleeves, batwings, etc.
I don't consciously avoid asymmetrical hems, but I don't have any.
Almost all of my tops are tailored or fluid fit and this seems to work well for me; I wear a much wider variety of fits on the bottom, from body-con (leggings) to oversized (baggy linen beach pants, sailor pants, etc). I also prefer tops that are easy to layer under jackets, which probably explains the lack of asymmetry and funky sleeve styles in my wardrobe.
