STYLE
Nigel Cabourn British Officer’s Shirt.
By Jonathan Campbell
The traditional formal shirt is fast becoming a peripheral part of a man’s wardrobe. What you need today is versatility – something that can be worn with jeans, under a chore jacket, under a suit or even, dare I say it, with a tie. Enter Nigel Cabourn’s British Officer’s Shirt […]
Even though even in 2025, I still own one or two nice ties, I struggle to justify the price of a good shirt to wear them with. In fact, the traditional formal shirt, made from lightweight cotton that can be ironed to produce sharp creases down the sleeves, is fast becoming a peripheral part of a man’s wardrobe. What you need today is versatility – something that can be worn with jeans, under a chore jacket, under a suit or even, dare I say it, with a tie.
Enter Nigel Cabourn’s British Officer’s Shirt. Cabourn is renowned for his extensive collection of heritage military uniforms and associated garments – and his creations tend to be inspired by exploration and military wear of old, with ‘inspired’ being the key word. He doesn’t do faithful replicas. The British Officer’s shirt is no exception, bringing together a number of influences to create a rugged yet undeniably smart shirt for the modern era.
It's worth mentioning at this point that Cabourn offers clothes in a number of different collections, most of which take on oversized, streetwear-adjacent silhouettes. This shirt is part of the Mainline collection, which comprises garments made for the most part in Japan, typically with more tailored cuts and an emphasis on the quality of the fabric. Which brings us on to the cotton.
Originally, British officer’s shirts were part of a uniform that would be worn on the battlefield and on parade, so they were made of wool for warmth. Like most decent shirts made today, however this one is 100% cotton – but it’s no ordinary cotton. It’s a fabric that has been custom-made for this shirt. Inspired by a pair of French workwear trousers, the Cabourn team set about making a lighter version of the material, but without sacrificing rigidity. The answer was a warp yarn close in consistency to canvas and a weft yarn of extra-fine cotton. Even the thread used for the seams has been created especially for this shirt, as have the buttons, which for durability, are inspired by Military Spec Type 24/25.
Like all cotton clothing, the shirt will gain character with wearing and washing. It will retain its shape and durability, however, thanks to its weight and the strength of its construction. Cabourn claims that, rather than the standard wash test of 10-15 times through a washing machine, this shirt was required to withstand 100 washes, without any visible decline in quality. Pick one up and it’s easy to believe. These shirts feel as strong and durable as they are smart – hence their remarkable versatility.
Style-wise, you can expect a tailored shape with darts sewn in the back. Size up if you’re used to the roomier cuts in Cabourn’s other collections. At the front, you get a reinforced button placket and a very sturdy spread collar, with hidden buttons to keep it in place. It looks great with a tie and without, though it can look a little stiff and starched when it’s box-fresh, so we recommend washing and ironing at least once before wearing.
Nigel Cabourn has been offering this shirt largely unchanged for more than 10 years now, proving its popularity. The colours rotate over the years – at the time of writing, it’s available in white, dark green, dark blue and Saxe, an RAF-style mid-blue – but whichever you choose, you’re getting a modern classic and a shirt you can wear with virtually anything.
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