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 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.
The 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.
The 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.)
The 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.
The 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?)
The 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
Kamakura Vintage Ivy Button-Down Oxford Shirt
The Japanese have a deep appreciation for traditional American menswear: leather jackets and boots, blue jeans, collegiate sweatshirts. It makes sense that they’ve got a thing for Oxford-cloth shirts, too, even if they arrived in America by way of Britain. Kamakura cranks out well-crafted Oxfords in a style it calls Vintage Ivy, with as timeless a makeup as you’ll find. It’s 100% cotton with a button-down collar, a relaxed fit, button cuffs, and a singular patch pocket on the left breast.
Cherry LA Logo-Embroidered Striped Cotton Oxford Shirt
Oxfords tend to be preppy, but the crossover between prep and streetwear circles back into the centerfold every season or two. Cherry LA’s takes cues from classic westernwear, coastal prep, boardroom garb, and even pajamas for its delightfully chaotic Oxford, with separate pieces and patterns occupying each arm, both sides of the body, the collar, and the placket. It’s all blue and white, though, which makes it way more wearable—and extremely worth it, especially for those who never thought they’d wear a plain ol’ Oxford.
Rubato Classic Striped Oxford R Shirt
Swedish brand Rubato crafts its R Oxford less traditionally, but it’s no less an Oxford because of it. It might eschew the conventional button-down collar, but thanks its super-tight blue stripes, button cuffs, and a fitted body designed to look good tucked or untucked, it skews decidedly old-world. The real clincher though, is the fabric, a 100% Sea Island cotton so soft we keep trying to pet our computer screen.
Drake’s Stripe Oxford Button-Down Shirt
If Seinfeld was set in 2024, Jerry would probably wear a whole lot of Drake’s. The British haberdasher makes plenty of clothing the titular sitcom lead would’ve loved, none more so than this breathable purple, yellow, and brown striped Oxford with a single chest pocket and just-right proportions. It’s a perfect nod to the ’90s—and a heckuva lot more stylish than a Puffy Shirt.
Beams Plus Button-Down Collar Cotton Oxford Shirt
According to Beams Plus label director Hideki Mizobata, the brand’s mission is simple, if highly specific: revitalize styles from 1945 to 1965, the golden age of Americana. His riff on the Oxford fits slimmer than most, but is made from 100% cotton with all the fixings: a petite button-down collar, rounded hem, button cuffs, a chest pocket, and a box pleat down the back.
Buck Mason California One-Pocket Oxford Shirt
The Oxford shirt has long been associated with East Coast style sensibilities, but there’s a long lineage of prepsters in California, too. No brand knows that better than Buck Mason, which designed its aptly-named California Oxford as a lighter, more breathable version of the silhouette that still abides by the same overarching principles: dressy and casual, pulled-together and perfectly undone. Mix a garment wash with mother-of-pearl buttons and you get exactly that.
Brooks Brothers Oxford Cotton Button-Up Shirt
According to menswear lore, Brooks Brothers is responsible for bringing the Oxford shirt stateside. Back then, the brand referred to it as a “polo collar,” though it caught on about as quickly as you’d expect, and American men have been hooked ever since. Quite a few decades later, the shirt has changed a bit, but it isn’t completely different. Everything’s here, from the telltale collar to the button cuffs, patch pockets, and curved hems. One note: Brooks Brothers says it’s a ‘regular fit’, but there’s a bit more room in the chest than some of its counterparts.
