We’re living through some strange times, to be sure. But that doesn’t mean your wardrobe aspirations should be put entirely on ice. Getting dressed for the day is an important morale boost, a moment of calm reflection even if you’re chilling at home—and there’s one recently revived menswear staple that will add a welcome note of insouciance to your attire: the Fun Shirt.
The overarching name for shirts cut from contrasting plain or striped panels of fabric, the Fun Shirt has an intriguing history. Its roots lie in the 1950s and ‘60s, when American menswear stalwarts like Brooks Brothers, and a little later Ralph Lauren, started to sew shirts from contrasting panels of seersucker and Oxford cloth as a lighthearted alternative to a plain-colored shirt. Skip forward to the ‘90s, and the Fun Shirt was derided as the marker of a style-free man, with brands like the unfortunately named Shite Shirts lending Fun Shirts a bad name. Now, driven in part by the renaissance of interest in Ivy League style over the past 12 months, Fun Shirts are back with a modern, clean look. And, they’re easier to wear than you might think.
Here are six of the sharpest we’ve seen, with a few pointers on mixing them into your wardrobe, even if you are working from home.
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Drake’s Tonal Blue Fun Shirt
Image Credit: Drake's Drake’s is known for its playful approach to classic menswear and has designed two Fun Shirts this season, both inspired by the style’s preppy heyday. This tonal blue version is the less shouty of the pair, cut in an assortment of striped poplin fabrics with a classic button-down collar. The beauty of a piece like this is you really can just treat it as you would a sky blue shirt; it’ll look cool and clean beneath a checked sport coat or a jersey sweater, paired with dark jeans or pleated chinos.
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Bryceland’s & Co. Crazy Rayon Shirt
Image Credit: Bryceland's & Co. If you don’t yet know Bryceland’s & Co, you should. This indie menswear store was co-founded in Tokyo by Ralph Lauren alumnus Ethan Newton and menswear aficionado Kenji Cheung. The pair set out to create a robust collection of wardrobe staples built to last, inspired by their joint interest in the style of previous centuries. Their rayon ‘sport shirts’ are based on a 1950s design and enjoy a cult-fan base among stylish men — they often sell out as soon as a new run is released. Currently, there are two ‘fun rayons’ to choose from on the Bryceland’s website and this darker version works brilliantly beneath an unstructured navy blazer, thanks to its midnight blue and burgundy panels. The camp collar sits comfortably beneath a jacket’s lapels, too.
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Polo Ralph Lauren Oxford Fun Shirt
Image Credit: Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren was one of the first champions of the Fun Shirt back in the early ‘70s, and this season his Polo collection has a number of different ‘fun’ designs to choose from. This striped Oxford cloth shirt is a firm favorite; its warm pastel colors are relatively subtle and suitably summery for the warmer months to come. All it needs is a pair of tapered beige chinos, rolled up sleeves and some clean white sneakers to look seriously sharp in your down-time.
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Aimé Leon Dore Block Striped Oxford
Image Credit: Aimé Leon Dore New York’s sleekest sportswear brand has gone big on fun menswear across the board this season. In addition to this shirt, the design team have come up with a duo of great panelled cardigans and some long-sleeve color block T-shirts too. This striped oxford mixes soft colors with a variety of graphic stripes, for a modern, relaxed take on the classic Fun Shirt. Again, chinos and sneakers are all that’s required for this piece to really pop.
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Holiday Boileau Paneled Work Shirt
Image Credit: Holiday Boileau Parisian brand Holiday Boileau is a leading proponent of the ‘French Ivy’ look, which offers a European spin on preppy American menswear. This patchwork shirt is based on a mid-century workwear style, with a good-sized collar and buttoning breast pockets for a utilitarian look. With a multi-patterned shirt like this, it pays to keep things straightforward: layer over a classic T-shirt or jersey sweater, and tuck into dark chinos. Simple, but trés chic — as they say in Paris.
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Beams Plus Open Collar Corduroy Shirt
Image Credit: End Clothing This Fun Shirt from Japanese cult brand, Beams Plus, offers an easy-wearing entry point to the trend. The fun element comes by way of a breast pocket cut on the bias, against an otherwise normal plaid shirt. Its primary colors are perfect for spring, but this is another piece that is suited to all-year-round wear. Style it open over a turtleneck when its chilly, and swap the sweater for a clean white T-shirt as it warms up.
