The best denim shirts for men have come a long way from their humble origins. Popularized in the early 20th century by the ranch hands and roughnecks of the American frontier, the rugged button-up has long since earned its place in the canon of hard-wearing, easy-going menswear classics. Unlike the plaid flannel, white tee, or chore coat, though, the denim shirt has managed to work its way into the rarefied echelons of tailoring, too. In 2024, some boast spread collars or shell buttons, but all are ready to add a hit of workwear-inspired swagger to your everyday lineup.

Of course, to paraphrase Levar Burton, you don’t have to take our word for it. Just look at fellas like Steve McQueen, Robert Redford, David Beckham, and Pedro Pascal, who’ve made the denim shirt an essential part of their wardrobes. (And that’s to say nothing of Ralph Lauren, who’s been schooling the world on how to wear a denim shirt with panache for over 50 years.)

These days, there’s a wider array of denim shirts than ever before, from authentic sawtooth western joints crafted from Japanese selvedge to cozy flannel-lined jacket hybrids to elevated riffs done up in crisp white Italian cotton. Try one with a blazer and weathered khakis or as one-half of a Canadian tuxedo, and don’t be surprised—or remotely disappointed—if you find yourself reaching for it day after day. Rest assured, you’re in good company.


The Best Men’s Denim Shirts, According to GQ


Best Denim Shirt Overall: Levi’s Classic Western Shirt

Levi’s

Classic Western Shirt

Pros

  • Unimpeachable pedigree
  • Widely available in a range of washes
  • Slim but not constricting fit

Cons

  • The collar is a smidge smaller than we’d like
  • As long as we’re nit-picking, we wouldn’t say no to bigger pockets

If it’s authenticity you’re after, you’d best go straight to the source. Levi’s has been outfitting folks in sturdy cotton workwear since 1853, and no other brand has a better claim to establishing blue denim as a mainstay of American style. Unlike their iconic dungarees, which became popular with miners and railway workers in the late 1800s, denim shirts didn’t become part of the Levi’s catalog until the 1930s, when they were adopted by ranch hands, cowboys, and city slickers looking to ape their rugged frontier style. True to those origins, this version features authentic vintage details like western pockets, pointed front yokes, a snap placket with faux mother-of-pearl buttons, and a just-right mid-blue rinse. As in the 1930s, there’s no better way to add a dash of western swagger to your look without going full Midnight Cowboy.

Best Denim Shirt for Fall: J.Crew Heavyweight Denim Shirt

J.Crew

Heavyweight Denim Workshirt

Pros

  • Premium USA-made fabric
  • Nifty flap pockets
  • Ages like top-shelf Chianti

Cons

  • An couple of ounces too heavy to wear year-round
  • Good for your fits, bad for your pits

Sometimes the best shirt is actually two shirts. For a supremely versatile case in point, see J.Crew’s holy union of a hardy work shirt and a classic denim shirt, a piece that’s destined to see heavy rotation as the weather turns cool. Coming from a brand known for its modern re-interpretations of American wardrobe staples, this quintessential fall layer is dialed-in down to the last detail, from the substantial weight of the natural indigo-dyed 10 oz. denim to the pristine rinse that will only look more lived-in over time. After a few turns in the laundry machine, it’ll look like something you might find on the coat rack at a New England hunting cabin, which is exactly the vibe you want for your trustiest fall layers.

Best Denim Shirt for Denimheads: Studio D’artisan Sawtooth Western Shirt

Studio D’Artisan

Sawtooth Western Shirt

Pros

  • Unimpeachable pedigree
  • Premium Japanese selvedge
  • Just about as authentic as it gets

Cons

  • Unless you’re a cowboy, those western details can veer into cosplay
  • A shade stiffer than we’d like

The Western shirt may have been invented in the Wild West but—as with so many pieces of the classic American wardrobe—it was perfected in Japan. Founded in 1979, Studio D’artisan is one of a handful of brands credited with bringing old-school denim back from the brink of extinction by reproducing vintage American jeans on antique looms. The proof is in this painstakingly considered shirt made from sturdy 12.8 oz. Japanese indigo rope-dyed selvedge, with orange contrast stitching, “sawtooth” pockets, and real mother-of-pearl YKK snaps. Just like the brand’s cult-favorite dungarees, everything about this shirt pays homage to the golden era of American denim in the 1940s and 1950s. With the distinctly crisp feel of Japanese selvedge—and true to its workwear origins—expect it to get better the more you wear it.

Best Denim Shirt for the Office: Anglo-Italian Spread Collar Denim Shirt

Anglo-Italian

Spread Collar Shirt Light Wash Denim Shirt

Pros

  • Premium Italian fabric
  • Perfectly dialed spread collar
  • Looks killer solo, but even better with a suit

Cons

  • Skews dressier than our other winners
  • Sussing out your collar size can be a puzzle

A few decades ago, wearing a denim shirt with a blazer would have been a style move on par with going shirtless under a suit. Times have changed, however, and so have denim shirts. As traditional workwear pieces have earned a place in the 9-5 wardrobe alongside Oxford shirts and tailored trousers, designers have elevated them with top-shelf fabrics and details to make them all the more refined. Anglo-Italian’s take on the denim shirt is precisely this kind of piece. Made in Italy from mid-weight denim with a modern spread collar, real shell buttons and the same cut as the brand’s Oxford-cloth button-downs, it’s gently distressed around the cuffs and collar to give it a subtle vintage look.

Best Denim Shirt for Fashion Guys: Kapital Magpie Western Shirt

Kapital

Magpie Distressed Denim-Jacquard Western Shirt

Pros

  • Unimpeachable pedigree
  • The raw hems and fraying edges are only, like, the fifth most interesting details
  • Bragging rights

Cons

  • You, sir, are about to make a real statement
  • We double-checked the price—it’s still $500

For those uninitiated in Kapital’s signature blend of traditional Japanese craft and vintage American style, the brand was founded in Okayama in the mid-1980s and was one of a handful of pioneers who helped to make Japanese denim the best in the world. They’ve since pivoted to zanier designs that blend fever dream silhouettes with high-end materials, all of it executed with characteristic attention to detail. Like the best Kapital joints, this shirt takes a familiar idea to freaky new heights by remixing the classic Western shirt with a jacquard-woven feather motif and a ragged, uneven hem.

The Best Denim Shirt for Softies: Buck Mason Japanese Chambray Western Shirt

Buck Mason

Japanese Chambray Western Shirt

Pros

  • Lightweight, breathable, and the right amount of lived-in
  • Gorgeous scalloped pockets
  • You can’t put a price on that patina

Cons

  • Chambray is less durable than denim
  • As long as we’re nit-picking, we’d love to see a darker wash, too

While often used interchangeably, chambray and denim aren’t the same thing. We’re not going to get too deep into the weeds on the weaving techniques that differentiate the two (one is a plain weave, the other a twill) but suffice it to say that chambray is generally more lightweight than denim, making it better for casual shirts and warmer weather. As such, Buch Mason’s 5 oz. Japanese indigo chambray is the perfect choice for this button-up, which is light enough for summer days, and has the look of something that’s been a regular in your shirt rotation for years. Wear it untucked with shorts or jeans for an unimpeachable weekend vibe, or tuck it into some high-waisted chinos for a dressier (but equally swaggering) look. Either way, you’re coming up a winner.


More Denim Shirts We Love

Flint & Tinder Bone Button Denim Shirt

Flint and Tinder

Bone Button Denim Shirt

If you were to close your eyes and picture the perfect denim shirt, it would probably look something like this. Cut from stonewashed 8 oz. denim the color of a big western sky and sewn in the good ol’ USA, it has all the right elements, including a set of burnt cow bone snaps up the front (yeehaw!) With hundreds of positive reviews singing its praises (on that note, you might want to size up if you want a roomier fit) it’s more or less exactly what a denim shirt ought to be.

Randy’s Garments New York Jacquard Denim Overshirt

Randy’s Garments

Jacquard Denim Over Shirt

When you combine a denim work shirt, a chore coat and a pair of hickory-striped train conductor’s overalls, the result is just as distinctive—and irresistibly punchy—as you could hope for. At least that’s what happened when Randy’s Garments gave it a shot. Cut and sewn in NYC out of sturdy (but not stiff!) 12 oz. navy stripe jacquard denim, it has a generously boxy cut that makes it ideal for layering over anything in your fall wardrobe (except, maybe, more stripes).

Madewell Western Denim Easy Shirt

Madewell

Western Denim Easy Shirt

There are vintage-style denim shirts, dressy denim shirts, and denim shirts with big fashion cred, but some days you just want a plain old easy-wearing button-up. That’s what’s on offer here: slightly distressed denim with a relaxed cut and a soupçon of old-school western flavor in its snap button placket. Don’t overthink it, just throw it on over your t-shirt and chinos and proceed with looking ruggedly relaxed all day long.

Carhartt WIP Harvey Denim Shirt Jacket

Carhartt WIP

Harvey Denim Shirt Jacket

Sometimes a great denim shirt is also a jacket, and vice-versa. We’ll leave the debate about which category this prime specimen of Carhartt outerwear falls into and instead focus on the many ways it nails the details. Boxy fit? Check. Front flap pockets? Yessir. Metal buttons? You betcha. What more do you need to know?

Todd Snyder Denim Overshirt

Todd Snyder

Denim Overshirt

At this point we can all agree on the quiet power of a blue denim shirt, but what about one in white? Todd Snyder humbly proposes you give it a try. Made from crisp white Italian denim with patch chest pockets and a relaxed yet tailored fit, it’s the happy medium between a white dress shirt and a stonewashed work shirt, and every bit as versatile. Just go easy on the hot sauce.

The Letters Western Short Shirt

The Letters

Western Short Shirt

If you’re looking for something to tuck into a pair of skin-tight Wranglers, this ain’t it. The Letters designer Yuichi Mukaida loves cowboy iconography and Clint Eastwood movies, but his take on western wear takes an entirely different tack from anything you’d see in a Sergio Leone movie. Part of a collection that combines influences from 1970s rock and traditional Japanese tailoring, this shirt’s subtle distressing and short, boxy cut give it a look all its own.

RRL Denim Buffalo Western Workshirt

RRL

Denim Buffalo Western Workshirt

Among Ralph Lauren’s many contributions to American fashion is transforming the denim shirt from a Western novelty to a ubiquitous piece of the modern wardrobe. Today, the legendary designer’s western-themed RRL label (named for his sprawling Colorado ranch) is still among the best places to score a great jean shirt like this one, which is cut from indigo-dyed Japanese denim and finished with boot-stitch detailing on the pockets. Whether you wear it with roper boots or sneakers, you can’t go wrong.

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