The Resurgence of the Denim Shirt

Denim shirts are back in style.

If you don’t have one in your closet yet, it’s a worthy investment. Other types of casual shirts are still quite similar in fabric and general aesthetics, but a denim shirt will bring something different to your wardrobe. It will add some variety.

Denim shirts still have the stigma of being primarily worn by people’s dads, but a stylish man can wear items in ways that break their stigma. It’s not the shirts itself that give people the dad-look, it’s the way some people wear them. To prevent you from looking like your old man, you need to understand how to wear a denim shirt fashionably.

For guys, fashion changes at a plate-tectonics pace. So going from a pair of jeans to jeans, a jean jacket and a denim shirt — all in one wearing — can look drastic, in the same way that Brad Pitt's backwoods beard seems a bit much, even in the midst of a facial-hair frenzy.

Denim is a huge, huge way of expressing yourself right now. The trick is you don't want to look like you're wearing the same denim on top as on the bottom. Instead pair a darker and lighter wash, wear a white T-shirt with dark blue jeans, black motorcycle boots and a distressed (lighter blue) old denim jacket.

If you're going to double up on denim, it's safest to keep the color of your top half lighter than the bottom. A darker shirt on lighter jeans doesn't work. It has something to do with the visual center of gravity.

CLASS ROBERTO CAVALLI

CYCLE

JOHN GALLIANO

D & G

DENIM & SUPPLY RALPH LAUREN

Here are a few stylish ways to wear a denim shirt that are quite easy to pull off.

Look 1: Denim Shirt with Chinos

The easiest way to make a denim shirt work is to wear a pair of chino pants with them. Most people only wear denim on their lower half, so this is a great way to turn that look upside down. Seriously, this is a hard look to screw up. Chinos in light shades of brown work especially well with denim shirts, just look at the images above. Also, the open denim shirt look in the middle is awesome for summer/spring.

Look 2: Denim Shirt with Jeans

Wearing a denim shirt with jeans has become quite trendy lately. The double-denim look used to be the fashion faux pas that created the dad-look mentioned earlier. Now, fashion-forward people have made it work. The trick with the double denim look is to make sure there is a contrast between the top and bottom piece. The only way this look works is when one piece is dark denim and the other is light.

Look 3: Denim Shirt with Cardigan

You can still rock your denim shirt in the colder months by adding a cardigan. This will keep you warm, and with the right cardigan, it can look amazing. The denim shirt is enough of a statement piece, so just wear it under a neutral cardigan, and you’ll have an awesome look on your hands. Thick knit cardigans look especially manly with a denim shirt.

These are not the only ways to pull off a denim shirt, but they are the easiest. If you’re new to wearing denim shirts, just try these 3 looks first, and then work yourself up to wearing them with a tie or blazer. Once you’re comfortable with wearing denim shirts, you could even try wearing them with a suit. But that’s a pretty advanced look, and I wouldn’t recommend it to fashion newbies. Remember, just stick to the basics, and you’ll do fine.