The best menswear staples from coast to coast have a sense of utility and tradition stitched into every thread. They’ve been passed down over the years, from the farm and field in days gone by to the most stylish neighborhoods across the globe in recent years, especially styles originally intended for good, old-fashioned hard work.
These selections, pioneered by big-name workwear brands, also found a home on the factory floor and on brisk mornings when a T-shirt and jeans simply weren’t up to snuff.
Perhaps you’ve spotted a few of these pieces in the wild over time – the trucker jacket, the work pant, even the hoodie, the henley and the flannel shirt all owe a good deal of heritage, history and stylish pedigree to their forefathers.
Workwear in its many forms, be it the chore coat, the canvas work pant, the original blue jean – perhaps the very first example of workwear itself – has always held a certain tried-and-true, rough-and-tumble appeal. It’s a sort of appeal and sturdy, dependable style you can certainly make work for you in your own wardrobe (stay tuned to find out how).
Plenty of workwear selections were first trusted by craftsmen and women (the denim chore or work jacket, for instance, was originally worn in France in the late nineteenth century (the Taylor Stitch lineup of menswear owes a debt of gratitude to the style originally worn by tradespeople).
And yet, these styles endure with tradition, toughness and a roll-up-your-sleeves, get-the-job done type of attitude. These designs – in our own lineup, of course – reflect that “can-do” approach, but rugged workwear happens to look as great as it performs.
Start with the right build and the right fabrication, and the rest falls into place.
Coast to Coast with Chipped Canvas
Especially in materials like canvas and cotton – tightly woven fibers suited for dust, dirt, spills, wind and more – the best workwear essentials are nearly legendary in their toughness. They also happen to be the kind of pieces we’re drawn to at Taylor Stitch, particularly in our Coast to Country Collection and our range of Chipped Canvas offerings.
Casually rugged style, particularly in the spring months – when your schedule might take you across town to a coffee meeting before an afternoon park stroll, followed by a round of brewery beers – is ideal for off-duty situations, where the possibility of adventure and intrigue awaits.
The best casually rugged workwear can go far afield, out into the wilderness – along the coast or into the forest and a log cabin retreat – but it tends to look right at home at your favorite local watering hole or a weekend farmer’s market.
Think of it this way: Casually rugged workwear means business, but it can prove just as useful when your pursuits are more about style than getting your hands dirty.
How do these combinations come to light? It starts with the basics, but a full #OOTD can be yours for the taking if laidback yet hard-wearing style is your move of choice this season.
Making Workwear Work…For You
Our fabrications are more modern than chore coats worn centuries ago – take the Taylor Stitch Shop Shirt, a fine example of a tough-as-nails shirt jacket that blends comfort, utility and rugged good looks into one carefully crafted hybrid offering.
Built from custom-developed 100% organic cotton, this shirt gets a stone wash treatment for comfort out of the box – it’s designed to resist abrasion, dust and debris, and that stone wash treatment will develop further patina over time.
Think of it like a more spring-friendly version of a thick shirt jacket, with utterly functional details like a flat hem and double panel front yoke detailing for plenty of range of movement – even if your most strenuous activity that particular day is reaching for another cold one. Consider it the base of your casually rugged workwear look.
And yet, options aplenty await if casually rugged style and workwear inspiration is your focus this season. The Taylor Stitch Workhorse Hoodie takes the zip hoodie from the gym and instead,into the workshop or your garage with ease – retooled fabric and workwear details elevate it from the hoodie you’d wear on your morning jog.
100% organic cotton canvas (again, custom-developed for us here at Taylor Stitch) delivers a strong-as-can-be base, but this hoodie is souped up in plenty of other ways. Throw it on during brisk mornings or breezy April days and nights – 1.5-oz. 100% recycled nylon diamond quilting within, with recycled polyfill in the body, sleeves and hood – adds plenty of warmth, like a warm workwear hug.
Every detail of this work jacket is both thoughtful and yet ready for hard work, including heavyweight ribbed cuffs and a YKK two way zipper with a storm flap front. No wind or rain will bother you when wearing this handsomely rugged hoodie, that’s a fact.
We like to call it a “function-first mentality,” the kind that pairs up nicely with other Taylor Stitch basics – no great workwear #OOTD is complete without, say, our Organic Cotton Henley, which we updated with a two-button placket for a clean look and a customizable fit.
For active pursuits – on the shop floor or on the trail, our selection of Taylor Stitch Merino T-shirts might prove useful for moisture-wicking performance, but an Organic Cotton or Hemp Tee also keeps things reliably casual and comfortable. What’s more classic than a T-shirt layered underneath a shirt jacket or hoodie, after all?
The building blocks of the best casual workwear are simple – a strong shirt jacket or hoodie, a classic T-shirt – but when put together expertly, the look is both utilitarian and yet utterly stylish.
Stepping into Workwear, One Leg at a Time
And yet, it’s all about real-world utility, and the Taylor Stitch Chore Pants remain a favorite of our staff – and plenty of customers – for a reason. These overbuilt pants are a fine example of the style, with an abundance of bells and whistles to tackle any to-do list.
Our custom-made 12.5-oz. 100% organic cotton canvas once again sets these apart from other canvas pants, with a stone-washed treatment and nuanced touches like 6-oz. 100% organic cotton SF Map pocketing (the difference, as ever, is in the details, even when dressing down for off-duty pursuits. Your average pair of canvas pants, these are not.)
Front slash pockets and half-lined back pockets are critical for everyday carry storage, and the addition of crucial signature double-knee reinforced construction turns these into a positively beastly pair of canvas pants you can pair up with pull-on Blundstone boots or, better still, Taylor Stitch Ranch Boots – your to-do list doesn’t stand a chance.
But any great wardrobe of off-duty basics should have options – take the original workwear staple we know and love, the blue jean. Taylor Stitch’s Organic Selvedge Denim can reasonably, easily, fashionably be traded in for canvas work pants, with a rich patina and sturdy, tough build (particularly in our Democratic fit, which pairs nicely with richly crafted leather boots or even canvas high-top sneakers).
Workwear takes on many forms, though – if a set of Chore Pants are simply too much in the heat, or on a coastal hike, the Taylor Stitch Camp Shorts might prove a wise, casually cool, positively rugged workwear alternative. Form meets function to the highest degree, with custom-developed 12.5-oz. 100% organic cotton canvas offering strength and supple performance.
Easy-entry angled front slash pockets pair nicely with half-lined back patch pockets for storing tools, EDC essentials or simply your shades and a trusty bottle opener – and they team expertly with a canvas hoodie, an Organic Cotton Tee or the reliable-as-can-be Workhorse Hoodie. “Leisure and labor” are both wise aims with these new spring shorts – and the rest of our lineup of carefully crafted, thoughtfully designed workwear.
No matter your mission on a breezy spring day — a full to-do list or one set around basking in the sun in great company, cold beer in hand – casually rugged workwear style can help you meet the moment.
Written by Beau Hayhoe
Beau is a Brooklyn-based men’s style, lifestyle and music writer with more than a decade of experience covering menswear. His work has appeared at publications like Esquire, GQ, Maxim, Men’s Journal and more. He also runs his own daily menswear blog, The Style Guide and regularly writes for AskMen.
