The Best Western Shirts Buck the Rest of Your Button-Ups

As 2026 approaches, Cowboy style has never been hotter. Of course, great boots never went anywhere, but this past year, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show (and Timmy’s Bob Dylan turn) brought bootcut jeans back into the conversation, country music again topped the charts—heck, just this week, Post Malone went to Paris to launch his own Western-leaning fashion line.

Whether or not you plan to join the rodeo, you should be making space in your wardrobe for the look’s gateway drug: A great, comfortable Western shirt, which also happens to currently be the informed-guy’s first choice when he wants to dress things up a touch. (Sorry, Oxford-cloth button downs.)

If you’re new to the style, welcome—there’s so much to like about it. Those detailed shoulder panels? Besides looking pretty, they’re reinforcing the shirt’s yoke, so it won’t wear down as easily. The best Western shirts also have fancy details like pearl snap buttons (that don’t come off as easily as regular buttons), and handy chest pockets that, while once used for cowboy essentials, can now neatly fit your own essentials. Say, airpods and chapstick?

As for how to shop the style, I’m glad to report that there’s a very satisfying, broad range out on the market. Below, I’ve herded the very best back here for your browsing pleasure. From heritage makers like Wrangler and Levi’s to modern masters like Buck Mason and Tecovas (and even prepsters like Sid Mashburn) many of our best and brightest designers are currently producing some kind of exemplary Western shirt. The 13 below will help you harness (heh) your inner rancher, all year long.

The Best Western Shirts, According to GQ

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Best Overall Western Shirt

Wrangler Denim Collection Snap Shirt

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Best Upgrade Western Shirt

J.Crew Midweight Denim Western Shirt

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Best Patterned Western Shirt

Buck Mason Palomino Western Shirt

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Best Western Shirt Overall: Wrangler Men’s Denim Collection Snap Shirt

Wrangler

Denim Collection Snap Shirt

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Pros

• Excellent price point
• Proven brand name
• Contrast stitching

Cons

• Not the world’s most luxurious fabric, but does a Western need to be?

Wrangler has long made shirts for actual cowboys, who love the brand because its quality remains high even as its prices stay relatively low. This makes it a great pick for your first Western shirt, or your fifteenth. It has all of the requisite details you’d expect from a western-styled piece, from snappy buttons to contrast stitching across the yoke, but the addition of a subtly branded pocket logo takes this otherwise simple ranch-ready shirt into style swerve territory. And hey, once you know you love it, you can then stock up on the other washes, from light faded blue all the way up to black.

Best Upgrade Western Shirt: J.Crew Midweight Denim Western Shirt

J.Crew

Midweight Denim Western Shirt

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Pros

• Five-year-wash makes for a softer feel
• Pearly snap buttons
• Wide size range

Cons

• More expensive than your average J.Crew shirt

If you’re not shopping for the true baseline option, but still want something that is more or less the definition of the style, this slightly elevated version is likely the one for you. Slight refinements throughout the design—a five-year wash effect, pearly snap buttons—take the shirt from purely being about hardwearing function and pitch it in a slightly more dressed up spot. (The J.Crew midweight cotton is a little softer than most, too.) No wonder it’s herding up five-star reviews as fast as a veteran ranch hand.

Best Patterned Western Shirt: Buck Mason Palomino Western Shirt

Buck Mason

Palomino Western Shirt

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Pros

• Cotton-wool blend
• Beautiful pattern
• Pearl snap buttons

Cons

A Western shirt is already a little different—why not lean in further with a great pattern, too? This season, Buck Mason’s Palomino Western shirt comes in plenty of colors, but our eyes are on this Sage Brush Shadow Plaid varietal. Even better, Buck Mason didn’t let its pattern chase distract from packing other great details in there too, like pearl snap buttons, pointed pocket flaps, and—amazingly for the coming fall and winter seasons—a fabric that blends cotton and wool for a toastier feeling on those cool ranch nights.

Best Dressier Western Shirt: Todd Snyder Western Tencel Shirt

Todd Snyder

Tencel Western Shirt

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Pros

• Cotton-tencel has a more elegant handfeel
• Sophisticated brown color
• Pearly snaps, again

Cons

Cotton-tencel is a much lighter, silkier fabric than cotton, which lends itself a bit more to dressing up and layering. This style from Todd Snyder takes tried and true western details—faux Mother-of-Pearl snaps, a yoke at the chest and back—but dresses them up (or, down?) in a sophisticated dark brown. This one’s for the cowboys who also have dinner with the in-laws tomorrow night.

Best Off-White Western Shirt: Levi’s Barstow Western Denim Shirt

Levi’s

Barstow Western Denim Shirt

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Pros

• Fair price
• Levi’s is proven name
• Harder color to find in Western shirts

Cons

• The off-white means the details stand out a little less

Along with Wrangler, Levi’s are very much the other big name in cowboy outfitting. The Barstow shirt is the brand’s staple western style, and while it indeed comes in blue, it was so popular that it now also conveniently comes in a range of colours outside the expected range. We’re particularly partial to this off white, bone colorway that’ll easily slide into your wardrobe as a true neutral (and tone down the whole Canadian tuxedo thing, if it feels too much to you.)

Best Investment Western Shirt: RRL Denim Buffalo Western Workshirt

RRL

Denim Buffalo Western Workshirt

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Pros

• RRL is Ralph Lauren’s highest quality heritage line
• That wash is so beautiful

Cons

• The price is as real as the indigo-dyed denim

Ralph Lauren’s ranch life-inspired arm, RRL, is known for having even higher quality than the Polo line, and in most cases the regular Ralph Lauren line also. The idea of the collection was that it would be full of pieces Ralph could wear on his Colorado ranch, and given that it’s all designed for the boss, no compromises are ever made. This shirt is no different: Pocket stitch details and a subtly unique top button are just some of the hints that tell everyone that this isn’t your standard western shirt, this is a RRL western shirt. (And for what it’s worth, Huckberry currently has so many more.)

Best Corduroy Western Shirt: J.Crew Western 14-Wale Corduroy Shirt

J.Crew

Western 14-Wale Corduroy Shirt

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Pros

• It’s a corduroy Western!
• The pale blue color is gorgeous

Cons

• Honestly, we can’t think of one

Much as we love and rely on the folks over at J.Crew, I can’t say I expected to discover a corduroy Western shirt—in a truly beautiful pale blue colorway—on my latest browse through its racks. But this is the real deal: Reviewers say it fits as well as the brand’s beloved denim western, and that 14-wale corduroy will also keep you much warmer than regular denim once we’re on the other side of Thanksgiving.

More Western Shirts We Love

How We Test and Review Products

Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.

Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.

How We Make These Picks

We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.