The Best Henley Shirts to Upgrade Your Casual Outfits

If you’re a modern man, you’ve got to have a few henley shirts in your closet. Basically collarless polos, henley shirts make for great casual wear due to their simple design and a number of other practical reasons.

First, they’re almost always made from comfortable cotton that only gets softer over time. Second, they don’t have collars so there’s no pretending this shirt should be worn for anything too serious. Third, they make great stand-alone shirts, but they also layer well under sweaters and sweatshirts. To that end, a lot of companies make lightweight and heavyweight versions of their henley shirts. And in the interest of further versatility, many companies also produce henley shirts with a waffle knit, which makes the fabric more breathable and more absorbent than traditionally knit henley shirts. Fourth and most importantly, in contrast to traditional crew neck T-shirts, henley shirts feature button-up plackets. That means no more squeezing your head through a too-small hole and stretching the head hole. The placket also gives you added flexibility in your personal style. You can button henley shirts all the way up for a tight clean look or leave them completely unbuttoned to show off a little chest for an easygoing look, not to mention increased airflow on those hotter days.

Put all this together and you can see why henley shirts have taken their place in men’s closets right alongside polos, crewnecks, V-necks and other collarless shirts as a classic fashion staple. They’re comfortable, versatile, generally come in a multitude of colors and easily pair well with khakis and jeans. That’s why we’ve picked out some of our favorite henley shirts below. We’re mostly focused on long-sleeve henley shirts here, but most of these brands make short-sleeve henley shirts too, in case you find an option you really love and want to stock up on the short-sleeve version.

1. Everlane Premium Weight Henley

BEST OVERALL

Everlane got into the clothing business to make exceptional basics and the company delivered on that promise with its Premium Weight Henley. With this moderately priced shirt, you’re getting 6.2 ounces of high-quality cotton cut for the modern man in a trim, slim fit. The cotton is dense and the shirt is form-fitting without being too stiff, so it feels like it’s on the dressier side of henley shirts if you want to tuck it in and don a pair of nice shoes and blazer. But it also works as a great casual shirt for the weekend too with jeans, sneakers and rolled-up sleeves.  Add a solid three-button placket and the fact that the shirt comes in five go-to colors, and it’s hard to deny that this henley shirt just works for whatever you need, exactly what we’ve come to expect from Everlane.

2. Goodthreads Long-Sleeve Henley

BUDGET PICK

For better or worse, Amazon is putting its money where its mouth is as it tries to enter the fashion marketplace. The company knows it can’t compete with pure fashion retailers, so instead, it focuses on producing bargain-priced staples with in-house brands. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Amazon’s Goodthreads Long-Sleeve Henley was one of the cheapest henley shirts we could find. But just because Amazon can afford to offer a low price doesn’t mean it’s skimping on quality. This henley shirt, which comes in 12 colors at varying prices under $20, is made from surprisingly soft cotton with a three-button placket and a form-fitting but not tight regular cut. We generally prefer non-raglan sleeves (sleeves that do not run all the way to the collar and therefore don’t have separate shoulder seams) because we think the shoulder fit is generally better, but if done well, raglan sleeves more than get the job done. This is one shirt where raglan sleeves get the job done.

The only downsides here are somewhat cheap, loose cuffs and some shrinkage from washing. But as long as you’re OK with the former and factor in the latter, perhaps by sizing up and machine washing only on cold, you’re getting a solid henley shirt at a reasonable price with Goodthreads.

Buy: Goodthreads Long-Sleeve Henley $16.80

3. Mack Weldon Tech Cashmere Henley

PREMIUM PICK

If you’re looking for a truly engineered, high-quality henley shirt, look no further than the Mack Weldon Tech Cashmere Henley shirt. Great on its own or as a base layer, this henley feels cut from the future with a modern trim fit that’s form-fitting without being clingy and a four-button placket, which is a bit less common. Besides the modern design, with excellent-fitting raglan sleeves, the real future twist is the fabric. The shirt is made of what Mack Weldon calls Tech Cashmere. The fabric consists of 47 percent modal, 38 percent Merino wool, 10 percent Cashmere wool and five percent spandex for 100 percent awesomeness.

Jokes aside, this fabric blend is no joke and offers a lot of benefits you simply can’t get from 100 percent cotton or wool. Modal is a kind of rayon fabric, but it’s stronger and softer than conventional rayon with the same resistance to shrinkage and ability to absorb more moisture. The use of Merino wool also helps wick moisture, keeping you dry and regulating your temperature, while also being odor resistant. Adding in Cashmere wool adds strength, lightness, softness and insulation. Then there’s the spandex, which gives the shirt increased flexibility and elasticity, meaning when you stretch the shirt, the fabric stretches with you and retains its shape much better over the long term.

4. Taylor Stitch Heavy Bag Henley

WEEKEND GO-TO

If you don’t know Taylor Stitch, you’ve been missing out. The company makes staple men’s clothing built to last and designed with a distinct Americana flair. From leather jackets to boots and everything in between, these pieces will grow and age with you and most importantly never go out of style.

In keeping with its stated goal to build responsibly for the long haul, Taylor Stitch produced a three-button henley shirt designed to last with minimal environmental impact. (What can’t you do, Taylor Stitch?) The brand calls this the Heavy Bag Henley because it’s made of an eight-ounce upcycled cotton and recycled polyester, about 50-50 of each. The cotton-polyester combo makes this shirt dense and heavy but unbelievably soft for the weight, so it’s as durable and warming as it is comfortable. We tend to like tighter, slim-fit shirts, so we love this henley shirt, but if you like to roll up your sleeves or if you’re a more muscular gentleman, you might want to size up because the arms are tight and don’t have a lot of stretch in them. But that’s really the only downside we would identify.

5. Cuts Clothing Long-Sleeve Henley

MOST MODERN

If you need a modern, minimalist, no-frills henley shirt, Cuts Clothing has got you covered. Established in 2016, Cuts Clothing sought to make the cut of its clothes its raison d’etre and in so doing made shopping for your favorite kind of shirt as seamless as their well-crafted shirts. So if you like crew necks, V-necks, henleys, classic hems, split hems or elongated hems, you can easily shop for whatever category you want.’

The cut of this henley is just perfect to reduce any bunching, so you’ll never have that wrinkled-shirt look when you’ve been sitting down all day and get up to go out. Compared to some of our other favorite henley shirts, this henley runs fairly tight on the chest, shoulders and arms. But it’s got just the right amount of breathing room in the body so it’s not clinging too much to your skin. Though the shirt is pretty tight on the arms and upper body, Cut Clothing’s signature PYCA Pro fabric is breathable and super soft. We’ll admit it’s a bit of a turnoff that the brand doesn’t tell you exactly what goes into its signature fabric, but hey, the fabric delivers exactly what it says it does, so we’re not complaining.

Pick this shirt up in one of seven cool muted colors. For our pick, we really dig the henley in sage. It’s just the right level of muted green to differentiate yourself without standing out. And if you’re more of a split hem guy as opposed to a curve hem guy, the only difference between the shirts is the hem at the bottom, not to mention a few different color options for the split hem version.

6. Ralph Lauren Indigo Jacquard-Knit Henley

MOST STYLISH

The henley shirt originated as a rowing shirt in the city of Henley-on-Thames, England. It didn’t become a T-shirt alternative until designer Ralph Lauren popularized the design. Ralph Lauren still produces henley shirts today, including a snazzy Indigo Jacquard-Knit Henley with a three-button placket. The jacquard knit gives the shirt a cool woven texture, and the shirt is rinsed for a worn-in appearance and added softness. In terms of fit, this henley shirt comes in a standard, loose fit, so it’s not tight except for the ribbed cuffs. Be aware that Ralph Lauren uses actual indigo in the dying process, so color will rub off on to your other clothes, but that’s a small price to pay for the color of actual indigo and one heck of a stylish shirt. The real price you pay is the steep price of the shirt itself, which is definitely the biggest downside.

7. Patagonia Long-Sleeve Work Henley

BEST FOR A HIKE

Henley shirts aren’t just for casual city fun. The right henley makes for great outdoor wear too, and few companies do outdoor better than Patagonia. The Patagonia Long-Sleeve Work Henley is made from a hefty 8.4-ounce blend of organic cotton and industrial hemp with a ribbed collar and cuffs as well as a handy chest pocket. The hemp helps make the shirt abrasion-resistant while the cotton keeps things soft. As is the case with all of Patagonia’s clothing in its Workwear line, the cut is pretty roomy so, between the cut and the three-button placket, breathability and airflow won’t be a problem.

In addition to literally feeling good and comfortable wearing this shirt, you can feel good knowing you’re supporting Fair Trade-Certified sewn clothing, too. As for our pick, we honestly like all four of Patagonia’s basic colors, but if you’re going hiking, blend into nature with the industrial green color. Just don’t get separated from your friends!

8. Buck Mason Pima Curved Hem Henley

BEST LIGHTWEIGHT

We’ve thrown a few heavyweight henley shirts your way, but you’re going to want something on the lighter side, too. The Buck Mason Pima Curved Hem Henley shirt is just what the doctor ordered. First, this shirt uses Pima cotton, an extra-long-staple cotton. The use of these longer cotton fibers results in a crazy soft fabric that’s stronger and more resistant to tearing, fading, wrinkling and pilling than upland cotton, the mass-produced cotton in most of our clothes. The use of Pima cotton alone makes this shirt a cut above the rest. But because Pima cotton is stronger than upland cotton, you can use less of it in a shirt, meaning you can ultimately have a lighter, equally durable shirt, which is exactly what Buck Mason has done.

A four-button placket, ribbed cuffs and a curved hem complete the package for a reliable, lightweight and comfortable henley shirt, available in two core colors and five seasonal colors. We’re fans of the ridge Venice wash color. It’s somewhere between blue and green on the color spectrum and will go great with your favorite blue jeans or khakis.

9. Mack Weldon Warmknit Waffle Henley

BEST WAFFLE-KNIT

Yup, Mack Weldon made the list again for its excellent Warmknit Waffle Henley shirt. As we mentioned at the top, waffle knits are breathable and absorbent (which is why dish towels frequently have waffle knits), but waffle knits also provide extra insulation and warmth. This henley shirt makes good use of the waffle knit and it incorporates Thermolite, a heat-retaining insulating polyester, into the fabric blend for additional warmth. Combine that with modal, wool and spandex, a similar fabric blend to the Mack Weldon Tech Cashmere Henley, and you’ve got a henley shirt ready to greet fall and winter without breaking a sweat. For our color picks, we love the red fern color for fall and the charcoal heather for winter.

10. Flint and Tinder Supima Air Knit Henley

BEST SHORT-SLEEVE

As promised, we’ve got one short-sleeve henley shirt favorite you need to know about, the Flint and Tinder Supima Air Knit Henley. Supima is just a brand to indicate the use of American-grown Pima cotton, so you can count on this shirt being soft, lightweight, unbelievably comfortable and supporting American growers. The fit runs slim for that form-fitting modern look without being too clingy on the body and the fabric, short sleeves and three-button placket allow for plenty of breathability to keep you cool on a hot day.

Of the four colors available, the dusty blue option is the most summer-ready right out of the box, but whichever color you get, you can’t go wrong with this great short-sleeve henley shirt.

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