Introducing: Japanese denim shirts

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A couple of years ago, we discontinued the denim shirts sold on PS largely because of issues with producing and storing the cloth. Since then we’ve been working on alternatives, and finally settled on a Japanese-woven cotton last year. 

These are two shirts we’ve produced with it - a pale blue and a washed black, made by 100 Hands. I’m particularly pleased with the colours. 

A lot of denim shirts come in blues that are stronger or darker than this, and I find them less useful. Or put it another way - there’s nothing wrong with those colours, but this shade’s similarity to a blue dress shirt or a blue oxford makes it incredibly useful. 

You can wear it in every situation where you’d otherwise wear a blue oxford shirt, but it brings a different style, a different flavour. A suggestion of western clothing or even work wear, rather than uptown preppiness. 

A denim shirt like this with jeans is one of my favourite combinations, as readers will be aware. I’ve destroyed several from Al Bazar as well as several PS denim ones through relentless wear over the years. 

The combination with jeans and the biscuit-coloured cashmere is just so nice. 

The new black shirt, meanwhile, is deliberately washed to give it an immediate soft colour, and only subtle fading around the seams and edges. 

It will fade a little more over time, but the aim was to offer something that was consistent and predictable - that had a ready-made fade and wouldn’t change its style over time. 

Black cottons like this are a lot easier to wear when they’re faded - in the same way as black jeans. They’re softer, lower contrast, and as a result sit better with things like the grey tweed jacket and brown flannels below. A strong, flat black would be starker and even cheap-looking. 

It also means in a combination like this you leave the strong black to leathers - the belt and the shoes. 

The new denim shirts have the same body fit as all the other PS shirts. Or rather, the same body fit as the Selvedge Chambray, and the same as the Oxfords after a couple of washes. As regular readers will know, the oxfords have a little shrinkage so are made a little bigger to start with. The new denims are the same as the chambray, i.e. pretty much no shrinkage. 

The only style difference with the new denim shirts is the point collar. I didn’t want to do a button-down for these, but liked the look of the button-downs when unbuttoned. So we started with that shape, and just reduced the length. 

I like the result. The points tuck nicely under jacket lapels, and the length (8cm) is midway between the puny things mainstream brands usually offer, and the vintage leisure-shirt look that you see occasionally, but I find a little overwhelming. 

I wouldn’t wear these shirts with a tie very often, but you could; there’s a couple centimetres of tie gap when the collar is fastened. 

The shirts cost £230 plus VAT, and are available now on the shop site here. You can find the size chart there too. 

One thing to note is that although we call the blue a denim, it’s a plain weave whereas the black is a twill. It just suited the colour more. 

The make is the same as the PS Chambray shirts from 100 Hands, with a lot of handwork - not just functional things like hand-attached collars and sleeves (to give 3D shape and work in more excess) but buttonholes and buttons, plus hand-stitching on many of the seams, including the front placket. 

This hand work is particularly nice on the washed black, as the stitches are highlighted by the fading, just like the waves at the edge of the cuff or collar. 

The jackets shown are my Eduardo de Simone cashmere and Anthology grey tweed (the latter with both shirts). The trousers are char-brown flannels from Fox/Whitcomb and nineties Levi’s 501s. The shoes are both from Edward Green: brown-suede Piccadilly and black-cordovan Greenwich. 

The combination of the black shirt, brown trousers and grey jacket is a very ‘cold-colour’ one, and I find myself swapping round those colours (together with cream) all the time. 

I’ve also included an image below of the other time I’ve shown this black shirt, in all-black outfit last summer, when we were working on the prototype.

Other shop updates

  • Friday Polos - Restocking in two weeks, with an additional mid-grey
  • Tapered T-shirts - No firm date unfortunately, but hopefully soon. Big issues getting production out of Japan
  • Chambray shirts - Restock coming later this month
  • Hand-framed Cotton Sweater - Restock coming later this month
  • Finest Polos - Restock coming later this month
  • Casual Style Guide - Restock coming next month
  • Suede Overshirt - Sold out but new stock ordered for September
  • Dartmoor and Finest Crewneck - Restocked in cream and grey, and navy and dark grey, respectively
  • Oxford shirts and cloth - Restocked in white, blue, blue stripe, green stripe and pink stripe

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Amit

Hello Simon. Beautiful shirts. I particularly like the pale blue one. What would be the approx. weight of this shirt? Can it be worn in hot tropical climates?

Oleg

Hello Simon,
does it hold true for the black one as well?

Ian skelly

Hi any plans to sell the light blue fabric separately / do a button down version ? I am looking for a change to the chambray version of yours that I have

Lindsay McKee

IMO, to have the cloth available could be beneficial, and then check in with say Luca Avitabile or d’Avino and have the shirts made up bespoke.
Could be a possible option for some of the other items of clothing available in the PS Shop but obviously not all.
Just my thoughts Simon

Lindsay McKee

Sure, I have now learned something new.

Charles

I think the collar looks great – presumably the blue doesn’t fade any more?
Second selling the cloth on its own.

Primer

Cloth would be fantastic (the sleeve length just doesn’t work for me)!

Eugene W

Would it be possible to sell cloth after it’s been industrially washed?

Eugene W

Sorry ignore my last comment. I understand the dilemma now!

Robert M

Yes, please do the cloth!

DN

I’d certainly consider the cloth if it were available. Given the great experience I have with the blue/white oxford and the chambray, I’d like to add this one to the blue and the white oxford PS fabrics that I haven’t used yet for shirts 🙂

E.M.

Lovely shirt but sadly I can’t avail as again the sizing is too small for the largest size which is a pity.

Paul

Same. Sigh.

A.L.

For my size reference, are you wearing a medium? Thanks.

JP

Hi Simon,
These look great; nice work! Would you wear the black with jeans or with chinos – would the contrast work?
Thanks.

JP

Thanks, Simon. Ordered one!

Robin

The black looks particularly interesting .

On a question of size may I ask how much bigger then your actual body measurements do you wear your shirts on your chest and waist ?

Liam

As someone who predominantly shops online, an article such as this would be very helpful.

Robin

True but often what ‘we’ own is RTW that’s too big .
Also I think the best challenge is not so much the chest measurement but the waist .

Look forward to the article .

Dave

Regarding shop updates, is the new summer shirt product scheduled for this month?

Gabriele

These look very nice! And speaking of oxford shirts, can you share any details about new colors that you are planning to release in the future?

Marcus

Hi Simon, in the pictures here, your shirts have a French placket… Are the ones from the shop the same? Or they have a front placket like the other PS shirts? Thanks!

Anndra

From the pictures they look really nice. A bit disappointing that there isn’t an indigo to develop some fade though. What process was used to get to the pale blue? If any.

Alexander

Very unfortunate for me, that the fit did not turn out more relaxed. I would have been very interested to try the black. Surely a great product.

BC

Is the fabric of the blue one same as the one you sold here a few years ago ?

S

Hello Simon,
I might have accidentally deleted my previous comment. I was wondering, if the PS Blue Oxford cloth is sold out or maybe not yet listed in your shop. Kind regards

J

Sorry, I do not understand. I am waiting for the blue Oxford to come back. Is it already restocked but not yet listed in the shop, thus coming back soon?

Jack

very nice shirt ..
two qs – may I ask what size you take? And secondly is the black nubuck tote being restocked?

Jose M

Surprised to read that the oxfords are supposed to be cut a larger. I bought the old light blue denim shirt in small and liked it so much that then I also bought two oxfords. While the denim shirt fits me great, the oxfords are too tight. Unfortunately I bought them on Ebay (new with tags) so now I am stuck with them. Maybe when I get old and shrink I’ll be able to wear them.
These new ones look excellent. Good job.

Jose M

Thanks for the reply Simon. Just a bit disappointed that the shirts didn’t fit well as they are lovely otherwise. The light denim one is great and gets tons of wear. This new one is too similar, but I think I might get the black one. I like the look with the grey herringbone jacket.

Caleb C

Simon,
Just curious what pushed you to go with white buttons on the black shirt?

Will

I was lucky enough yesterday to snap up what I guess was a returned medium black shirt; didn’t believe my eyes at first…

I expect I’ll end up wanting to change the buttons on it for darker ones. Were the ones on the prototype mother of pearl? Either way, do you think these would be a nice option if I were to go ahead with changing the buttons? (If not, could you perhaps recommend an alternative?)

Many thanks. 🙂

Mike

Hi Simon,
May I ask what bag you’re carrying here? It looks like a leather tote.
Thank you!

Mike

Ah OK thank you!
So a companion to the nubuck?

Do you find one more versatile than the other?

CW

Hi Simon, do you have any advice on what bottoms can go with the black shirt (other than black jeans)? Thanks

CW

That’s a huge range, how about jackets?

Rob

Hi Simon, I have two PS oxford shirts, a light blue one from 2020 and a white one from 2023. The blue one is now significantly tighter than the white one – has there been any change in sizing over the last 4 years? It could be the older one has continued to shrink with washing – it’s now 2cm less in the chest than the white one. Many thanks.

Rob

Thanks Simon! Presumably they need to be abit damp to be stretched?

Rob

Despite some scepticism – I have to admit – this worked a treat! Definitely gained a good 2-3 cm. I had to be careful not stretch across a seam, and I did hear a ripping sound at one point, but no visible damage. Can I ask, the bias in these shirts runs across the width of the shirt (shoulders and chest) rather than the length of the shirt? That is where I found it had shrunk.

Thanks again, a great example where knowledge of garment care is key!

Brian

They look very nice. I have two questions. First, are they able to stand up to some wear? I usually make my denim shirts have two functions, sometimes working outside and other times pressed to go out.
Also, if I have a m2m file with 100 hands, can these be made to my block?

Brian

Thanks for the prompt reply Simon. If you do another NYC trunk show this year, please bring a few? I’d love to try it out.

Alex

Do you think the light one could look nice with a black knitted tie?

Anon

Will the light blue shirt fade in similar fashion to the everyday lighter denim shirt?

Colin

Simon – random question but where did you buy the light gray ribbed socks in the last photo? I’ve been looking for a similar pair but cannot seem to find any. Thanks!

Theodor Barndon Helland

Hello. The black denim looks really nice. I recently purchased the PS overshirt, and would love an overshirt in this black denim. Kind regards Theodor

Rainman

Will you also sell just as cloth? Is this fabric more durable than the last you did? Those became very tight around my chest and the button seems ended up tearing.

Alexander

My first PS denim shirt also ripped around the chest button after a year or so, and I had it fixed by a tailor. I did not consider it a defect. It was just too much tension there because of the slim fit. The cloth is rather delicate for a denim and the tension was too much over time. (It also has faded like crazy and is almost off-white in some areas.) My second one is MTM from Luca (PS cloth) and obviously doesn’t have that problem.
Apart from tearing trough fit, I seem to have bad luck regarding buttons coming loose very quickly. I have had this with many expensive products (real McCoy chinos, PS oxford shirts, Anglo Italian Tailoring). My old suit supply shirts contrary to that don’t have any signs of this after 5+ years of regular use. I think Manish mentioned something similar last week about his Uniqlo shirt. Maybe not only my bad luck…

Chris

Hi Simon,
Another lovely product added to the armoury.
I think i know the Al Bazar shirt you refer to that you tend to wear often and i like that a lot. It’s great that you introduce these specific, niche pieces that are hard to find elsewhere. It makes the PS products original which is why I’m happy to keep investing in them.
The only element of this shirt (from the photos) i’m concerned about is the hand – it appears quite dry and crisp in the photos where as your Al Balzar denim shirt looks soft. Maybe it’s just down to washing and wear? Would be good to get your view on this.
Many thanks,
Chris

Jerry

Maybe I missed it when you launched the Chambray but is there a reason for the switch to 100 Hands from Luca?

Christian

I have eagerly been waiting for these shirts and they look great! For some reason, I always liked wearing black shirts. And making it denim seems a brilliant idea. Well done!

Question regarding sizing though: I am a bit in between sizes but generally prefer wearing a large in your oxfords and the selvedge chambray. However I have them darted. Would that work with the denim or is the material too thick maybe? Otherwise I would just wear it large, I guess. (Unless you’d advise otherwise? I remember trying your old denim shirt in large once, and it seemed even bigger than the oxfords.)

Benjamin

Have been waiting for the light blue version of this for a while. I’m intrigued by the black, but only if it would reliably fade to a dark grey – personally I would not wear a black shirt because of the historical connotations of that. Will it definitely fade to grey and is there a way to accelerate that? Thanks.

Benjamin

Thanks Simon, I think I will stick to the blue then. Shame as I do like the look.

Benjamin

By the way, like the Holly Hill location for the shoot, surprised I didn’t bump into you there as I am often walking past on the school drop-off!

Sir C

Hi Simon! Just checking in to inform you that your site seems to be malfunctioning on my (newish and fully updated) iphone. Unless I use incognito mode, the last post will sometimes not show up in the top of the «feed». Strange phenomenon, that I have not encountered elsewhere. Happened last around easter, and now it’s happening again. Very nice shirts btw, especially the black one!

Max

I have this issue on all my devices. I have to manually reload the home page each time i suspect a new post.
Sure thats not the case on private mode because there the cache and cookies starting from zero 🙂

Sir C

Yes, you’ve got it right!

BC

I do experience the same thing to my laptop as well.

Dan

Beautiful. I have been looking for something like this in the black for some time. That soft, washed quality is great and I like the hint of a Westerner without going full sawtooth. It’s as if PS read my mind. But just my luck, my size (S) is already sold out and I fear a medium in this design is too big (though I do occasionally like a size up with shirts for a different effect/feel). Might you (fingers crossed) be doing a re-stock?

Hywel Jones

Hi Simon – would the black work with Blackhorse lane dark indigo jeans (which are lightly faded)? I’ve never worn a black shirt in my life ever, so am a little nervous of what I would match it with…..

Costantino

Hi Simon,
extremely great product! Is there any reason why on the black one you haven’t gone for black or darker buttons? I know it’s not that difficult to change them according to our preferences after the purchase!
Would you mind to consider an article on 5 pockets pants?

All the best for PS!

Philip

I realise this may be a question of semantics: is the black …erm …black or dark grey?

G

Do these have the collar height of your other shirts? I remember buying a shirt a few years back at I thought the height was huge, made me feel a little too 80s Thatcherite business man. These look great but want to be sure. Will you be doing just cloth?

Shem

Hi simon on the topic of black i experimented with a pair of black chinos in a regular cut from muji. They are fairly straight in the leg and i find it useful in certain cases. Im wondering dors it make sense to get a black denim if i particularly like my denims to be pretty regualr fit too (i find 501s too slim and i prefer the loose fit warehouse 0105 style). In which case the silhouette will be pretty similar to the chino and well… Black is black and the details wont really stand out.

Andrew Tait

Hi Simon
On the black do you see it fading into that grey, heavy metal roadie jeans look?
Wondering on how the fade will go and the colour lasting
Andrew

Stephen

Hi Simon,
Shirt looks great. What I particularly like is the shape and length of the collar. It looks just right and unlikely to do that annoying thing where it flicks above the jacket lapel.

David Spelman

Congrats on a gorgeous and very thoughtful product. I just ordered the light blue, although I had hoped to get one of each. Any sense of when you might restock the black?

Will L

Very interesting the black sold out first. Was there less stock to begin with? I thought the blue would be more popular.
Is the handwork similar to the gold line from 100 hands?

David Spelman

I had the same observation, perhaps a window into how the taste or audience of the PS readership has evolved. Cool to see!

ANON

Will the blue also be restocked later this year?

Will L

Thank you, Simon. Can we do a pre-order for the gold line? It would be nice and a pre-order can reduce inventory risk given the higher price point.

David Spelman

Coming back to say that I received this and couldn’t be more pleased. I take uniform dressing to a pretty fastidious level (a black or white Sunspel t-shirt and wide Saman Amel trousers or Levis 501 seven days per week). It goes equally well with both, as well as a variety of jackets, and I can unbutton in rather deeply on hot LA days. For my personal style and body, this could easily earn a spot in that capsule as I transition to wearing more collared shirts in my thirties. Thank you.

Tom

Hi Simon

I’m surprised to see you rocking glossy black alligator on the JLC here with quite casual outfits – previously I think you had advised this only for suits. Would cordovan or calf black straps work better or be more versatile, while still keeping the cold colour vibe

Shlok Dubey

Such a shame that it has already been sold out!! How is the black shirt different to the Rubato roper shirt except for the buttons?

Benjamin

Argh already sold out, I dithered too long. Will these be restocked any time soon? I have registered for updates. Thanks.

JP

My shirt arrived today. It’s fantastic; nice work. Thanks.

It’s the first dark shirt that I’ve owned. Do I need to do anything different when ironing it, so as not to increase the speed that it fades or to make it shiny? Do you recommend ironing though a cloth or anything else? Or do I just treat it as I would a normal white shirt?

JP

Good to know; thanks.

MBB355

Tried these today but found the collars to be surprisingly flimsy and unruly under tailoring. The PS button-down shirts are my all-time favorite largely because of their collar shape and structure, but I think these shirts are a pass for me.

Riccardo

Do these have the pocket for a collar stay? I can’t imagine using I’ve very often given the style, but might be nice to have the option when wearing with tailoring if it’s being a tad too flimsy with tailoring on the day.

Richard

Hi Simon,
I ordered the medium and the large in the black.
Medium is great on my body but a little tight in the chest/shoulders, whereas the large is better on the shoulders, roomier on the chest but larger on the body and collar – has a very marginal oversized look.
Does the fabric give at all? I know you’ve mentioned there is minimal shrinkage so it seems the best option would be to take the large and wash it a few times before any alterations? As opposed to hoping the medium stretches out a bit.
Cheers

Charles Em

Hi Simon,
Do you plan to restock chambray cloth?
Thanks!
Charles

Charles Em

Great news, thank you Simon!

Eray

Hi Simon,
I wanted to ask a question about your shirt collars. I know you want all questions to be asked on the site. It doesn’t have to do anything with the Japanese denimshirts as they have another collar style, but anyways. On most of your pictures you wear a spread collar or a high button down one. I’ve tried all kinds of spread collars from multiple stores. Cut aways, widespreads, linnen, cotton etc. Even when I order a custom made widespread with a higher collar stand, it never curls outwards as nice as yours. Mine always come to the front, instead of curling outwards and somewhat stay there. I’ve read your articles about your collars multiple times haha. What is the magic trick?
Best regards,
Eray

Antoine

i received these 2 shirts and quite love the cut (and fabric). Is the cut the “normal” 100 hands cut ? I am considering buying more from their website, but just wanted to make sure these would have the same cut as these PS ones. Thank you

C

just a quick question on the sizing:
Since neck is 39cm for M, should one assume M = size 39 for typical shirt markers? Simon, do you typically wear size 39 for shirts?

thanks

C

Just to double confirm – is “neck” on your chart equal to the distance between the middle of button hole and the middle of button on the inside of the collar?

C

one more question on alteration – since there’s nice fading for the black one, is it possible to shorten the sleeves from the wrist?

C

It seems my first comment was not posted here due to network issue. Let me repeat here.

Since size M has a neck of 39cm, should I assume size M here = size 39 for other shirt makers?

Because my other size 39 shirts have a smaller chest and shoulder measurements, should I prioritize neck over shoulder in choosing the size? (I know I can take in for chest easily)

S

Hello Simon, when will the blue Oxford cloth be available in the shop? Kind regards, S.

J

Hi Simon, I feel like I have read in one of your comments that you are working on a PS chino and that it might be available this year. Have I been dreaming or is that right?

Best
J

John

Hi Simon. Quick fit question for your shirting: The medium feels 2% too small (will likely be uncomfortable after a wash) and the large feels roomy beyond what washing & even tailoring could remedy (as though I’m a teen wearing my dad’s shirt). Is there any hope and/or do you have suggestions? I love the products but it seems like they’d have to be a medium-and-a-half in order to make it work. Thanks!

Matt L

Hi Simon, I was hoping to check-in on the Finest Polo re-stock. Is that likely to happen soon?

Matt L

Thanks Simon. I’m chomping at the bit!

Josh

Hi Simon,
I don’t really understand one thing that you don’t put the information on shoulder sizing.
I m not sure if i m missing something that might be a reason behind it,If you may enlighted me on that it would be appreciated.
Thank you
Josh

David I

Hi Simon, any idea when (if) the black denim shirts will be re-stocked? Thanks!