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If I were ever forced to choose one style of shirt to wear every day for the rest of my life, it would almost definitely be a blue Oxford cloth button-down. Probably this one, in particular.
But! If I were allowed two styles, the second one would without question be a denim work shirt. Point collar, two button-flap chest pockets, an ever-so-slightly boxy fit in a nice medium wash. Done and done.
From Our EIC: Let’s Talk Sport Coats
Not a blazer, not a chore coat, a sport coatIt’s only slightly less versatile than the OCBD, working wonderfully with basically any pair of pants you throw at it: traditional khakis, 5-pocket twill trousers, black jeans and, perhaps most notably (and controversially!), jeans in a wash similar to that of your chosen shirt. Once and for all, there is no shame whatsoever in the Canadian tuxedo, and it is in fact an absolutely classic exercise in Americana when done right.
As an added bonus, I also happen to think it would work quite nicely under any of the textured, fall-appropriate blazers I wrote about last week.
There are countless examples out there, of course. Billy Reid’s Shoals Shirt is outstanding, though it leans a bit more toward the Western side of things, as does the classic Levi’s. This Flint & Tinder one ticked all the right boxes for me, but they don’t seem to be restocking it. Same for this pitch-perfect RRL number.
In a nice little turn of events that will likely lead to you saving yourself a couple bucks, I think just about everyone would be served well by J.Crew’s version. It’s got everything I’m looking for, and it sells for a perfectly reasonable $118 — except because it’s J.Crew it’s almost never actually the full $118. Right now it can be yours for well under $100.
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