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-pleated barrel 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. In fact, it’s got a lot of the same details that brands like Gitman Vintage offer.
The trade off? Mass production and slightly downgraded materials and construction—but for a shirt that costs less than a hundred bucks, that’s being nitpicky. 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 the Office: Sid Mashburn Spread Collar Dress Shirt
Materials: 80/1 x 80/1 Italian roxford (royal oxford); 100% cotton | Fit: Trim | Collar: Spread
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?)
With a nerd-satisfying 22 stitches per inch, troca shell buttons, and other refined details, you’d be forgiven for thinking this shirt was made on Jermyn Street, famed for its shirtmaking history. But Sid’s shirts are proudly made in Honduras which makes them a great value compared to the British alternative.
Best Custom Oxford Shirt: Proper Cloth Clark Oxford-Cloth Button-Down
Materials: Heavyweight 100% Pima cotton | Fit: Customizable | Collar: Button-down
For the menswear maxxers, bespoke clothing is a holy grail. But if you’re maxxing on a budget, your options are limited. Rove the forums and you’ll see Proper Cloth come up a lot and for good reason. The DTC brand seems to have cracked the code on custom shirting that’s both affordable and high-quality. You could go through the gauntlet of creating a totally custom size with a highly granular level of control over practically every shirt detail, but Proper Cloth’s more streamlined options are already extremely dialed-in.
The Clark shirt is one of the label’s best selling shirts thanks to its beefy Oxford cloth material, bewilderingly good construction (felled seams, split yoke, unfused placket, shanked buttons), and near-perfect fit. For $115, you cannot get a better Oxford shirt. But you have to be willing to wait because every shirt is made to order and will take a couple weeks to get to you. If you can remember to think ahead and have some patience, it’s well worth the wait.
Best Oxford Shirt for Summer: Buck Mason California One-Pocket Oxford Shirt
Materials: 3-ounce cotton-tencel blend | Fit: Classic | Collar: Button-down