Our new collection “French Elegance” is available here .
Discover our reinterpretations of a selection of timeless pieces, to wear at any time and in any season.
It doesn't get more timeless than this.
Invented during the 19th century by a Scottish weaver (whose name I have not found), Oxford was created at the same time as three other fabrics, named after the four prestigious universities of Yale, Cambridge, Harvard and Oxford.
Yet only the latter has stood the test of time. Because yes, there is a dimension in which we wear Harvard or Yale shirts.
Made cool by celebrities like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Miles Davis or Kennedy who wore it brilliantly, the oxford shirt is a comfortable, breathable, durable and wrinkle-resistant piece. Not bad.
Steve McQueen (on the set of the 1968 film "Bullit" - credit MRTV Images) and Paul Newman, in oxford shirts, of course
From a stylistic point of view, it has a slightly grainy texture , obtained by a so-called basket weave which alternates two warp threads (vertical) and two weft threads (horizontal) which gives it a visual roughness and distinguishes it from smoother and colder weaves such as poplin.
And the great advantage of this texture, discreet but very present, is that it makes the oxford shirt perfect in a casual chic register. It is exactly with this in mind that we have developed our three new Volpaia shirts :
