Come fall, the best corduroy shirts for men make your run-of-the-mill poplin button-ups feel a little puny. When the mercury drops, it’s only natural to switch from fabrics that keep you cool to ones that simply feel soft and warm against your skin. And truthfully, few if any fabrics lay greater claim to that title than corduroy.
And while you could elect for a handsomely tufted statement piece—think a corduroy chore coat or blazer—corduroy shirts are capable of commanding the same attention (for a fraction of the price). Generally speaking, corduroy feels woefully under-worn by the common man—especially when you consider how well it goes with everything he’d normally wear in the fall, from denim to slouchy dress pants to holiday party suiting. In other words, it’s a blue-collar fabric that still manages to feel sort of fancy.
Below, we rounded up the the best options—from wide wale to Western—that will help you strike the right, ahem, chord, all winter long. When it comes to a corduroy shirt you can wear day in, day out, the most important thing is that it comes in a classic, versatile, well-structured fit. There’s a time and a place for oversized statement cord shirts, but this ain’t it.
And for classic casual tailoring staples done right, it’s hard to argue with Polo Ralph Lauren as the category leader. The label’s button-down corduroy shirt is proof: It fits like an OCBD, just turned softer and more elegant. And while the lightweight cotton will slip gracefully under any sweater, should you want to wear it as a top layer—say, over a white tee—that iconic polo logo is there to telegraph just the right amount of preppy energy (and is stitched in a different, perfectly contrasting color for each different shirt shade).
Note: Ralph’s fit is pretty close to the body, so if you want to lounge around in yours—or simply have broader shoulders—I would suggest sizing up. Machine washable Yes Sizing XS-XXL Colorways Eight different options, with contrasting embroidered logos We talk about how good Banana Republic is now a lot, but it’s through reporting stories like these that I truly appreciate that they have a great version of pretty much every menswear staple you could think of. Take this shirt: The standard fit is just roomy enough without ever billowing out, the six colors (our favorites: the mustard yellow and the olive green) are all playful but still restrained, and even the buttons have been crafted to match the specific colorway they’re sewn onto.
Tack that onto having both regular and tall sizing, wrapped up in a package that’s $40 less than the Ralph, and is it any wonder sizes are already selling out? Machine washable Yes Sizing XS-XXL Colorways Nine different options So you’re attracted to corduroy shirts for their texture, but don't live somewhere that actually gets that cold? Let me first draw your attention to J.Crew, who unsurprisingly sell an exemplary corduroy shirt with all the right details, but also took time to look out for the fairer-weather corduroy fans.
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