The commonly told story when it comes to Henley shirts refers to their history as a men’s rowing uniform in a town called Henley-on-Thames. Although they started out their journey as sportswear, the henley shirt has become an everyday staple for many men.

The best henley shirts for men look just as good as a standalone garment as they do underneath an open shirt or a blazer. The open collar helps you feel comfortable and like you have a full range of motion when you have a henley shirt.

Or, the closed collar can provide a touch of something interesting to what would otherwise be a plain shirt for those who like to wear their henley shirts buttoned.

In this article, we’re going to cover 5 of the best men’s henley shirts out there. Going with any of these suggestions can instantly provide an upgrade to your wardrobe.

Let’s get started.

Key Takeaways

As the owner of a few different henley shirts that I wear all the time, I’ve been paying attention to this menswear category for a long time. I definitely leaned on all that thinking and experience while I was putting together this list of the five best henley shirts for men.

Overall, I’ve chosen the Todd Snyder Lightweight Mini Waffle Henley In Blacktop as the best henley shirt that’s for sale on the internet these days. Although that’s a big claim, I think that the high-quality black Cotton Slub it’s made from and its little details like ribbed cuffs and slim fit cut make it a strong choice for the superlative title.

I’ve also recommended a short-sleeve henley, the Aulemen Men’s Henley Casual T-Shirt with Pocket, if that’s what you’re looking for, as well as a high-quality but budget-friendly option in the Wrangler Authentics Men’s Short Sleeve Henley Tee. I’m sure that you’ll be able to find a henley shirt that fits your needs exactly somewhere on this list.

Why it’s great: This simple yet classy henley shirt from Todd Snyder has all the great aspects of the classic henley look included in it. I really love the way that it’s cut. It’s a slim shirt, but it doesn’t ever look too tight when I’m wearing it.

Combine that with the frankly outrageous quality of the cotton slab it’s made from, and you’ve got one of the best henley shirts for men out there.

Who is this for? I think that the Todd Snyder Lightweight Mini Waffle Henley In Blacktop would be right at home in just about any man’s wardrobe.

Flaws but not deal-breakers: I’m a big fan of waffle-style fabrics—I think that they look kind of ‘industrial,’ if that makes sense—but I do know that not everyone feels the same way.

Material: 100% Slub Cotton | Sizes: XS–2XL | Colors Available: 5 | Care: Machine wash

Why it’s great: The Billy Reid Long Sleeve Organic Cotton Henley proves that lux brands can make a definite contribution to clothes that are usually associated with sports and casual wear. The shirt simply oozes quality from every fiber of its organic cotton material.

The dark blue version of this shirt looks so good that you could very easily wear it in business casual or even formal environments as part of the right outfit.

Who is this for? Those who obsess over every detail of their wardrobe and really love fabrics of the highest quality should consider getting this shirt from Billy Reid.

Flaws but not deal-breakers: Some might give the $100+ price tag a second look, which makes sense given the alternatives, but you are paying for serious quality for one of the best Henley shirts around.

Material: 100% Organic cotton | Sizes: XS–2XL | Colors Available: 4 | Care: Machine wash

Why it’s great: I’ve always thought that Wrangler was a really underrated American brand, and this henley t-shirt is just confirmation. The shirt is really well made—as you’d expect from a brand that had its start in workwear for men. I also really like the slightly longer and looser arms of this shirt, which don’t ever bunch up or feel uncomfortable.

Who is this for? If you’re looking for a standard henley T-shirt that offers both great quality and great value, I don’t think you really need to look further than the Wrangler Authentics Men’s Short Sleeve Henley Tee.

Flaws but not deal-breakers: I would like this shirt more if it was 100% cotton rather than a blend with polyester, but the quality is good enough that the synthetic material is barely noticeable.

Material: 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester | Sizes: S–3XL | Colors Available: 6 | Care: Machine wash

Why it’s great: This is a really sleek and athletic-looking henley shirt that really carries the contours of my frame well when it’s on. That’s because of the addition of a little bit of spandex to the fabric blend. I’ll also mention the titular pocket, which is a really nice touch that adds something unique to this shirt.

Who is this for? The Aulemen Men’s Henley Casual T-Shirt with Pocket is a tight-fitting henley shirt that I’d recommend to those men who want to show off a little bit.

Flaws but not deal-breakers: This is a two-tone shirt featuring a different color for the inside of the henley collar and some of the stitching. It works very well for the majority of the color combinations, but there are a couple I’m not a huge fan of.

Material: 60% Cotton, 35% Polyester, 5% Spandex | Sizes: S–2XL | Colors Available: 8 | Care: Machine wash

Why it’s great: I love the J. Crew Heritage Brushed Rib-knit Henley for a few reasons, with the black highlights on the white fabric being foremost among them. It’s a great shirt to chill around the house in, and it’s comfortable enough to wear to bed, too.

Who is this for? Anyone who’s looking for a relaxed fit henley that they can make a regular part of their clothing rotation would be well served by this item from J. Crew.

Flaws but not deal-breakers: The collar has only two buttons (as opposed to the three that most other entries on this list have). It’s not a huge deal, but it does mean that the shirt looks better when it’s either completely open or completely closed.

Material: 100% Cotton | Sizes: XS–2XL | Colors Available: 2 | Care: Machine wash

Buying Considerations for the Best Henley Shirts For Men

Material

Henley shirts are traditionally made from cotton, but these days you can find henley shirts that are made from a lot of different materials, including linen and synthetic materials like polyester.

Cotton is still the most popular, and many brands even choose to use a variant of cotton called cotton slub to make their henley shirts. Cotton slub is a coarser and less processed type of cotton that still has imperfections like lumps. But these imperfections give it a rugged and durable quality that smooth, ultra-processed cotton doesn’t really have. And that’s a look that works great on henley shirts.

Color

One nice thing about shopping for henley shirts is that brands usually make them available in a wide range of colors. This means that you won’t have to face that annoying situation in which you’ve found a shirt that has exactly the shape you’re looking for but not anything close to the color.

You always have a wide range of choice for the color of a henley shirt, since it’s a type of shirt that can look good in a lot of different colors. You can definitely go for simple black, white, or beige options, but bright primary colors like red, blue, and green can also work really well.

Size

There are also a couple of different ways to wear henley shirts. You can either go with a tight and slim-fitting shirt, which makes sense given the athletic heritage of the shirts. An open collar will really accentuate your shoulders and upper arms, so you might want to go in this direction if you’ve been getting good results at the gym lately.

However, wearing a looser and more flowing henley shirt can also look really great. In this case, you’ll have a really comfortable garment that still looks great.

I’d recommend the J. Crew Heritage Brushed Rib-knit Henley if you’re looking to size up and get a loose or oversized henley shirt. On the other hand, the Aulemen Men’s Henley Casual T-Shirt with Pocket and the Todd Snyder Lightweight Mini Waffle Henley In Blacktop are both great options for those looking for a tighter fit.

How We Chose

Since henley shirts are such a classic type of shirt with such a long history, we worked hard to find options that honor that tradition while offering something unique to the modern man. For us, that meant combining classic design with attention to the important details like the quality of materials and the craftsmanship that goes into a shirt.

We also ensured that all the products we recommended didn’t fail the four crucial tests we put before each and every single product that we considered recommending on FashionBeans.

Brand Reputation: Although we’re always looking for fresh and innovative brands, we do value a track record of putting out high-quality clothes over a long period of time.

Customer Reviews: Reading every customer review we can find is a vital part of the process for us, since it gives us a lot of insight into how real people experience the products we’re thinking about recommending.

Price: We always recommend products that offer definite value instead of coasting by on a high price tag.

Transparency: Lastly, brands have to be transparent about crucial details like where they get their materials from and their return policy for any of their products to make one of our lists.

Why Trust Us?

All of us editors here at FashionBeans have at least one or two henley shirts in our closet, and we agree about what a great option they are for casual yet refined dressing. As a result, we all already had our own favorites when we started the process of putting together this list.

After doing lots of research about both new and unfamiliar options, we eventually came together to hash out this list of the five best henley shirts for men. There was (quite) a bit of healthy debate, but we eventually came to a consensus about the picks you see here.

That process means that each product we’ve recommended has a lot going for it, and it’s why we’re so confident about the quality of each men’s henley shirt that we put on the list.

Final Verdict 

Overall, we decided to recommend the Todd Snyder Lightweight Mini Waffle Henley In Blacktop as the best henley shirt. Its waffle-pressed cotton slub fabric feels awesome to the touch, and when it’s on your back, all four of the colors it comes in are winners. I’m partial to the black version, but you can’t really go wrong with any of them.