Jean Shirts and Shirts for Jeans

Button up, we're going in.

I started the week feeling curious about shirts. The one I have from Xirena got me thinking about a work uniform made of dusty, vintage-inspired jeans with brown leather accessories and candy-striped button downs in different colors, one for every day of the week. I fantasized about this combo in last Saturday’s letter – a simple combination, hinging on the specificity of the denim’s wash (it should look a little rusty, like Nili Lotan’s Simon), the richness of the leather (more cocoa than cognac), and the cheeriness of the stripes (pink! mint green!). First thing Monday morning, here I was:

My fantasy work uniform is an easy formula. The tension between the clean shirt and patina’d jeans and belt gives it strength and maturity. It feels considered v standard. Here are the shirts I’m talking about. I love the one I have. Jeans. Shoes. The belt is old Prada. Here is something similar (but definitely not Prada). My glasses are these from Caddis.

Shirts aren’t something I’ve worn too much (lord knows I love a tee), but the ones I have are really good, and since I’d just ordered a fresh lot of jeans, why not pair the two together?

Quick notes:

1. The Buck Mason jeans that arrived were too big. I got the Off Duty in the M083 wash and the Japanese Loomstate Selvedge Original in D044, both size 24, but I need a size 23. Like the Roper, which I love, they run big. Also, a 33” inseam is really long (guys, why?!), so even when they fit, I’ll need to have them hemmed.

2. I also got a pair of Paige Arellia barrels in the prettiest Soft Sepia wash (trending!), but they have a 32” inseam which is also too long for my 5’4” frame. The top block fits perfectly. I’ll share once they’ve been shortened.

Mother’s Reifler style is a mid-rise straight-boot. Straight from the front, bootcut from the side. I have it in two washes, After Midnight and Starry Eyed (shown here). I wear it in a petite (Lil’) size 24, but it also comes with a regular 33” inseam (Readers, please raise your hand in the comments if you wear a 33” inseam. I need to know you exist!) Mother’s site recommends sizing up in the regular Reifler, but in my experience the Lil’ sizing fits true. Jamie Haller boots.

I’m always talking about Ossou jeans (and I’m going to talk about them even more in a little bit), but they make great shirts, too. Shirts with curved sleeves, big cuffs, and seams that give and take away volume in unexpected places; shirts with outsized proportions and exceptional fabrications. The Ridge shirt has a dolman sleeve – which I hate on t-shirts, but love here – and is long enough to tuck in and also short enough to leave out. The color, bone, is a mild ecru, which looks warm and mellow with these black Mother jeans (whereas white-white shirts with black jeans makes me think of waiters). Again, with a rich brown leather belt.

Ossou’s Ridge shirt is made of crinkly cotton poplin. I wear a size S.

Sometimes it’s fun to layer collared shirts. This really works, I think, when the bottom shirt is made of cotton and the one on top is a lightweight denim. Both white. Here I’m wearing Alex Mill – the Jo shirt, you’ve seen it here before – and Ozma. Tuck one, unbutton the other, and let the collars (bottom folded over top) act as a kind of anchor, keeping it all together. Two hearts that beat as one. (I don’t know. That just came out of me and I’m not going to delete it!)

Layered white shirts look extra breezy with a cotton twill carpenter pant. Alex Mill Jo button down (size XS). Ozma recycled denim shirt. Jamie Haller pants in Avo (like avocado?); I’m wearing a size 00. Miu Miu sandals. Daisies in Space bandana. Sherman Field pearl pendant on a Thatch cord necklace. Violette FR Lip Nectar in Bêtise.

Let’s talk quickly about what to look for in a shirt. I’m not as versed in shirt-making as I am in denim design, but I know what I like – 100% cotton (poplin, Oxford, twill, or linen; synthetics that make shirts feel slinky are uninteresting and hot-feeling). Small, pearly buttons (not snaps, never snaps), a pocket (one, if any), and single needle stitching (v the double needle you see on felled seams, for example). These are my personal preferences. Collars with stays or buttons that pin down the corners make me feel un-easy. With jeans, a shirt can’t be too business-like, or the vibe goes casual-Fridays-at-the-corporation real fast.

Shirt. Jeans.

Pale pink and deep, dark indigo are such a pretty color combination. Mother’s Roomie Frenchie shirt is made of soft – not crisp – cotton, with a preppy white collar and cuffs. The casual quality of the cotton makes the cuffs feel cool. I’m wearing a size XS. Here’s another shirt with doubled-up cuffs – cute. This is Ossou’s Flex jean, which is the same silhouette as the Noon I love, but in stretch denim. I’m smitten with the fit and wear my typical size 24. With Emme Parsons’s stretch boot they do not need shortening.

Here’s a trick: Leave the bottom two or three buttons of your shirt undone (until the opening hits your waistband, thereabout), then wrap the front shirt tails like a robe or kimono, and tuck the whole thing into your jeans. It makes for interesting creases and can help reduce billowing on bigger shirts, like this one. If the shirt is shorter, you can leave the back untucked. Tight jeans, like these (a Wirecutter fave), are a must.

Ossou Ridge shirt, tucked all fancy so it looks all twisty. How chic and sharp is the collar? My jeans are the Putneys from Benjamin Talley Smith’s collaboration with Madewell, which I wrote about here. Madewell recommends sizing up in this jean, although I did not and it’s fine.

Last look: A collared shirt and a cardigan. Not something I wear a lot. Too trad? Perhaps. Without the belt and shoes I trust, this whole thing would feel sideways to me. A good reminder to retain some of the familiar when trying different clothes. Which brings me back to the uniform I dreamed up for work, and why I actually wear a version of the same thing most days of the week. Because figuring out how to wear something as foreign to me as a button down with a cardigan is hard. It is. I am not immune to the struggles of getting dressed, either. Which is precisely why jeans matter so much. They’re the constant. They’re the truth. I hope you have a pair you love.

Shirt. Sweater. Jeans. Boots.

The ecru color of Ossou’s Ridge shirt neutralizes some of the preppiness of this &Daughter cardigan. I’m wearing Ayr’s Legend in a Regular size 24 – a very reliable bootcut that fits at the waist like they were made on me. I first wrote about these jeans in October of last year, here (I wore the 24 Short back then). I like both lengths, and can confirm that leaner fits like this will continue to stay strong through summer.

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And that’s a wrap for today. It’s my son’s birthday on Sunday – on Easter, this year –he’ll be 5. Five! Lately, his questions about time and snakes and Metallica and how Spider-Man’s fingers stick to the basketball in the movie are endless. I hope he stays so curious and continues to keep me on my toes forever. If you liked this letter, please hit the heart. It matters! Thank you for reading and trusting me with your jeans. As always, Denim Forever.

Jane

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More good links…

Trip Jackets and Georgia Jeans in Salt just dropped to 70%. Sizes are limited. Shop all SALE at The Only Jane.

Wait. Nordstrom sells Flamingo Estate? This is a very good gift.

Me+Em’s Relaxed Forever Shirt in Tan is tempting and would pair well, palette-wise, with every jean in this post.

Westman Atelier’s Hydrobalm in Pop is tops.