All About M.E. | The Utterly Versatile Henley

(L) Heavy Supima Jersey Henley by Save Khaki, $90; (R) Indigo Henley by Faherty, $98.

You may not know it, but the Henley has a history. These shirts, often characterized as being short-sleeved, collarless and with a few buttons right at the top chest, actually are a derivative of a sports uniform. Rowers in the English town of Henly-on-Thames wore these casual cool shirts as they took off down the river back in the mid-1800s. As we all know, when a good product exists, it tends to have longevity, and the Henley is a perfect example of such a clothing item.

While the shirt is rooted in tradition, it has experienced a transformation. The classic Henley definitely still exists at large – we found new iterations by brands like Brixton, Iron & Resin and Faherty. But other labels have taken this successful silhouette and added a little something extra.

Also: Essentials | Athletic Pants For Fall

One of our favorites is J.Crew‘s take on the Henley, where they made the classic shirt, added a hood, and produced it in Italian Cashmere. Suddenly, this is not a simple layering tee to sport under your favorite crewneck. Meanwhil,e Cotton Citizen has taken a dip to the dark side with their Jagger Henleys, available in a slew of colors, but all treated to have a vintage, worn-in (dare we say ) grunge-esque appeal.

 

TRENDING


X