The Best Oxford Shirt Is the Only Button-Down You Need

The story behind the Oxford shirt is a lot less thrilling than you’d expect. It didn’t earn that fancy-sounding sobriquet through some sacred connection to the tony British university; instead, the shirt's signature cotton fabric was just one of four named after a group of schools picked by a Scottish mill for their associations with society’s upper crust. (19th century marketing at its best!)

But of the quartet—the others were Harvard, Cambridge, and Yale, FYI—only the Oxford shirt achieved menswear icon status, becoming a quintessential emblem of American prep as a “sporting shirt” and then as a staple of casual attire. Nowadays, Oxford-cloth shirts come in every color imaginable, but none of ‘em look quite as classic as the OG—especially when they’re thoroughly worn-in and a little wrinkled. Below you’ll find 13 of our absolute favorites, each one more ready than the last to imbue your jeans, chinos, and trousers with the unmistakable swagger of adopted American royalty.

The Best Oxford Shirts for Men, According to GQ

• The Best Oxford Shirt Overall: Gitman Vintage Slim Oxford Shirt, $215
• The Best Budget Oxford Shirt: J.Crew Giant-Fit Oxford Shirt, $98
• The Best Oxford Shirt for the Office: Sid Mashburn Spread Collar Dress Shirt, $175
• The Best Oxford Shirt for Summer: Randy’s Garments Oxford Shirt, $140
• The Best Oxford Shirt for Fashion Guys: Thom Browne Cotton Button-Down Shirt, $490
• The Best Oxford Shirt for Nostalgists: Wythe Oxford Cloth Button-Down, $160

Best Oxford Shirt Overall: Gitman Vintage Classic American Vintage Slim Oxford Shirt

Gitman Vintage's Classic American Oxford wears its inspiration on its sleeves. The British button-down style might be an adopted member of the American menswear family, but these days it's as irreplaceable as the Statue of Liberty (also of foreign origin, FYI). But Gitman Vintage more than just talks the talk: scant other companies have been able to keep every step of their production process stateside. The roots of the family-run business stretch back to the '30s, with a gang of third- and fourth-generation tailors staffing their factories. Their flagship Oxford shirt has been made from the same fabric since 1978, meaning this pre-washed, slim-fit shirt will feel vintage, not just bear the word on its tag.

Best Budget Oxford Shirt: J.Crew Giant-Fit Oxford Shirt

J.Crew’s Giant-Fit Oxford shirt falls in line with its viral, jumbo-sized Giant-Fit chinos, but it’s less, well, obviously enormous. It’s more '90s heartthrob-coded than it is an ill-fitting relic. With a wider, weightier body, double cuffs, and an elongated collar, it’s an authentic reproduction of how they used to make ’em—at least according to J.Crew’s archives, which its designers dug through to source the pattern. For added era-appropriate detailing, try this one in Seaside Stripe, a preppy, coastal combo of off-white and sun-faded blue.

Best Oxford Shirt for Fashion Guys: Thom Browne Cotton Button-Down Shirt

Plain Oxford shirt too simple for your liking? Thom Browne's take isn’t overtly avant-garde, but it does boast a striped grosgrain placket that shows itself when you undo the top or bottom buttons, a stitched-on tag near the right hip, and a similarly striped locker loop beneath the collar. Each one is made in Italy from a soft, durable cotton fabric with noticeable cuffs and a sharply curved hem, making this iteration a better fit with sleek dress pants or even your most refined athleisure. (Talking to you, sneakers-with-suit crowd.)

Best Oxford Shirt for Nostalgists: Wythe Oxford Cloth Button-Down

Talk about an entrance: Wythe’s Oxford-cloth button-down was the New York brand’s first product. Thanks to a slightly oversized, unlined collar that looks equally good done up or left unkempt, it'll lend you the vibe of a celebrity exiting LAX during the golden era of airport fits. Unlike a lot of modern iterations, though, you won’t be suffocated inside it; it fits comfortably against the body, neither slim nor too shlubby. Wythe makes its Oxfords in plain white and blue, but we especially dig this striped number with a traditional box pleat and locker loop at the rear.

Best Oxford Shirt for the Office: Sid Mashburn Spread Collar Dress Shirt

Easily abide by a stricter dress code with Sid Mashburn’s meeting-ready Oxford, which the brand dubs “royal Oxford” for its lighter weight, refined finish, and dressier vibe. All of that lends the shirt a bit more sophistication, making it the best option on this list to be worn with a suit—or solo with a groovy silk tie. The collar boasts a bit of interlining to stand up on its own, even after it’s been ruffled dozens of times, and the flat-felled seams, easy-to-handle buttons, and a shirttail long enough to stay tucked in ensure there's no analyst’s crack here. (That’s the phrase, right?)

Best Oxford Shirt for Summer: Randy’s Garments Cotton-Blend Oxford Shirt

Break free from sleeves, and cosplay as the most stylish mechanic in the American Workwear Universe. Choose Randy’s Garments summer-ready cotton-blend Oxford Shirt for a breezier, less sweaty way of flexing your knowledge of sartorial history. The sleeves aren’t too short, and there are two pockets (one patch, one flap) across the chest for all your gear (or EDC and pencils, if you’re real preppy). Atypical approach aside, this is a surprisingly smart option: It’s painless to care for, flattering on everyone, and easier to incorporate into your wardrobe, whether it skews true-blue prepster or prepster-turned-punk.

More Oxford Shirts We Love