The white Oxford shirt is the most versatile and useful wardrobe staple every man should own, and I will die on that hill. But they are not all created equally, and finding the best is a seemingly never-ending quest.
So I was thrilled to learn that Daisuke Obana, founder of the Japanese menswear label N. Hoolywood, created — or rather, recreated — what he claims to be the perfect white Oxford shirt.
Obana worked with Brooks Brothers to replicate a shirt that the American brand made in the 1960s, which he found in a thrift shop.
The collaborative effort meticulously reproduced the fabric, fit and even the inner-collar tag as it existed over half a century ago.
A piece of menswear history
The late 1950s and early 1960s were the golden age of American preppy fashion. Born on the campuses of elite universities, the now-conservative genre was revolutionary for its relaxed nature at the time.
Alongside khaki chinos, penny loafers, and navy club blazers, the Oxford shirt was a foundational piece of American Ivy style in the mid-twentieth century. Brooks Brothers invented it in 1900, taking inspiration from British polo players.
