ISN’T DENIM amazing? It was initially created as a durable fabric that can hold up after a long day at the factory or ranch. Denim’s unique layering process also creates beautiful fading textures, and it’s rendered in mostly blue and dark colors to hide stains. Yet denim blues, especially when indigo is used, are so universally appealing that they can be styled with almost anything. No wonder that jeans have become the most popular pants in the world.

Denim shirts for men however, are much less appreciated, despite possessing all the same properties that make jeans so beloved. We’re here to correct that oversight and give denim shirts some love. Denim shirts are the ultimate go-to button-down shirt for guys to fall back on for an easy-to-layer, easy-to-style fit. Denim shirts can also help you pull off more bold pieces like a paisley blazer, or patchwork pants. And a reliable denim shirt can even be worn with running shorts, tuxedo pants, and just about anything in between.

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Let’s break down the denim shirt a bit before we get into the list. There are four categories of denim shirt plus an open ended fifth category for the exciting leftovers that don’t quite fit in with the others:

The Oxford Style: This is a traditional button-down shirt that usually, but not always, has a chest pocket and button-down collar.
The Western Style: This has snap buttons that are usually pearl but can be anything from black onyx to turquoise. It should have a pointed collar, yolk details on the front and back shoulder, and double chest pockets with snap button flaps. A detail to look for is that you want two or three snaps on each cuff and maybe one more on the wrist.
The Work Shirt: This is a traditional American style work shirt that has two chest pockets. The left pocket will usually feature a pencil sleeve. The collar may have a tab, bonus points if it does. These are traditionally cut a bit longer in the body but you don’t see that very often for styling purposes.
The Tailored Shirt: This is definitely the least common category because it is a bit counter-intuitive to make a tailored dress shirt but they look great. They have a spread collar, preferably a French placket, and are slim cut.
The Wild Card: Designers are doing some exciting things with denim shirts these days and some of them just don’t fit into one of the above categories. We still love them all the same.

Ahead are the 30 best denim shirts for men that will go with just about everything.