White Oxford Shirts: 16 Crisp Button-ups As Cool as They Are Classic

The story behind the white Oxford shirt is less thrilling than you might expect. It did not earn that strange-sounding intoxication through some sacred association with England’s tony college; instead, the shirt’s signature cotton fabric is just one of four schools named after a group of schools chosen by a factory in Scotland for their association with society’s upper classes. (Marketing at its best in the 19th century!) But of the quartet — the others Harvard, Cambridge and Yale, FYI — only the white Oxford shirt achieved iconic men’s status, becoming iconic. quintessence of the American preparatory world as a “sport shirt” (?!) and then as a casual wear. Oxford shirts come in every color imaginable these days, but none look quite as classic as the OG — especially when they’re well-worn and slightly wrinkled. Below, you’ll find 16 of our absolute favorites, each more ready than the last to bring your jeans, chinos, and trousers with the unmistakable swagger of yours. The American royal family has passed away.