The polo is a style staple and one of the most versatile shirts a man can own. Donning one is an easy way to level up your look when the occasion calls for something a notch above a t-shirt.

But that ease can lead to complacency, and the polo often ends up in some very unstylish territory.

A guy needs a collared shirt for an event, grabs one off the rack at Kohl’s, throws it on thoughtlessly — and ends up looking like a middle manager at Acme Co.

Maybe that’s okay if you’re about to give a PowerPoint presentation on Q3 sales, but a lot of guys would like to look sharper in a polo for social occasions, and even at work.

If you want yours to read as more stylish and handsome than boring and corporate, follow these five guidelines:

1. Dial in the Fit

Middle Manager Move: Oversized polos with sleeves hanging past the elbow and bodies billowing like sails.

Manly Upgrade: As with any garment, fit is king — and that’s especially true with the polo, where a loose, shapeless cut only adds to the shirt’s reputation as an afterthought. Instead of swimming in a sloppy shirt that hides your build, opt for a polo that flatters your frame with:

• A slim-but-not-tight silhouette.
• Sleeves that hit mid-bicep and hug the arm a little.
• Length that lands mid-fly — long enough to tuck, short enough to leave out.

2. Choose Classic Fabrics

Middle Manager Move: Shiny, synthetic polos with moisture-wicking sheen.

Manly Upgrade: Tech fabric exudes an air of the office and suburban-dad-dom. So save the shiny polos for the golf course, and choose polos made with traditional pique cotton or jersey knit. Jersey and pique cotton offer structure without stiffness and a texture that looks classic and inviting.

3. Dress It With Intention

Middle Manager Move: Wearing a polo as part of a generic business-casual getup — tucked into pleated khakis, paired with a braided belt and boxy dress shoes.

Manly Upgrade: You want to treat the polo like a grown-up essential, not a placeholder. Give some thought to how you wear it and what you wear it with by:

• Pairing it with tailored chinos, trousers, or well-fitting jeans.
• Adding refined-yet-relaxed footwear: loafers, chukka boots, clean sneakers.
• Accessorizing with a cool bracelet or watch (or both, like Clark Gable above)
• Tucking it in (if you want) but anchored with a leather or canvas belt.

4. Branch Out With Colors

Middle Manager Move: Wearing only safe colors — navy, black, or corporate baby blue.

Manly Upgrade: There’s nothing wrong with a polo in a basic color like blue, but when you’re trying to look more stylish and sharp than stiff and stale, branch into earth tones (olive, rust, cream), deep classics (burgundy, forest green), or even a light mint or pink for spring and summer.

5. Level Up With Layers

Middle Manager Move: Nothing but the polo up top.

Manly Upgrade: One-dimensional outfits are fine, and a necessity for the hottest months of the year. But when the weather allows, adding a layer adds visual interest to your getup. Polos can look great with a lightweight jacket, cardigan, or even a sport coat over them.

Don’t Let the Polo Phone It In

The polo shirt’s got plenty more potential than being the go-to uniform of the apathetic office worker or the off-duty regional manager. With better styling, it can look intentional and sharp — put-together but still laid-back. Wear it with some purpose, and it rises above the cubicle to become a sartorial statement.

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

An important part of manhood has always been about having the competence to be effective in the world — having the breadth of skills, the savoir-faire, to handle any situation you find yourself in. With that in mind, each Sunday we’ll be republishing one of the illustrated guides from our archives, so you can hone your manly know-how week by week.

A suit is one of the most expensive clothing items, or just items, period, you’ll ever buy. As such, it should be thought of as an investment — something to proactively extend the life and value of. Though the lifespan of a suit varies according to how well it’s made and how often it’s worn, with proper care, a quality suit can generally last for years, and even decades. Treat your suit well, and you’re more likely to tire of it, or have its style go out of fashion (even the look of the most “classic” suits varies over time), than you are to have it wear out. 

That kind of care doesn’t have to be onerous or time-consuming: with a couple clicks to buy some nicer hangers and 60 seconds of brushing and proper hanging when you take it off, you can keep your suit looking sharp, make it last as long as possible, and save yourself a good amount of money in the long run. 

Related Resources:

• The 30-Second Suit Quality Test
• How to Hang Dress Pants So They Don’t Fall Off the Hanger
• How to Protect, Store, and Clean Your Clothing
• A Man’s Guide to Dry Cleaning

Illustrated by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

YOU DO NOT IRON A CREASE IN YOUR JEANS!

That’s been the golden rule of denim for years. Why? Simple. Jeans are casual. Workwear. Creases spell formality. Mixing the two? It’s like wearing a tuxedo to mow the lawn.

But my old man, Tom McKay, ironed his jeans religiously. Well, he wore ironed jeans. My mom did the actual ironing.

As a federal game warden, Dad’s work uniform was a pair of crisply ironed bootcut Wranglers, a pique polo, and cowboy boots. As a kid, I remember watching Mom iron a sharp crease into my dad’s jeans while she watched Touched by an Angel and thinking to myself, “What gives? Jeans aren’t business slacks!”

Fast-forward to me in my 40s, and I’m flipping through old photos at my folks’ house. There’s Dad in his razor-sharp creased Wranglers, and damn if he doesn’t look like he means business.

Tom McKay, meaning business in his ironed Wranglers, circa 1989.

But I also started noticing ironed Wranglers in other places besides my old family photo albums.

The troubadour George Strait rocks creased Wranglers like they’re dress pants (even wearing them with a tuxedo top). Cowboys in rural Oklahoma sport pressed denim like it’s their Sunday best.

Turns out, there’s a whole subset of cowboys who swear by starched, ironed jeans. Their reasons?

1. Protection: They claim the starch acts like armor. (Debatable — science says it might weaken the fabric.)
2. Looks sharp: A crease in your Wranglers says, “I’m ready to bale some hay, but I could also take my gal to Cattleman’s Steakhouse right afterward.”

Besides seeing them on 90s country music legends and cowpokes in Blanco, OK, I’ve also been seeing ironed Wranglers amongst the hip, young crowd. Bootcut Wranglers, ironed to perfection, are becoming a thing amongst fashion-forward cool dudes. Even the Wrancher — a polyester cowboy dress pant (another style staple of Tom McKay) — is gaining traction.

And so, curiosity got the better of me. I took the plunge and ironed my Cowboy Cut Wranglers. Reader, it’s a solid look. At least, I think so.

Here are a few looks I put together with my ironed jeans:

Calling this first fit “The Tom McKay”— ironed bootcut Wranglers with a pique polo shirt and a thick leather belt. Pops was a Land’s End polo shirt man, but he had a few Lacoste polo shirts too. He mixed Southwestern desert vibes with 80’s tennis preppy. The man had style!

Sporting my Grandpa Bill Hurst’s Western sport coat and bolo tie. Great for Sunday church services or when you’re solving a murder in a Cormac McCarthy novel. 

Repping my New Mexican heritage with the yellow Zia red sun t-shirt. Tucked-in, natch. Cowboy belt from Zilker.

It’s funny how life works. Here I am, channeling my dad’s 40-year-old style. Cat’s in the cradle, indeed.

A Few Thoughts On Ironing Jeans:

1. Stick to bootcut Wranglers. Ironing your jeans is a Western thing. Your straight-fit selvedge denim? Don’t iron them. Also, since you’re ironing your bootcut Wranglers, wear cowboy boots with them.
2. Iron them just like you would dress pants. See our extensive guide on how to iron pants. My mom recommended that you use a lot of steam to get that sharp crease in the jeans. I starched mine and liked the results. It might not be good for the fabric, but boy howdy does it provide a nice, crisp crease.
3. Dress high, medium, and low. Dress up your ironed jeans with a fancy Western shirt and sport coat, go Tom-McKay-business-casual with the pique polo, or take things down a notch with a tucked-in tee and a cool belt.

Want to shake up your style? Give ironed Wranglers a shot. They mean business.

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

Thanks to its versatility, the t-shirt has been a style staple since the middle of the 20th century. You can exercise and do chores in a t-shirt, and you can also wear it as part of a smart casual get-up for a first date.

I love t-shirts. It’s what I wear most days working from home.

For most of my life, I never tucked in my tees.

Like many people my age, I thought tucking in your t-shirt was something that only your dad or the dorky kid at your school who had no fashion sense did.

Well, I don’t know if there’s something that happens in brain development when you hit 40, and turn into your father, but I’ve been tucking in my t-shirt a lot more these days.

And I’ll be damned; I think it can look pretty sharp in certain situations. Even if you’re not middle-aged or someone’s Pops.

Below, I offer some guidelines that I follow when tucking in my t-shirt so that the vibes it gives off are more 1950s Marlon Brando than 1990s Bugle Boy.

The Evolution of the Tucked-in T-Shirt

While we wear t-shirts as a regular piece of clothing these days, they were originally underwear. Because they were underwear, men would tuck their t-shirts into their briefs or boxers to create a seamless undergarment beneath their outer clothes.

During WWII, GIs would often remove their buttoned uniform top and just wear their undershirt with their uniform trousers. They kept their tee tucked in to maintain a clean, disciplined look even though they weren’t in full uniform.

After WWII, veterans continued to wear their undershirts with trousers while working around the house. They kept their t-shirts tucked in because, well, that’s how they’d done it during the Big One.

That’s how most men in the United States wore their tees from the 1950s onward: tucked in.

As time marched on and style became more casual in the U.S., more and more men stopped tucking in their t-shirts. Wearing their t-shirts untucked was a way to separate themselves from the more uptight generation of their parents. Contributing to the trend was the fact that fewer men served in the military after the Vietnam War, and thus didn’t get into the tucked-in tee habit while in the service.

There was a short resurgence of tucked-in t-shirts in the 1990s, but then it faded along with Beanie Babies.

You’re starting to see more people — particularly young people, of both sexes — tuck in their t-shirts again. A lot of it is driven by Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s nostalgia for the 1990s. My ten-year-old daughter tucks in her t-shirts (emblazoned with the Vans logo — didn’t see that resurgence coming either). She loves that “90s vibe.“ 

The Benefits of Tucking in Your T-Shirt

Since I started tucking in my tee more often, I’ve discovered three benefits to the practice:

A tucked-in tee accentuates your v-shape. Having the masculine v-shape — broad shoulders that taper to a narrow waist — is attractive. When you tuck in your t-shirt, you accentuate your v-shape; it gives definition to your waist and makes your shoulders look broader. 

A tucked-in t-shirt looks put-together. A tucked-in t-shirt provides a clean line between your torso and your legs. It looks a little sharper than an untucked tee, which bunches and wrinkles as it drapes over your waistband. When you tuck in your t-shirt, it looks like you mean business.

A tucked-in t-shirt is practical. Your untucked t-shirt can get snagged on things in your environment. When your t-shirt is untucked, you no longer have to worry about that. This is why I’ve even been tucking my t-shirts into my gym shorts when I work out. 

Guidelines for Tucking in Your T-Shirt

Get a properly fitting T-shirt. A t-shirt that is too big won’t look good tucked in. It will give you that early 1990s Bugle Boy dork look. You also don’t want to go too tight either. We’ve got the guidelines for proper fit here.

Note that a tucked-in t-shirt looks best on those with a fit physique. If you’ve got a paunch, a tucked-in tee will only accentuate it, and you’ll probably want to keep your shirt untucked. 

Keep it simple. Opt for t-shirts without prominent patterns, text, or busy designs. Go for simple stripes or a solid color. It will just look sharper. That doesn’t mean you can’t ever tuck in a graphic tee. I’ve got a few graphic tees that I tuck in occasionally, but the designs are simple.

Stick with long pants for your bottom garment. I’ve tried tucking in my t-shirt with a pair of khaki shorts and it didn’t look good. Too 1990s dad-ish. Stick with tucking your tees into long pants — jeans and chinos. The one exception for shorts that I make is when I’m working out. Tucking my tee into my shorty gym shorts makes me feel like a Golden Era bodybuilder. 

Layer with a jacket. Layering your tucked-in t-shirt is something that I like to do. It adds some depth and interest to your look. I like to wear a cotton field jacket when I tuck in my t-shirt. A jean jacket, chore coat, or unstructured blazer would work as well. 

Get a cool belt. Wearing a cool belt gives you an excuse to tuck in your t-shirt: you’re tucking in your tee so people can see your rad belt. My go-to belt when I tuck in my t-shirt is the Cowboy belt from Zilker (that’s what I’m sporting in the left pic above). I also like to rock a thicker, more traditional leather belt, which has a cool Thunderbird belt buckle that I found on eBay (right photo). Besides adding some visual interest to your tucked-in t-shirt fit, a belt also accentuates your waist a bit more, enhancing your v-shaped silhouette.  

Like I said above, I don’t tuck in my t-shirt all the time. But it’s nice to have it as a styling option to mix into my get-ups. Give it a try yourself, and see if it just might be one of those things that Dad got right.

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

White jeans are a nice way to mix up the sartorial staple that is denim. 

Not everyone is a fan of white jeans on dudes, though. They don’t like how high maintenance they seem — that you have to keep them clean, since spills and stains will show up prominently on the white fabric. Or they think the look is too bold, too Euro, or too 80s. 

It’s true that white jeans are harder to keep spotless, but you don’t avoid wearing a white dress shirt just because it’s prone to stains, do you? Just be a little more vigilant. The intentionality and non-practicality of white jeans are part of what makes them look a little dressier and more stylish and refined than blue jeans, which makes them a great choice when you’re putting together a “smart casual” outfit.

It’s true too that they’re different, but they needn’t be different in a way that conforms to off-putting fashion stereotypes.

If you’re an average guy who’s thinking about trying white jeans for the first time, you’ve already summoned up the confidence to wear pants that will draw some extra attention, and probably don’t want additional attention due to the fact that you’re not wearing them well. 

If you want to wear white jeans in a way that will stand out, but only in a good way, just follow these guidelines:

1) Don’t wear them if you’re on the heavier side. Black is slimming. White is widening. White jeans on a big dude will just enlarge his legs and make him look bigger. Only wear white jeans if you’re on the trimmer side.

2) Choose white jeans with some heft and structure. There are other white pants out there — white chinos and trousers. But these are even harder to pull off than white jeans and can feel too country club and foo-fooey or too much like the garb of the neighborhood ice cream man or an asylum employee. It’s the texture and structure of white jeans that tip white pants into pull-off-able territory. So lean into that when choosing a pair, opting for ones that have some heft and structure (and won’t show your underwear).

3) Only wear them in the spring and summer. Some fashion-forward style gurus will tell you you can wear white jeans year-round. And it’s true that the “no white after Labor Day” rule has loosened in modern times. But white still reads very much as a warmer weather color. If white jeans attract attention in any season, they’re going to garner some head-scratching stares in the dregs of February. So only bust them out in spring and summer. It’s actually nice to have some seasonal clothes you take out and put away as the year progresses; it’s a hedge against the horror of the same old thing.

4) Wear them with a blue top. White jeans are a blank canvas; you can pair them with a top in pretty much any color, except white; a white tee or dress shirt + white jeans creates a look that’s too homogenous, unless you’re also wearing a colored jacket on top (but then you won’t be able to remove the jacket without turning the outfit into a full-on white-out).

While you can pair your white jeans with a variety of colors, for the most foolproof, eye-pleasing combo, wear them with a blue top. You’re simply inverting your standard blue-jeans-on-bottom, white-shirt-on-top look.

This pairing can take the form of white jeans + a casual shirt like a blue henley or a blue and white striped tee. A navy polo + white jeans is a particularly good look.

Another can’t-miss combination is white jeans + a blue button-down. Choose a light blue Oxford (you have added an OCBD to your wardrobe, haven’t you?) or a denim or chambray shirt. 

To up the formality level, add an unstructured blue sports jacket over your lighter blue button-down. A brown jacket works as well.

Once you’ve gotten more comfortable wearing white jeans, you can branch out to different color tops. Neutral colors (black, brown, gray), earth tones (tan, moss, olive), and pastels (mint green, pink) work well. Black or another solid, bold color does create a starker look, but this kind of color blocking can also draw the viewer’s eye upward, making you appear taller. 

As far as footwear for any of these get-ups goes, it’s fine to wear white sneakers, though this monochrome look can create the visual effect of your pants melting into your shoes; if you go white/white, it’s best if your shoes are a different tone than your pants. Navy canvas sneakers, like Converse, look good when you’re wearing your white jeans with a blue top. When you’re wearing a button-down shirt, nicer sneakers still work for a more casual look, but when you’re trying to smarten the outfit up, opt for chukka boots or loafers. 

If, even with the above confidence-increasing guidelines in your back pocket, you’re still not ready to wear bright white jeans, but want to dip your toes into the world of light-colored denim, try a pair in cream or off-white instead. 

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

I wouldn’t call myself a denim-head, but I do appreciate a quality pair of jeans.

A type of jeans that I’ve experimented with in the past is raw denim jeans.

What’s raw denim?

Most denim jeans you buy today have been pre-washed and treated with a process called “sanforization” to soften up the fabric, reduce shrinkage, and prevent indigo dye from rubbing off. Raw denim (sometimes called “dry denim”) jeans are simply jeans made from denim that hasn’t gone through this prewash/treatment process.

The big selling point of raw denim jeans is that they start their life as a blank canvas that becomes personalized to you. While mass-produced jeans come with faux fading and distressing that is the same for every single pair, with raw denim, the fading and distressing are created by your body type and how you wear them. Also, the fit of raw denim becomes tailored to your body. Each pair ends up being uniquely yours, with a more custom look and feel.

If you want to try out raw denim jeans without breaking the bank, Levi’s 501 Shrink-to-Fit (STF) jeans can’t be beat. (Note: I don’t have any affiliation with Levis, nor is this a sponsored post.) They’re an American classic (your grandpa probably owned a pair of Levi’s 501s), they only cost $50 on Amazon, and they’ll last you a long time.

Because 501 Shrink-to-Fit jeans haven’t been pre-washed, you have to go through a special sizing and shrinking process to end up with the right fit. 

Levi’s provides some guidelines on how to go about this process. I followed them with mixed results. 

Below, I share what those results were and the tips I gleaned from my experiment in shrinking Levi’s 501 STF jeans.

How to Size Your Levi’s 501 Shrink-to-Fit Jeans

The key to getting the right fit with Levi’s 501 Shrink-to-Fit jeans lies in understanding the sizing process and accounting for the shrinkage that will occur. The size you choose will depend on the shrinking process you plan to use. Levi’s provides the following option-dependent guidelines: 

• For the old-school technique, buy true to size in the waist and two sizes up in length. Wear them in the tub and keep them on to dry.
• For those who want to machine wash and dry the jeans, we recommend ordering up. For your waist, increase 1″ for sizes 27″-36″, 2″ for 38″-48″, and 3″ for 50″ and up. And for your inseam, increase 3″ for sizes 27″-34″ and 4″ for 36″ and up.
• For purists who like their denim unwashed, no need to size up. Buy them true to size.

To figure out which sizing/shrinking method provided the best results, I tried all three methods. Below are the results.

The Old-School Shrink-to-Fit Method

The old-school shrink-to-fit method requires you to buy 501s that are true to size in the waist and two sizes up in length. You then wear them in the tub and leave them on to dry.

I usually wear 33×32 in jeans, so this method required me to purchase 501s that are 33×34.

Instead of simply wearing the jeans in the tub, I opted for a more involved process that I’ve seen on other menswear sites that people claimed provided equal results without having to wear soaking wet jeans and drip indigo dye around the house. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Soak the Jeans

Fill your bathtub up with hot water. Turn the jeans inside out to minimize the amount of indigo dye lost during the soaking process. Place the jeans in the tub, ensuring the hot water fully covers them. Allow the jeans to soak for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. 

The indigo dye that came off during the soak.

Step 2: Hang Dry

Remove the jeans from the tub and hang them up in the shower. Let them hang until they’re no longer dripping with water.

Step 3: Towel Dry

Once your jeans have drip-dried, place them horizontally on the floor between two towels. Step on the towel-covered jeans to extract as much water as you can. Flip the jeans right side out and repeat stepping on the towels.

Step 4: Wear Your Damp Jeans

While the jeans are still damp, it’s time to put them on and let them dry on your body. As the jeans dry, they will shrink and conform to your body shape, resulting in a fit that is unique to you. I recommend going commando while wearing your damp jeans. Your body heat will help speed up the drying process. Also, I’d avoid doing this in the winter, lest you freeze your bits.

Make sure to avoid sitting on any light-colored upholstery during this time, as there’s a chance you’ll get some indigo rub-off on it.

Old-School Tub Method Results

Here’s what my 33×34 501s looked like before going through the old-school shrink-to-fit process:

Before

Here’s what they looked like after going through the old-school shrink-to-fit process:

After

The waist fit fine, but I wasn’t happy with the inadequate shrinkage that occurred along the inseam, and especially around the knees, where there was a lot of bunching. Overall, the jeans still felt too baggy and loose.

Perhaps they’ll shrink more if I soak them again. 

The tub-soaking method also left me with jeans that felt pretty stiff. That will likely work its way out as I wear them regularly. 

One advantage to the old-school tub method is that your jeans will keep more of their classic indigo denim color than if you do the washing machine method. 

Overall, I wasn’t happy with the result this process gave me. The fit was too off. 

Washing Machine and Dryer Method

I then tried method two: throw your jeans in the washing machine on the cold cycle and then tumble dry.

For this method, I needed to buy 501s that were one inch bigger than my waist size and three inches bigger than my inseam.

So, for a 33×32 pant size, I needed to buy 501s that were 34×35. Levi’s didn’t offer a 501 with a 35-inch inseam, so I went with 34x34s. Even if they offered a 35-inch inseam, I think they would have been way too big even after shrinking.

Make sure you launder the jeans with other very dark colors, as they’ll release plenty of indigo color in the wash and blue fuzz in the dryer. I set the dryer on medium heat.

Here’s what the 34×34 jeans looked like before shrinking:

Before

As you can see, they’re pretty dang big. Really, really baggy. I didn’t think they’d be able to shrink enough to provide a decent fit. 

After the first wash and tumble dry, the 34×34 jeans shrunk more than I’d expected but were still a tad too baggy. So I put them through the washer and dryer again (continued shrinkage can occur over the first several washings and dryings). 

Here’s what they looked like after that second washing and drying:

After

The waist fit perfectly. The inseam shrunk quite a bit. They’re a tad baggier than I like in jeans, but the overall fit was definitely better than the old-school method.

The other advantage of using the washer and dryer method is that the jeans feel less stiff and more broken-in than the ones treated with the old-school method.

Another thing you’ll notice with the washer/dryer method is that the color of your jeans will change to more of a royal blue. This is due to more indigo coming out of the fabric during the washing process. That could be a plus or minus, depending on your preference. 

True-to-Fit, Shrink-to Fit-Jeans

I also tried buying a pair of 501s Shrink-to-Fit at my true-to-fit size.

Here’s what they look like:

Not too shabby. Again, a little baggier and bunchier in the knees than I think is ideal.

If you’re going to buy 501 Shrink-to-Fit Jeans with your true-to-fit size, you can’t ever wash them (yes, ever). They won’t fit you afterwards.

Which Levi’s 501 Shrink-to-Fit Method Should You Use?

I thought the washer and dryer method provided the best fit out of all the methods. Also, it was a heck of a lot easier. 

I can see the appeal of the tub method. It’s like making French press coffee. It feels like you’re crafting your jeans. I also liked the resulting color of the old-school shrunk jeans over those that went through the washer. But based on my experience, the ROI wasn’t worth it.

Regardless of the method you use, you’ll want to wash your jeans minimally over the first year to allow your unique fades to set in the fabric. If you’re happy with your current fit and want to maintain it, let them air dry after washing (or dry on your body to allow the fabric to further conform to your physique). If you want more shrinkage (the jeans will stretch out as you wear them), put them in the dryer. 

Would I Recommend Shrink-to-Fit Jeans?

After all the rigamarole I went through with fitting the 501 STFs, I’ve decided it’s a lot of work to get a pair of jeans that fit . . . okay. The fit will perhaps improve with some more washings and wearings, but I still don’t think it will be as good as pre-washed pairs I’ve bought off-the-rack.

I get the appeal of shrink-to-fit jeans. They give you a more custom-made look and feel. It’s nostalgic. There’s a romantic feeling that you’re taking part in a process that your grandpa went through to get a nice-fitting pair of jeans. 2009, 27-year-old retrosexual Brett would be all over this; 2024, 41-year-old Brett, not so much. I’ll take pre-washed and pre-shrunk jeans. They look good without the hassle.

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

Henley shirts grew out of the uniform that rowers in the English town of Henley-on-Thames wore in the 19th century, as well as the top half of the union suit undergarment that was worn by miners and pioneers of the same era. Still today, the shirt serves well as either a stand-alone piece or a layer that can be worn under other garments.

Distinguished by a round neckline and a placket of buttons that extends several inches down the chest, the henley is like a collar-less polo, with a formality that sits below that shirt but a notch above a regular tee.

Henleys, which come in both short- and long-sleeve varieties, are easy to wear; just pair one with jeans and leather boots and you’ve got a simple, rugged look. But they also play very nicely with other pieces and can be used as the foundation for some visually interesting, put-together get-ups. 

To get some inspiration on different ways to wear a henley with style, we asked Andrew Snavely from Primer Magazine to put together three looks for us that include this sartorial staple. Here are the three outfit ideas he created and why he thinks they’re great get-ups:

Outfit #1

1. Buck Mason Henley
2. L.L. Bean Sweater 
3. Seiko Watch
4. Levi’s 501
5. Allen Edmonds Boots 

In some ways the henley is a secret weapon. For the guy who always defaults to a hoodie and graphic t-shirt but is trying to improve on how he presents himself, swapping the hoodie for a hardy shawl collar cardigan and the graphic t-shirt for a henley keeps 100% of the comfort you’re looking for.

It almost feels like a cheat code: You can wear this to run a first-thing-in-the-morning errand or on a casual date without feeling out of place in either. That’s some seriously impressive versatility for a casual outfit that’s as comfortable as a hoodie and t-shirt.

Opt for a shawl collar sweater without much in the way of decorative knitting to avoid a festive spirit. Slide the shade of the jeans lighter or darker to adjust formality as needed.

Outfit #2

1. Buck Mason Henley 
2. Banana Republic Flannel Shirt
3. Flint and Tinder Hoodie
4. Flint and Tinder Pants
5. Rhodes Chelsea Boot 

As temperatures drop, henleys make excellent base layers that still give you a pop of visual interest. For many climates – right up until winter hits full swing anyway – wearing several lighter layers instead of a couple heavier ones is more adaptable to body temperature changes from moving around a lot or coming in and out.

Layering a hoodie over the henley and plaid shirt will keep you plenty warm on cool days. As it gets even colder, you can add a jacket on top as well. (That might sound like too many layers, but I can attest that it looks great and doesn’t feel too constricting.) 

By design this outfit looks purposeful with everything on, or just the henley and pants, and every step in between. That’s a testament to how great a henley can look on its own.

Outfit #3

1. Taylor Stitch Henley 
2. J.Crew T-Shirt 
3. Banana Republic Leather Jacket
4. Buck Mason Pants
5. Thursday Boots 

Henleys aren’t just t-shirts with buttons. They can come in many weights, fabrics, and knits, like this heavier sweater.

With a sweater henley like this, it works as a middle layer, taking the place of, say, a v-neck sweater, giving you the option to wear a t-shirt underneath. Paired with a black leather jacket like this trucker jacket creates an easily wearable style with some intentional edge, and the olive chinos add just enough color to keep things from being too monotone. Put it all together, and this would be the perfect get-up for going to a concert, meeting up with colleagues outside of work, or some casual-but-cultural event like an art gallery opening.

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

There are three items of clothing that arguably constitute the trifecta of the most classic style staples for men: denim jeans, white tees . . .

and the Oxford-cloth button-down shirt (aka, the OCBD).

The Oxford shirt was inspired by the way 19th century British polo players buttoned down the collars of their shirts so the fabric wouldn’t flap in their faces and was introduced in the United States by Brooks Brothers in 1896.

Since then, the OCBD has served as a simple, handsome cornerstone of the male wardrobe.

Comfortable, durable, versatile, and practically fool-proof to pull off, Oxford shirts can be worn year-round, and in nearly any time and place. Getting some is one of the easiest ways to start dressing better, and they could even become part of your personal uniform.

If you don’t already have this shirt in your closet, or have been underutilizing the ones you do own, today we’ll offer a guide on how to wear the Oxford with style.

What Is an Oxford Shirt?

Oxford shirts are a type of men’s dress shirt.

Dress shirts are defined by having a collar, cuffs, and a full-length, button-fastened opening at the front.

Dress shirts can be divided into “button-ups” and “button-downs.” You can, in fact, button up the plackets of both of these types of shirts. The difference refers to the collar; on a button-up, the collar is unadorned and unattached to the shirt, whereas on the button-down, the ends of the collar include a single button that can be fastened to the front of the shirt.

The Oxford shirt is a type of button-down that is made with Oxford cloth. Woven with a basket-weave pattern, Oxford cloth has a unique look and feel and is coarser and heavier than the thinner, smoother, shinier fabric used to make more formal dress shirts. The Oxford-cloth button-down shirt is also distinguished by its soft, unlined collar and cuffs and typically sports a chest pocket.

How to Choose an Oxford

Fabric. While some Oxford shirts are made with poly/cotton blends these days, a classic OCBD is 100% cotton, and a pure cotton Oxford will look, feel, and breathe better. 

100% cotton Oxfords will sometimes need to be ironed, but the thick fabric doesn’t excessively wrinkle, and the shirt doesn’t need too much pressing; a little rumpledness is part of its DNA. You might be able to get away with just tumbling it in the dryer (though hanging it to dry is preferred) and removing it promptly, and if you’re going for a particularly insouciant look, then don’t iron it at all.

There are “non-iron” 100% cotton Oxfords that are soaked in formaldehyde during manufacture, a process which permanently alters the fabric, making it wrinkle-resistant. These shirts will be easier to care for, but the non-iron finish makes the fabric less soft, breathable, and durable.

Color. The most classic colors of the OCBD are white and light blue, and they also often come in pastel hues. Start your collection with white and blue, and then branch out from there by getting, say, a pink one (yes, you can pull off pink). 

Length. Oxford shirts can be worn tucked or untucked, and if you’re planning on doing both, make sure the shirt is long enough to stay tucked in, but not so long that it’ll look sloppy when untucked.

Fit. Oxfords come in both regular and slim fit varieties, and which you prefer is up to you. Regardless, an OCBD shouldn’t feel restrictive and should be roomier than a formal dress shirt. A button-up shirt is designed to be worn under things (like a suit jacket); a button-down may be worn under other garments but is also designed to stand on its own. 

How to Wear

Button-down shirts are more casual than button-ups, and the thicker, rougher fabric of an Oxford makes it particularly casual. Yet by nature of its structured, dress-shirt style, it’s still a versatile piece of clothing that can be worn in classier settings and dressed up or down. 

Note: There aren’t hard lines between these dress code categories, e.g., an Oxford with more tailored chinos and dressier shoes can be business casual; swap the nicer chinos and shoes for more laid-back khakis and chukkas, and it’s smart casual; swap the chukkas for athletic sneakers, and it’s plain casual. When it comes to styling something very basic like the OCBD, little differences in what you pair it with it and how you accessorize it will make an outfit more or less appropriate for a particular setting.

Business Casual

Style traditionalists would advise against wearing an Oxford button-down shirt with a suit, as the shirt’s casualness clashes with the suit’s formality. However, this isn’t a hard and fast rule, and an OCBD can be worn with a suit if you desire, particularly if it’s of the less formal, less business-y variety (more texture, less structure).

But Oxfords are really best for all the style categories that sit below the semi-formal range. When it comes to occasions that call for something that’s a step down from that dress code but still polished and/or professional, Oxfords look great with chinos, a sports jacket or blazer, and more casual dress shoes like semi-brogue derbies, long-wing derbies, and suede bucks.  Or throw a sweater over your Oxford and pair with some trousers.

Go tie-less, or opt for a more casual textured tie. If you choose to wear a tie, because the gap between the points of the collar is smaller on an Oxford, use a smaller tie knot like the simple or four-in-hand rather than a bigger knot like the Windsor or half-Windsor.  

Smart Casual

Smart casual — sometimes called for for wedding rehearsal dinners, dates, and work conferences — can be a hard dress code to decipher. Going with an Oxford, some chinos, and leather boots/shoes or suede chukkas is a pretty fail-proof way to navigate it. Wearing your OCBD with nice jeans or corduroy pants would make the look a little more casual, but could work too. During the colder months, throw a sweater on top of your Oxford for a handsome and put-together get-up.

Oxfords are perfect for when you work at an office that’s pretty laid-back, but you want to look more put-together than your polo and t-shirt-wearing peers, and it transitions smoothly from the cubicle to an after-work dinner or hangout at a bar.

Casual

Oxford shirts are comfortable enough to be worn when you’re just banging around — when you’re not doing anything particularly special but don’t want to look like a slob, either.

Wear an OCBD untucked with casual jeans and sneakers, or even shorts and boat shoes (if you’re going for a preppy look), and you’re ready for a day of errands, hanging out at a friend’s house, or grabbing a quick bite to eat. An Oxford shirt can be thrown on over a t-shirt as well.

The more casual you’re getting, the more buttons you can unbutton (though you need not go so low as to show chest hair), and don’t forget to roll your sleeves up to add to your laid-back vibe. 

Oxford shirts look and feel even better as you break them in. So get one, or several, for your wardrobe, and start wearing the heck out of ’em!

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

An important part of manhood has always been about having the competence to be effective in the world — having the breadth of skills, the savoir-faire, to handle any situation you find yourself in. With that in mind, each Sunday we’ll be republishing one of the illustrated guides from our archives, so you can hone your manly know-how week by week.

When investing in a suit, you generally want one that’s going to look great and last long — a quality garment. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that cost is the best way of assessing this criteria, but price and quality are not always correlated. A suit might cost a lot because it comes with a famous or trendy label, and yet not actually be made all that well. Conversely, sometimes you can find a real steal on a suit that’s actually top-notch.

So how do you tell the difference?

Rather than just looking at the price tag, the authors of The Indispensable Guide to Classic Men’s Clothing recommend checking a suit for the 7 signs outlined above; at a glance, you’ll be able to know whether or not it’s a worthy addition to your wardrobe.

For more information on what some of the above terms mean and what to look for in buying a suit, check out these resources:

• Fused Vs. Canvas Suits
• A Primer on Suit Buttons
• How a Suit Should Fit

Like this illustrated guide? Then you’re going to love our book The Illustrated Art of Manliness! Pick up a copy on Amazon.

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

Synthetic workout shirts were supposed to represent a great leap forward in performance wear.

Unlike cotton shirts, which soak up your sweat and become wet and heavy, synthetic fabrics, typically made of polyester, wick away moisture, keeping you cool and dry.

Unfortunately, this advantage comes with a significant downside: they can smell terrible. Terrible. This isn’t just anecdotal observation: sweaty synthetic shirts have been scientifically proven to smell worse than sweaty cotton ones. 

There’s something special about the way body odor mixes with polyester that makes for a particularly repugnant scent.

While polyester repels water, it attracts bodily oil and the smelliest kind of bacteria. And while this stinky grime doesn’t get pulled into the fibers of synthetic fabric, it winds up trapped between them, where it becomes stubbornly hard to remove. 

This is why your synthetic workout shirt can still smell even after you’ve put it through the wash. And why even if it doesn’t smell coming out of the dryer, it almost instantly starts to stink again when you begin your next workout. The bacteria was never fully washed away in the first place and got reactivated as soon as you started to sweat. This phenomenon is evocatively known as the “rebloom effect.”

Your regular wash routine isn’t sufficient to get the stubborn stink out of synthetic workout shirts. It requires a special HIIT-level effort.

If you prefer to wear synthetic shirts when you work out, but don’t want to knock over fellow members of your running club with your odor, here’s the field-tested cleaning method we recommend:

Buy a week’s worth of workout shirts. Washing your workout shirts requires a special, and especially aggressive, method that isn’t needed or desirable for your other clothes. So you’re going to be washing your workout shirts in their own dedicated wash. Given that you don’t want to do this special wash every few days, buy a week’s worth of workout shirts to batch this chore. This doesn’t have to be a pricey investment: all synthetic shirts pretty much function the same, so you don’t need to get a name brand; even Amazon Essentials’ shirts (2 for $18) work fine. Getting inexpensive shirts will also help you feel better about engaging in the aggressive wash method outlined below.

Keep your dirty shirts in their own ventilated hamper. Because moisture breeds bacteria, experts often recommend hanging up your dirty workout shirts after you take them off to give them a chance to dry out. But the average person is not going to hang up their sweaty workout tops. It still isn’t a good idea to crumple them up in a plastic hamper, though, where their moisture will molder, and their stink will get on your other clothes. So adopt a compromise position: put dirty shirts in a well-ventilated mesh hamper where they’ll at least get some air. Drape your most recently used ones over the outside edges of the hamper so they can get max airflow and dry out faster.

Turn your shirts inside out before washing. This will maximize contact between the shirts’ most soiled areas and the water and detergent.

Use the washer’s heavy-duty hot-water cycle. The manufacturers of workout clothes recommend washing their garments in cool water and drying them on low heat in order to preserve their structural integrity. They warn that hot washing/drying can damage their shirts — causing them to shrink, stretch, or lose their shape. So if you wear expensive, premium workout gear, you may want to heed this warning and treat your shirts delicately.

However, we’ve found that even when using a special detergent designed for workout clothes, a cool cycle just isn’t as effective for stink-removal as a hot one, and a hot wash/dry doesn’t seem to do much damage to synthetic shirts. They still last for years and years. Plus, if you’re already wearing the bargain kind, you may not care if their longevity is slightly diminished. 

Set the washer to the hot heavy-duty cycle + presoak + extra rinse.

Don’t overdo the detergent. You might think that using extra soap will make the wash extra effective at removing grime. But using too much detergent will actually backfire, as it creates residue that traps more of the odor-causing bacteria in your shirts. With doing laundry generally, you can often use 30-50% less detergent than the detergent manufacturer calls for and still have your clothes come out clean. So when you’re washing your workout shirts, rather than using more detergent than the bottle suggests, use a little less.

There are special detergents made for washing workout clothes, but we’ve found that a standard detergent works fine, as long as you pair it with the next step:

Presoak the shirts with OxiClean. OxiClean is the secret sauce in getting the stink out of workout shirts. Depending on load size and level of shirt-stink, add a half to full scoop and let soak for four hours. You can soak longer, but then the hot water will cool before the wash cycle starts; you want to strike a balance between soak time and maintaining water temp.

As mentioned above, use the extra rinse function on your washer with this wash to better eliminate residual grime, detergent, and OxiClean.

Dry on high heat. Again, the manufacturers of synthetic workout shirts don’t recommend this. But while a hot dry cycle may or may not get hot enough to kill bacteria outright (it depends on the particular dryer), it will ensure your shirts get thoroughly dry and don’t retain residual, bacteria-breeding moisture. And we haven’t noticed any damage in drying workout shirts this way. But if you’ve got nice shirts you’re worried about, dry them on low heat or air dry.

Don’t use dryer sheets. Dryer sheets work by depositing a softening, static-reducing chemical compound on your clothes. This coating not only reduces the moisture-wicking ability of synthetic shirts but also traps odor-causing bacteria in the fabric. 

Instead of using dryer sheets, we use these wool balls in all our loads. They don’t reduce static to the same degree as dryer sheets, but their natural nature, reusability, and workout-shirt-compatibility are a plus.

Whew, just considering all these steps feels like a workout in itself. You might want to make peace with those soggy cotton tees, after all. 

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.