If you listened to the pod from a few weeks ago, you’ll know that I made the jump to buy a bib-front western shirt. No, the purchase wasn’t predicated on The Searchers, 3:10 to Yuma, or any western, for that matter. The answer lies in movies much more absurd and decidedly Ethan: Marvel and Star Wars. 

In the first Cap film, Bucky Barnes, before he gets all cyborg, wears a military-tunic jacket that harkens to the bib-front shirt worn in the original comics. In both cases, it’s an interesting look, one that feels “old” and yet masculine in its inherent militaristic attitude. And as I’m sure you nerdy-film-menswear guys have noticed, the slouchy flap front shirts worn by Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are quite western-bib-front inspired. And so, my LARPy, riding boot-wearing ass decided that it was high time for me to get one too. I just wanted to have something that would have been worn in a Golden Age western, but do it up as if I were some sort of galactic adventurer…and of course, leave me the ability to do the Western looks also. 

While the bib shirt is still as western as they come, it just feels different from all the sawtooth and yoked shirts we see today. It’s more embellished, adorned even. The bib shirt extra— and I love that.

As a whole, bib front shirts have been around for a while. In most cases, it’s already attached to the shirt,  serving to reinforce the area on the placket. This detail was used not just on workshirts (where reinforcement made sense) but on dress (business) shirts and formal (eveningwear) shirts as well. The latter is where most men will encounter the detail– think the marcella/pique and pleated bibs on the shirts you’re meant to wear with tuxedos. 

However, the Western bib front shirt is different.  The reinforcing bib comes as a separate piece of cloth that fastens to the front with two rows of buttons (the main shirt underneath closes normally).  Like a detachable collar, this feature meant that the piece of the garment most exposed to wear could be easily separated from the main body for cleaning. And if western flicks are anything to go by, the bib could even act as an easy pouch for personal storage. 

According to the few sources I could find (like this YouTube video, True West Magazine, and a rock tumbling forum), the bib shirt apparently started out as a fireman’s shirt but found its way to various frontiersmen, cowboys, and outlaws as time went on. It’s not as common as the regular types like twin pocket workshirts and sawtooths, but the bib shirt is still a big part of the fashion of the American West. This was cemented in popular culture, where many Western protagonists and antagonists all wear a bib front shirt. What’s interesting is that in some of these cases, the characters have some connotation to the military or law enforcement. 

This is not surprising considering the attitude of the bib front shirt itself. The quirky, double-button detail, as well as its literal closed-up appearance (when compared to a regular placket shirt), makes the bib shirt feel steadfast and “uniformic.” After all, various professions like the military and lawmen, to even firemen and chauffeurs, all wear similar shirts and tunics. Of course, most of menswear in general has its roots in militaria. To me, the bib shirt’s layout even seems to serve as an updated take on “Napoleonic” and “Hussar” uniforms of yore, whose tunics were adorned not just with twin buttons but with rows of embroidered filigree. That decorative vibe that comes about without the use of neckwear makes the bib front shirt have quite an interesting expression, one that hints at masculinity, comes across as a fair bit dandy (or at least bold), and feels certainly antiquarian.

The damn thing is just a bit much in the best way possible.

The main reason I enjoy this shirt isn’t because of the bib shirt’s storied history and inherent militaristic inclinations, a feature it shares with nearly every piece of menswear canon. No, the real appeal for me was that it provided a new opportunity for slouch and ornamentation, one that other shirts simply can’t provide, at least not on their own. Having the buttons on the front does a lot for that extra pizzazz, but the real appeal is the extra slip of fabric, the bib itself.

I just love how rakish the shirt becomes when you get that little flap that comes about when you forgo fastening two or so buttons on one side of the bib. It’s an intentional and certainly affected move that serves to soften up the trussed-up, militaristic vibe of the bib shirt, all but yelling, “Oh, I couldn’t be bothered to do it all the way up”. I like this move more than when people unfasten buttons on an OCBD (especially with a tie) because it’s being used on a garment that is already quite casual. Most of all, it’s just so physical. This jaunty flap just adds dynamism and a “third dimension” to your outfit, not unlike how an open DB is just loucher than an open SB, simply due to the excess fabric. 

Here’s where it gets interesting. Even though the flap is undone, your neck area is still actually closed. Yes, you could unfasten the first two buttons and treat it like a regular shirt, but that just feels like overkill. That would be too open. Also, because the bib shirt just has a regular point collar, it also looks too blasé or normal (the best shirts to leave open are an OCBD or a sport collar, which lacks a collar band, so the points can lie flat). The bib front shirt provides you with tension, balancing the closed-up “air tie” with the libendinous flap draping over your chest.  It’s no wonder that a fair bit of Western characters leverage the raish move that this shirt provides, only for it to be translated to the attire of other fictional characters like pre-Winter Soldier Bucky or Luke and Han. 

So you see, even if the bib front shirt may not intend it, it just feels like a fashion-y choice while still being a historic piece of menswear. If you think about it, the bib shirt is almost like a DB, as that style of jacket tends to inherently feel the most “extra” with its [usually] wide peak lapels and multitude of buttons. Hell, wearing a bib shirt may actually make you forgo the jacket entirely and just let the shirt speak for itself. Owning one would be a big move for me, being quite a step into more decorative menswear. But as someone who regularly wears sleek riding boots, has his ties propped up by a collar bar, and dons slippers with a cheeky bow to the symphony, a bib front shirt isn’t actually far off from my usual fare.

Acquiring one for myself was an inevitability. 

eBay had a lot of options that looked decent (aesthetically speaking), but nearly all of them were woven from varying amounts of polyester. Even though polyester seems to be having a rebrand in fashion discourse, I still don’t like wearing it myself; it feels dry, rough, and fake. In a similar way, wool gab (which didn’t pop up often but historically, these were it), was not the move either. Thankfully, I came across one in 100% cotton (denim, no less): a vintage H-Bar-C number that was my size (15.5/33) that featured big ‘ol brass buttons. It was also only $35 before shipping, so nabbing it was a no-brainer.

While others may have been turned off by the brass buttons (you mainly see regular plastic buttons or the use of snaps), I was really into them. It made this particular shirt a bit more special and certainly dandy/bold, at least more than it normally is. In retrospect, the brass buttons would be my way of  “participating” in the “Napoleon jacket trend” that’s been going around, making that “uniform theme” come full circle. Now that I think about it, I’d even say that the big buttons and “wrap” of bib shirts harken to the niche fascination with fencing jackets well.  This shirt could do it all! 

I was already filled with promise. I could wear the shirt on its own and be like OG Bucky or just do a send-up of 50s Westerns. It would easily pair with a cloak/cape/kimono for something Star Warsian— and expand the possibilities of Safincore, which is always best done with a tunic shirt rather than something “normal”. The considerably trim fit of the shirt actually helped give it some sex appeal, offsetting, however slightly, its already bold attitude. And so, the bib shirt was ready to be canonized. Almost. I did have one issue with it:  the color. 

The shade was just a bit too much for me, even though indigo denim shirts of all kinds are staples for Western wear. Even though I don’t mind the militaristic connotations, I felt that the blue, when combined with the big ‘ol brass buttons, was giving a bit too much “General Custer”. It just looked a bit weird when worn with any sort of brown pants, leading it to only be worn with blue jeans; a cool look that literally makes it feel “uniform”, but also a bit too limiting. This may just be an issue with denim shirts in general, as my denim sawtooth is my least-worn western shirt; I wear my black and brown ones infinitely more. 

And so I made the decision to dye it black. Yes, it would still be uniformic/military-ish and obviously Western (black bib shirts are common), but at the very least, the shirt would feel a tad more chic and ultimately be more versatile. Think more of a chauffeur and less American colonizer. I was also aware that the new color might make it seem  “emo” a la My Chemical Romance (I’m more of an indie rock guy, but I dig them), which I didn’t mind at all. 

Of course, I fucked up slightly.  I forgot that when dyeing blue garments, you should add orange to offset the indigo. I did it when I made my black flares and somehow neglected to do it this time. The result was a navy blue, which, honestly, was a step up from the light-ish denim it once was. Just like with brown shoes, going darker is always better. That being said, I still had a bit of difficulty trying to pair it; brown pants still felt “off”, and blue jeans felt too expected. I did enjoy the one fit I wore with it: black flared jeans, black cowboy boots, and my faded black Kapital bandana (worn as a “necktie” since I tied it around a fastened collar). The inherent blue hue still came through, especially when surrounded by the other black pieces, but it was fine! It all looked like a chic take on western wear. But I knew that if the bib shirt was black, I’d be into it even more. So back into the dye bath it went, this time with orange. 

When I pulled it out of the dryer (wet clothes can mislead you on just how dark they are), I was enamored. It was black! And like my flared jeans (which I also redyed in the same bath, because why not, I already made the soup), you can still see a bit of that blue base, but for all intents and purposes, this was black. The golden brass buttons now jumped out a bit more (friends recommended I find silver alternatives), but for now, they would stay. “Welcome to the Black Parade”, indeed!

The first fit I wore with the newly dyed shirt was quite the banger. After doing an outfit that was so decidedly western and quite sharp, I wanted something a bit more louche, something that would showcase its versatility. This mainly hinged on my trouser choice, which ended up being my black gaucho from Scott Frasier; I also traded the sharp, heeled cowboy boots for low-profile fisherman sandals. The interesting move this time around was to wear the shirt collar open and ultimately leave the bib completely closed up. This allowed me to don a blue accessory again, this time in the form of a linen neckscarf. Even though it contrasts a bit strongly, I liked the effect. It’s almost western adjacent!

This particular combo really made the shirt feel more like a tunic, perhaps something worn by a tropical chauffeur or a man of the cloth. It may have been way too extra for reading a graphic novel while sipping a vanilla latte on a Sunday after a local flea, but honestly, what’s the difference between this and anything else I wear? I’m already quite the fancy boy, and this fit is right in that vein.

The difference between this and my normal, everyday looks is that the boldness of bib outfits stems not from the “formality” of shirt, tie, and jacket, but rather from a singular item. An item that is bold for being inherently embellished and adorned. The damn thing comes with its own accessories. The bib shirt, especially mine with the brass buttons, speaks for itself. There’s no need for anything else (though a cloak or kimono-style coat would certainly be a welcome addition). It’s the loudest garment I own, one that I am looking forward to wearing forevermore, across all manner of outfits. Having only worn it twice at the time of writing, I already know that this is a certified Ethan Classic. 

It’s quite funny that the theme of this blog post seems to be about exuding a decorative attitude from a garment that feels inherently masculine and old, but that’s entirely why this shirt is so cool. It’s surely not for everyone, but maybe with how much TikTokers love to consume the past and be on the hunt for the next niche thing to promote, I wouldn’t be surprised if this comes back among the menswear heads. 

Who knows!

– end of blog post –

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Ethan

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