Denim isn’t just for jeans. It’s not even just for jeans and jackets. Denim is more versatile than you know, and a shirt fashioned from this tough, warm and often blue material will see you out of winter and into the SS17 lookbooks. Here’s our pick of the best.
Ralph Lauren’s subsidiary RRL draws its inspiration from the Old West. This shirt, made from a soft light-blue denim and washed for a faded, weather appearance, is the perfect way into the emerging Western trend, and has pearled press buttons and a burnished-silver concha button at the collar.
Demin’s lighter cousin, the selvedge chambray shirt is as casual as denim, but even more versatile. Wear over jeans or to dress down a suit, chambray was originally created for blue-collar workers due to its soft but hard-wearing weave, and has seen a major resurgence among sartorially savvy gents in recent years.
This is what springs to mind when you think denim shirt – a first layer that looks and feels like a jacket; outerwear brought in. It feels like an old favourite already and, cut comfortably slim, this Western-style piece has been washed to create a soft, worn-in handle. Don’t forget those lustrous mother-of-pearl snap fastenings either, to give it a refined finish.
An instant button-collar classic, Polo Ralph Lauren’s cotton-chambray shirt may dilute the denim, but ramps up the fashion factor. Cut from pure cotton, this button-down style is detailed with the label’s multicoloured emblem at the chest – and offers a great entry-level denim shirt for those cowboys-to-be.
Back to Ralph Lauren’s western division, RRL (so named for the founder’s ranch) typifies its weathered, masculine apparel in this slim-fit shirt. Cut from robust, yet soft, indigo denim, the curved hem ensures it sits smoothly over trousers, whether it’s worn over a T-shirt or buttoned to the top.
Taking things back to basics, this shirt doesn’t mess around with button-down collars or chambray or slim-fit cuts. Instead, oversized and ripped, this is blue-collar as it should be: unapologetically distressed. Detailed with pearlescent snaps, it’s been impeccably made in Japan and washed for a soft handle and subtly worn look.
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