Band-Collar Madness - Cuz I Don't Follow Basketball

Holy cow, it really has been a hot minute since I was last able to drop an article up here on the blog. Sorry folks, been busy!

But hey, looking to get back on the grind, at least to some extent - still don't have the free time that I used to, but I miss sharing my menswear obsessions with the world.

Speaking of obsessions, one of my latest has been band collar shirts. They've been around for a while now, but are really starting to pick up steam among mainstream brands, with J.Crew rocking some great chambray options...

Wallace & Barnes Band-Collar Japanese Selvedge Chambray Shirt | J.Crew - $118

...and Bonobos chiming in with a lightweight oxford...

Lightweight Oxford Band Collar Shirt | Bonobos - $78

...and a light blue end-on-end:


That said, my favorite choice is actually...none of them. Ok, kind of a trick answer there. My favorite really is still my own DIY solution.

Last year, I happened to have a white oxford from Trashness that wasn't quite up to snuff. Rather than relegate it the back of my closet, I decided to do some risk-free experimentation and chopped it up - a pair of scissors and 30 seconds of work later, and I had my own hand-made(ish) band-collar shirt.

After rocking it all summer, and then busting it out again as temps started to clear up this spring, I decided it was time to invest in a better-fitting and better-quality version, now that I knew I really liked the style.

Still being a cheap-o, though, I didn't go out and buy one...instead, I just picked a better oxford to chop up into my own version. Thus, my Uniqlo OCBD (at a mere $30), becomes my new favorite band-collar shirt.

Even better? Uniqlo just knocked the price on their OCDB's down by half...now going for just $15.

Oxford Slim Fit Long Sleeve Shirt | Uniqlo - Now just $15

That's cheaper than Target...and while Target OCBD's ain't too shabby themselves, the deal here is damn hard to beat. Go grab a few pairs, and take one or two to the surgical room, see how you like the results. At this rate, I'm bound to have one in every color by the time the sale ends.

I just finished this project at like, midnight last night, but I'll throw up some pictures when I get a chance to take em! And stay tuned, hopefully this marks a return to the blogosphere, and more content to come in the future.