Everyone With Expensive Taste Is Trading In Their Basic Button-Downs For This Elevated Alt

The easiest way to look rich this spring.

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Two photos of Chanel's S/S 26 tuxedo shirt.
(Image credit: @sourcewhere; Launchmetrics Spotlight)
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It's rare that an item as simple as a cotton shirt makes as much of an impact on a runway as the shoes, handbags, or outerwear. Typically, a piece like that is forgotten—used as a layering tool rather than a garment worth talking about at length. At Matthieu Blazy's debut show for Chanel last October, though, that's exactly what happened. To the naked eye, the top half of Look 13 was just a shirt, but when you look closer, it becomes much more than that. The shirt—a crisp, white tuxedo-style button-down—was the first item of clothing Gabrielle Chanel borrowed from menswear, the French fashion house lists on the product description for the viral item. Blazy teamed up with heritage French shirtmaker Charvet to make it, adding Chanel's signature chain, pearl-button details, and the brand's name in subtle red, cursive stitching in the process. As a result, they made an heirloom out of a basic that's long been an afterthought—and kick-started a trend that's almost too easy to get in on.

A runway model wears a white tuxedo shirt while walking in Chanel's S/S 26 show.

(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)

Nicole Kidman at the Chanel fashion show as part of Spring/Summer 2026 Paris Fashion Week held at Grand Palais on October 06, 2025 in Paris, France.

(Image credit: Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images)

On Nicole Kidman: Chanel shirt, jeans, shoes, and bag; Omega watch

Funnily enough, the first time we spotted Chanel's tuxedo shirt wasn't on the runway when Blazy's debut collection was unveiled—it was a few minutes before that, when the brand's then-newest ambassador, Nicole Kidman, arrived at The Grand Palais in Paris for the show wearing one of her own. In her effortless way, she styled the untucked shirt with the sleeves rolled up just so and perfectly matched her quilted flap bag with the red "Chanel" embroidery on its front. From there, she added ultra-light-wash trouser jeans and black, pointed-toe pumps, and an elegant Omega timepiece on her right wrist completed the ensemble.

A close-up of Chanel's Charvet tuxedo shirt.

(Image credit: @sourcewhere)

With Chanel's version of the tuxedo shirt finally arriving in U.S. stores this past week (and starring in the window display at the 57th Street store in New York City), the shirt style has, overnight, taken the top spot in fashion from standard poplin button-down shirts. Suddenly, they no longer feel interesting enough, sending everyone I know at least on a hunt to secure a tuxedo shirt (of five) before spring officially arrives. The unexpected ways they were styled at Polo Ralph Lauren's F/W 26 presentation during Paris Fashion Week have only added to the craze.

Ahead, shop the best tuxedo shirts on the market for spring 2026, including Chanel's S/S 26 version by Matthieu Blazy.

Tuxedo Shirt Trend

Shop Chanel's S/S 26 Tuxedo Shirt

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Eliza Huber
Eliza Huber
Associate Editorial Director

Eliza Huber is currently the Associate Editorial Director at Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2021 as a fashion editor after starting her career as a writer at Refinery29, where she worked for four years. During her time at WWW, she launched Go Sports, the publication's sports vertical, and published four (and counting) quarterly issues tied to the WNBA, Formula One, and more. She also created two franchises, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on new seasonal trends, up-and-coming designers, and celebrity style.