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The Best Flannel Shirts Make Every Season Better

    There’s a reason why “the best flannel shirts for men” never leave the fashion conversation—or your laundry cycle from fall through spring. They’re softer than your duvet, more forgiving than your cashmere, and boast just enough structure to make you look like a respectable person. For going on two centuries now, weighty flannel shirts have been adopted and reinterpreted by just about every demographic and subculture imaginable: frontier loggers, WWII sailors, greasers, surfers, punks, skaters, west coast rappers, grunge kids, rock climbers, contractors, mustachioed Williamsburg hipsters, hypebeasts, yoga moms, tech bros, present-day NBA tunnel style kings. That universality is a testament to the fabric itself: resilient enough to take a beating on the jobsite, comfortable enough to swaddle up in on weekends, respectable enough to wear on a date or out to brunch with your folks or on a Zoom call with your boss. 


    The Best Flannel Shirts Shopping Guide 


    The very best flannel shirts are endlessly adaptable—you can wear ‘em on their own or over stuff like a jacket, with jeans or sweats or dress pants or cargoes or gym shorts—and they’ll never not look entirely on point. They’re comforting and time-tested, and you’re going to need as many of them as you can muster to make it through the winter in style. Here are the 25 best flannel shirts for men to buy right now, in heavy plaids and thick stripes and foliage-inspired tones that’ll fit in seamlessly no matter your taste or wardrobe.

    The Best Heritage Flannel Shirt

    Pendleton’s been in the business of keeping folks toasty for over 150 years, and the brand’s Board Shirt is downright legendary. The warm wool fabric comes in a range of handsome, muted plaids (just the right weight to wear as an overshirt, or solo with a beefy tee and jeans); the cut is super flattering; and the camp collar and flat hem look great on everyone. Hell, it’s so iconic that the Beach Boys used it as their schtick when they were originally called the Pendletones. You may not be able to belt out a Pet Sounds 2, but you can easily look as fly.

    The Best Budget Flannel Shirt

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    Wrangler Authentics long sleeve heavy weight fleece shirt

    Still not convinced a flannel shirt is exactly your vibe? Take this $30 banger for a test drive. In addition to its classically handsome exterior and entry-level price tag, it’s also every bit as fuzzy and warm as that Snuggie you definitely don’t wear on the couch all weekend. Even if you don’t wind up introducing it to your actual wardrobe (you will), it’ll be a fine addition to your increasingly important at-home cozy rotation.

    The Best Bang for Your Buck Flannel Shirt

    L.L. Bean Scotch plaid flannel shirt

    Are there less expensive flannels? Yes. Are there more luxurious flannels? Yes. Are there better flannels for the price? No. L.L. Bean’s Scotch flannels are probably what your folks and their folks wore (and are likely still wearing). They’re brushed to a peachy softness, come in a range of historically accurate Scottish tartans, and only cost a few bucks more than the cheapest options on this list.

    The Best Blanket-Like Flannel Shirt

    It’s hardly shocking that Pendleton, a literal blanket-maker, also sells a killer flannel shirt. Slightly more surprising, though, is how excellent Outerknown’s riff on the genre is, a flannel button-up so soft the brand literally dubbed it the Blanket shirt. It’s a touch heavier (and even—gasp—softer) than Pendleton’s version, a lot like, y’know, a really plush blanket. That’s largely thanks to its thick-yarned organic cotton, which continues to earn the style glowing reviews and, ahem, breathless write-ups. The fit is eerily on-point, too: roomy enough to layer over a tee or even a sweatshirt, without veering into boxier-than-thou, aughts-era fashion bro territory.

    The Best Capital-F Fashion Flannel Shirt

    Needles 7 Cut flannel shirt

    Needles’ 7-cut flannel, made using scraps of vintage shirts, is a staple of the brand’s Rebuild sub-label, and a bona fide fashion grail in its own right. (Each one is totally unique, just like you.) A few years ago, it emerged as the flannel du jour of elite-level dressers like A$AP Rocky, and in the time since it’s proven loathe to relinquish its hold on the no-less-style-obsessed (but slightly-less-pretty) masses. Buying one might not guarantee you land on the short list of our most stylish men of the year, but take it from us, the ones tallying the votes: it really couldn’t hurt.

    The Best Dressed Up Flannel Shirt

    Portuguese Flannel Teca flannel shirt

    It sort of goes without saying that flannel shirts skew pretty casual. But it definitely should be said that the right flannel shirt can clean up real nice when you find yourself in a setting that demands a higher level of formality than whatever you wore to Whole Foods earlier that day. When that time comes, the only flannel you need is right here, courtesy of the delightfully on-the-nose Portuguese flannel experts at—you guessed it—Portuguese Flannel. The Guimarães-based brand makes some of the luxest flannels in the world, each done up a range of patterns and fabrics, but, naturally, its selection of flannels is the real standout. The Teca is the best gussied-up option of the whole lot, thanks to its endlessly versatile color and deceptively cozy brushed cotton. All you need to do is add a proper pair of trousers and some sturdy derbies to the mix (and maybe even a handsome guncheck blazer, if you’re really going for it). 


    Plus 19 More Flannel Shirts We Love

    Wax London Whiting button-up overshirt

    Wax London’s ever-popular Whiting overshirt is one of those pieces you can wear for three seasons straight. Its extra-thick yarns give the fabric an exploded proportion and the boxy fit helps it double as a perfect midweight layer.

    Adsum no flap flannel workshirt

    You might as well have fished this shirt from the dusty basement of a defunct workwear store. Metal buttons, triple-needle stitching, hidden internal pockets, and reinforced elbows all amount to one tank of a flannel—sans the mothballs, thank you very much.

    Uniqlo flannel checked long-sleeve shirt

    You probably won’t get your flannel tailored to your preferred length—luckily, this one looks perfect untucked.

    Taylor Stitch Crater shirt

    Beefy 9-ounce flannel makes Taylor Stitch’s Crater shirt thicker than a hot bowl of congee (and about as comforting).

    Iron Heart 9oz rope-dyed indigo western

    Artisanally dyed and designed to fade beautifully, just like your favorite pair of jeans.

    Todd Snyder multi-plaid Italian flannel overshirt

    Todd Snyder’s flannel overshirt might look like you stumbled across it in an appointment-only vintage showroom—see: the premium horn buttons, twin chest pockets, and suede elbow patches—but no one has to know you simply scooped it online—and on sale. 

    Tekla flannel long-sleeve shirt

    Some people have a hard and fast rule about not sitting on the bed wearing your street clothes. But what happens when your bed clothes are fly enough to become your street clothes?

    General Admission flannel plaid shirt

    [Xzibit voice] Yo, we heard you like pockets! So we put a pocket on your pocket!

    The Letters western shirt

    Like the collar on this gorgeous western shirt, our mouths are totally agape.

    Alex Mill Frontier shirt

    When you want to swerve away from the usual lumberjack vibes, opt for Alex Mill’s sharp green number instead. Pair it with jeans, cords, or play up the patterns with some striped trousers.

    Beams Plus plaid shirt

    We don’t get to use the words mish-mash often, but when we do, it’s usually for a pretty good reason.

    Remi Relief checked cotton-blend flannel shirt

    Beyond the washed-out purple colorway and hefty flannel fabric, we love that Remi Relief’s button-up comes with lower hand pockets so you can rock it like a cropped jacket.

    Flint and Tinder “Jackson” flannel shirt

    Double-brushed and doubly-soft.

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    Gitman Vintage melange shaggy fleece shirt

    You can try to find a flannel cozier than this. You’d be wasting your time, but you can certainly try.

    Drake’s cotton button down flannel shirt

    Whether you’re eyeing a brisk weather forecast or dreading your office desk positioning right next to the A/C, this handsome button-up will keep you warm.

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    L.L. Bean chamois shirt

    A true outdoorswear legend that deserves all the love and praise it gets.

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    Pendleton snap front Canyon wool shirt

    A little bit yeehaw, a little bit lumberjack, all cool.

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