How to Style an Overshirt: Fit Guide and Six Outfits
How an overshirt should fit, six outfits from casual to dinner, and how to care for wool, suede and flannel.
The overshirt is the most useful piece a man can own from October to April. It is heavier than a shirt and lighter than a jacket, so it covers the whole awkward middle of the year. The catch is that it is easy to wear badly. Here is how to get the fit right and six outfits that work.
What makes an overshirt different
An overshirt (sometimes called a shirt jacket or shacket) is cut like a shirt but made from jacket-weight fabric: wool, flannel, suede, corduroy or quilted cotton. It is meant to be worn open or closed over another layer, not tucked in.
Because it is a layer, the fit is a little roomier than a shirt through the chest and shoulders. You should be able to wear it over a knit without the buttons pulling.
How it should fit
- Shoulders: the seam sits at or just past your shoulder bone, not down your arm.
- Length: the hem lands around the middle of your seat. Longer starts to look like a coat; shorter looks like a shirt.
- Sleeves: end at the wrist bone, so a knit cuff can just peek out.
- Chest: buttoned over a knit, there should be no pulling between the buttons.
If you are between sizes, size for the layer you wear most underneath. Every Lémanoir overshirt has a size chart in centimetres on its page.
Six overshirt outfits
1. Cream flannel over a white tee
The easiest look. A cream flannel overshirt worn open over a heavy white t-shirt, faded grey jeans and brown suede shoes. The forest leather collar and cuffs do the work, so keep everything else plain.
2. Houndstooth over a cream knit
Smarter, still relaxed. A micro-houndstooth wool overshirt buttoned over a cream crewneck, charcoal trousers and loafers. This one works for an office that does not need a suit.
3. Suede over a knit polo
A forest suede overshirt open over a navy or cream knit polo, stone chinos. Suede looks better as it creases, so do not baby it.
4. Cashmere over a roll neck
The dinner version. A camel double-face cashmere overshirt over a fine black or navy roll neck, grey wool trousers. Camel and black is a combination that never dates.
5. Overshirt as a light jacket
On a mild autumn day, wear any wool overshirt buttoned over just a t-shirt and treat it as your jacket. Add a cap and sunglasses.
6. Overshirt under a coat
When it gets properly cold, the overshirt becomes your mid layer under a down jacket or overcoat. Take the coat off indoors and you still look put together.
Colours that go with everything
If you only buy one, choose a colour that works with both navy and grey trousers: cream, camel, forest green or a small check. Black overshirts are harder to wear than they look.
Caring for a wool overshirt
- Air it between wears instead of washing it.
- Brush wool and suede with a soft clothes brush.
- Dry clean or hand wash cold only when it actually needs it.
- Hang it on a wide hanger so the shoulders keep their shape.
Treated well, a good overshirt lasts for years and gets better looking as it goes. Our four overshirts are each made in a numbered run of ten, so once a colour is gone, it is gone.
