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.