By Gerald Ortiz,Jeremy Freed

Copyright gq

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. These days, 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, Tupac Shakur, 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.
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 Americana 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, pearl 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.

100% Cotton denim

Slightly slim

7 available

Real ones know that sometimes the best shirt isn’t just a shirt. It’s one that can play different roles at the drop of the hat, from everyday button-up to light jacket to rough-and-tumble work shirt. J.Crew’s classic denim shirt has been in its catalog for as long as this writer can remember and it’s obvious why. The denim ain’t flimsy. It’s sturdy and densely woven, but softened into a vintage feel with a few different washes. The double flap chest pockets, pencil slot, cateye buttons, and contrast double-needle stitching come together to tie in the workwear inspiration, and the relaxed-but-not-sloppy silhouette make it perfect for wearing as a light layer or on its own.
It feels like the kind of shirt you’d be happy to acquire from your grand pappy, or find hidden deep within your favorite vintage store, ready to synchronize with every pair of pants you throw at it. And for a smidge above a hundred bucks—and very often on sale—that’s a lot of shirt for a truly reasonable price.

Midweight cotton denim

2 available

Contrary to what you might believe, many of menswear’s well-established style icons are propped up by humble garments. There are, no doubt, plenty that rely on designer names and cutting edge labels, but elder statesmen and young bucks alike know to toss in some everyman garments to ground their style. Oftentimes, that’s a Wrangler western shirt. From Bruce Springsteen to the guy that’s playing him, the shirt have passed muster with cool guys for generations and made countless hopefuls way more stylish along the way.
At just about forty bones, the snap button western supplies heaps of style, much more than you’d think. It’s been in Wrangler’s lineup for generations and remains relatively unchanged which means they actually look vintage straight out of the box. If it’s not clear, that’s a very good thing.

100% cotton

Slightly slim

Like, a million

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.

5 oz Japanese cotton chambray

Classic fit

2 available

Your buttoned-up corporate office may not allow jeans, but they probably never said anything about denim dress shirts. We’re all for a western shirt under a blazer, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Denim, employed with the right details and cut, can be as elegant as a crisp poplin and ready to stroll down the cubicle aisles or even a red carpet. Todd Snyder’s collaboration with multi-generational shirtmakers Hamilton have made one of the most distinguished shirts we’ve seen and can make any diehard denim junkie expand their understanding of the tough-natured fabric.
It features a substantial pointed collar, hand-carved mother-of-pearl buttons, a split yoke, and a classically tailored silhouette. Toss it under your best-fitting suit with a silk foulard tie and a pair of derbies, and your boss will have no choice but to acknowledge your superiority—or at least won’t put you on their shit list.

100% cotton chambray

Relaxed fit

2 available

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 denim, 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.

12.8oz Japanese Selvedge Natural Indigo Dyed Denim

Relaxed fit

1 available

Kapital stands as one of the most unique modern brands out there, pumping out designs that are equal parts workwear, wacky, and punk. At the foundation of it all? Denim. Any one of the Japanese label’s denim shirts is a certified grail and it changes from season to season. This season, it’s the Bone Patch Ventilator Workshirt that’ll get the fashion crowds rubbernecking.
It rips motifs from classic workwear designs from defunct labels like Hercules and features contrast-stitch eyelets throughout, panel reinforcements, triple-needle stitching, and an extra roomy cut. Throughout it all, Kapital’s signature bone design in chambray makes it unmistakable.

100% cotton Japanese chambray

1 available

Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there’s bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ’s testing process here.)