Are you wondering if a dress shirt and jeans even go together? They can, but the devil is in the details — so here they are!
They say that fashion is “casualizing”. You may have read articles on the casualization of the American office. I’ve certainly brought it up here on several occasions. However, what I think is really happening is a deep ingraining of the high-low combo.
It’s now so embedded in daily aesthetics. Unless it’s as dramatic as a baseball cap and tuxedo, we don’t even notice it. So today, we ask, can you wear a dress shirt with jeans?
Men of a certain age may remember the early aughts when many wore jeans everywhere. You wore jeans and a T-shirt to brunch. Jeans and a graphic tee to the club. And even jeans with a blazer to work.
I’m going to dive into the dress shirt with jeans question in a more timeless way. Can it be done? If so, how? And when is it appropriate? More importantly, when is it inappropriate?
Let’s get to it!
Can You Wear a Dress Shirt With Jeans?
The answer is yes. You can wear jeans with a dress shirt. From a style perspective, though, different executions communicate different personal styles. You don’t want to look trendy if you prefer to be classic. And vice versa.
So the question isn’t, can you wear a dress shirt with jeans? It’s more a matter of how to wear a dress shirt with jeans.
To do this in an organized way, I’m going to break it down by dress code. But first, a quick refresher.
What Is a Dress Shirt?
It sounds like it’d be an obvious answer, and it is. But details are key here. We quickly go over what dress shirts are in our guide on how a button-up shirt should fit. You should definitely check that post out when you’re done here, as fit is paramount to wearing a dress shirt.
A dress shirt is a button-up shirt with a collar for a tie to slip through. It’s made to be worn with a suit.
A button-down shirt is technically a dress shirt too, but it’s more casual. You wouldn’t wear it in a formal business situation. It features buttons on the collar points and, sometimes, not always, is made with a thicker, more robust weave.
Finally, on the other side of the spectrum, there’s a range when it comes to the way a tuxedo dress shirt looks. It can look like a highly formal straight-collar dress shirt (that can also be worn in a business situation). It can also have tuxedo-specific features like pleats, French cuffs, or a wing collar.
We’ll focus mainly on the standard dress shirt today and pretty much ignore the most formal tuxedo shirts. Read: Do not wear a tuxedo shirt with your jeans.
Casual Dress Shirt With Jeans
Wearing a dress shirt and jeans in casual scenarios is the easiest way to do it. This is because dress shirts don’t interrupt your relaxed look the way jeans do in a more formal combination. In fact, by wearing leather dress shoes casually, they can level it up.
Button-downs give a more rugged yet elegant look. Think English countryside casual.
But you can wear them with any pair of jeans, and that changes the vibe.
Blue jeans with a button-down have an Americana look to them, especially when worn with brown leather shoes. You can lean into that by topping it off with a suede or leather jacket.
Or, you can channel the classic Ivy branch of Americana with a Harrington or a cable-knit sweater.
Light Jeans vs. Dark Jeans
Lighter jeans usually look more casual than darker ones. However, this doesn’t actually mean you can’t wear light-wash jeans with a dress shirt.
As always, it’s more about the fit. Big baggy jeans with a dress shirt is a no-go. You can wear any color denim pants with a dress shirt as long as you go for a classic fit, whether that’s relaxed or slightly slim. Not baggy, not skinny.
Dark jeans have a more urban look to them. I have two pieces of advice when it comes to dark jeans, especially black ones.
First, take a look at our guide on how to wear all black. There are classic ways to pull it off that don’t scream goth. Second, go for subtle contrasts if you want to look taller. A dark olive shirt over a stark white one, for example.
From there, you can throw on a leather jacket for a rebellious yet adult look (adult, thanks to that dress shirt) or even a utility jacket.
Casual Dress Shirts: Yes or No?
Those obsessed with details might think a proper button-up dress shirt should be reserved for less casual situations. In my opinion, since the silhouette is basically the same, it doesn’t matter. The dress shirt itself would just bring more formality to the look.
Even more, if you want to have fun with bright colors, the casual context is the way to do it. A dress shirt in peach fuzz (Pantone’s 2024 color of the year), for example, with light jeans and boat shoes, would be an excellent beach party look.
Smart Casual and Business Casual
Alright, the gray area dress codes. How do we incorporate jeans into these scenarios? First off, when in doubt, go for some grey jeans.
They aren’t as obviously denim-looking as blue jeans. Even more, they aren’t as stark as black jeans. In fact, there are very few ways to style grey jeans wrong. I consider them a dress code safety garment.
On the More Casual Side
Here’s a good uniform to begin with: Go for a dress shirt tucked into grey jeans with leather loafers. Match your belt to your shoes. From there, you can strike your casual and smart balance however you like.
That foundation itself, thanks to the leather shoes and button-up dress shirt (over a button-down), is easily smart casual. By adding structure, you can ease closer to the smarter side.
For example, if you add a blazer, you can switch your shoes out for low-profile leather
Other layers you can add include a cashmere pullover, a cardigan, or, if it’s your style, a sweater vest.
Or, you can go for more formal-looking jeans in a darker shade, a white dress shirt, and even a quarter-zip. If you pair that look with
You can always wear a suit jacket over the quarter-zip if you want to go for that sports agent casual Friday aesthetic. A well-fitting quilted vest works too.
The mix of sportiness and dressiness looks natural because that’s essentially what the dress shirt and jeans combo achieves on its own.
On the Smarter Side
If you want to lean more into the smart side of smart casual, structure is a necessity. Don’t forgo the blazer or jacket. Don’t forgo the smart pullover.
You can go for a button-down dress shirt in this subcategory. However, temper its ruggedness with dress shoes, and maybe go for a pullover and a suit jacket.
If you like, you can definitely go for a tie, button-down, and grey jeans with dress shoes. It’s not the most style-forward or unique high-low combination.
Still, it’s what I call an ‘80s special that still looks good as long as you stick to solids over patterns and ensure the cuts and fits are perfect.
You can also wear a tweed jacket with your jeans. Tweed and denim both have a practical aesthetic that goes beautifully together. A brown tweed suit and vest with a button-down, paired with dark jeans and boots, is perfect for autumn. Finish the look with sleek leather boots.
It’s smart, it’s casual, and it’s completely held together by all of the formal architecture throughout the silhouette and details.
You almost always want to avoid light-wash jeans when you’re on this side of the smart casual spectrum.
The one time I think it’s appropriate is a seasonal event. During a smart casual beach wedding, light wash jeans with a light suit jacket, pastel dress shirt, and knit tie would be 100% appropriate.
You can, of course, do this for spring as well.
On the More Business Side (Tuck in Your Dress Shirt With Jeans)
So, structure is the most important thing when leaning into the smarter end of smart casual. To lean into the business side of business casual, you’ll want to add details on top of that.
The jeans are already pulling you towards the casual end. With the right details, you can strike the perfect tension between the two.
Stick to neutral colors. Navy, charcoal, dark olive, and maroon are all excellent choices for a suit jacket. Since you’re already wearing jeans, the suit jacket is a necessity. It is a traditional pair of dress shoes with solid dress socks.
For your dress shirt, go for white or light blue. You can go for other colors, depending on your environment, but stick to muted tones.
You’ll also want to wear a tie more often than not. Of course, this depends on your office culture.
I can see a navy suit jacket, white dress shirt, black or maroon cashmere vest, grey jeans, and oxblood dress shoes as being appropriate without a tie in certain industries.
Most importantly, stick to clean-lined denim in dark, cool colors, including midnight blue and dark charcoal.
One more note. As mentioned, what’s professionally acceptable, even in business casual, ranges from industry to industry and office to office. Don’t go wearing jeans during a business casual event at a company you’re new at and aren’t quite sure what the norm is.
Business Jeans: Is It Possible?
So, 99.9% of the time, it’s not possible to wear jeans in a business professional environment.
I will say one time, for an art gallery I worked at (I’m in the art industry), I flew to Texas to meet with a big-time client there. It was an oil company, and I joined in on a formal meeting in the boardroom.
Everyone was wearing a tailored jacket and tie, though some people did, in fact, wear dark jeans and dressy cowboy boots. There were even a few bolo ties.
This is fully cultural, though. It wouldn’t be out of place for a businessman flying in from India to wear an Indian-style sherwani in formal settings. So an oil tycoon flying into Manhattan from Texas to meet with investors might wear jeans with his business suit, too.
What isn’t acceptable is doing it out of turn.
You may find yourself in a situation where jeans are fine in a business professional environment. It’s highly unlikely, though.
Conclusion: An Unlikely Partnership
Again, a dress shirt is a great way to elevate a casual outfit. Meanwhile, jeans are an effective way to take a more formal outfit down to earth.
What’s acceptable and not acceptable really depends on context!
Do you like to wear dress shirts with your jeans? Can you do it at work? Let us know in the comments.
