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Why Tellason’s Oxford Shirt Makes Total Sense … and Why You Need One
Tellason has always been a jeans brand first. When Pete Searson and Tony Patella launched it in 2009, the focus was Cone Mills White Oak selvedge, cut and sewn locally in San Francisco.
But while denim is still the backbone, Tellason’s line has grown into a wardrobe that feels natural around jeans. Their oxford cloth button-down is a perfect example.
Pete grew up around button-downs—his dad wore them, and family warehouse trips brought home stacks. Tony takes a simpler view: denim and oxfords just belong together.
Either way, for Tellason, and for any denimhead reading, this oxford shirt just makes perfect sense.
The Oxford Cloth Button-Down: A Rebel’s History
The oxford cloth button-down (‘OCBD’) has crossed more boundaries than most shirts—from its roots in English sport to its place today in a Californian denim brand’s collection.
It began on British polo fields, where players buttoned their collars down to stop them from flapping. Brooks Brothers brought the look to the US, and by the middle of the 20th century, the shirt had become a campus staple.
Black musicians and intellectuals remixed the look in the late ’50s. Miles Davis wore a green Oxford with such ease that the shirt suddenly looked rebellious instead of bookish. From there, the OCBD carried a new edge—one that still resonates today.
That crossover is what makes the oxford shirt so relevant for a jeanswear brand like Tellason. Denim is workwear turned everyday wear. The oxford is tailoring turned casual. Democratic, timeless, and better with age.
If you want the full history of the OCBD, we covered it in The Rebel’s Outfit, our special issue of The Heritage Post.
How Tellason Reimagined the Oxford
For Pete and Tony, making an oxford shirt was about more than filling a gap. It was about creating a shirt that could sit comfortably next to their jeans—the same kind of everyday essential that’s both classic and versatile.
Tellason’s Oxford Shirt Heroes
On the product page, they call out three “white shirt heroes”: HR from Bad Brains, Shawn Stüssy, and Lauren Hutton. That says pretty much everything about how they see this shirt.
Pete remembers the first time he saw Lauren Hutton in those early modelling shots. “She had that gap between her teeth, and it looked like she just didn’t give a damn. Imagine fashion directors telling her she’d never make it unless she fixed it. But she didn’t. That’s real chops.” For him, she turned a plain white shirt into something effortlessly rebellious.
Shawn Stüssy is another reference point. “He’d have a booth at ASR down in San Diego—all black with just a rack of clothes. While brands like Volcom and Quiksilver were fighting to be the shiny new thing, Shawn kept it stripped back and real. He shaped the boards everyone wanted, and the clothes carried the same energy.” That sense of authenticity, Pete says, is what they want this shirt to carry.
And then there’s HR, the frontman of Bad Brains. Pete puts it like this: “If there was a more compelling front person in punk rock, I don’t know who it was. He seemed to always be in a white shirt on stage—classic but loaded with energy. That contrast is what makes it work.”
Together, these references sketch a picture of the oxford as something classic, but never conservative. A shirt that can play it straight or carry an edge, depending on how it’s worn.
From Italy to San Francisco: Why This Oxford Works
Tellason’s oxford shirts are made in Italy, thanks to a long-running collaboration with Uwe Maier, the brand’s distribution partner in mainland Europe.
While all denim garments are cut and sewn in San Francisco, items like the oxford call for a different setup.
As Tony puts it: “Our factory here just isn’t set up to make shirts like this, and honestly, they’d rather not. But in Italy, we’ve got access to mills and factories with generations of experience. They know how to make a shirt that feels right the first time you wear it.”
The fabric comes from northeastern Italy. It’s a proper 2×2 basket weave, weighing in at 240 gsm (around 7 oz.). It’s rinse-washed, so it feels broken in straight out of the bag, but it still softens with time.
Tony’s been wearing his white one for a year, and he says it still feels like it has “several more years of life left in it.” The blue won’t fade like denim, but both colours age into a relaxed, lived-in feel.
Pete wears his like the true rebel he is, never buttoning the collar down. “Maybe it’s my attempt to get out of the tech-bro look that’s way too common around here,” he says. It’s a small styling choice, but it says a lot about how Tellason see the oxford—less about following rules, more about making them your own.
The fit is classic—not slim, not boxy. Long enough to tuck, easy enough to leave untucked.
The collar roll was chosen from a set of options offered by their Italian partners, and a standard fusible interlining gives the collar structure without bulk.
Oh, and then there’s the placement of the second button (the most important one, as Tony points out), which is just right.
Buttons, seams, and block all reflect the same focus on balance: traditional enough to feel familiar, refined enough to feel intentional.
Compared to shirts made elsewhere at the same price, or premium oxfords that cost far more, this feels like a smart buy.
At US$185, the Tellason oxford sits in what Pete and Tony call the sweet spot. Italian-milled cloth, Italian-made, thoughtful construction—the value is in the quality, not in chasing a luxury price tag.
How to Wear Tellason’s Oxford with Denim
The oxford shirt’s strength has always been its range. It can look sharp or relaxed, depending on how you wear it. Tellason’s version is no different. Here are three simple ways it works with jeans.
Casual Untucked
The easiest move is to wear it untucked with the top button open and the sleeves rolled. It’s the look Pete goes for most often, a nod back to his preppy roots but stripped of any fuss.
With denim, it’s relaxed without being sloppy; a shirt that says you know what you’re wearing without trying too hard. It’s the same kind of casual Ivy style that once made the OCBD a uniform on American campuses, but updated for everyday wear.
Tucked-In, Sharpened Up
Worn tucked in with a belt, the lines get cleaner. You don’t need a tie; the roll of the collar is enough. This is where the oxford shirt shows why it’s a bridge between tailoring and casualwear.
Think of Kennedy in a white button-down, or Paul Newman with the sleeves rolled halfway up. Neat, but never stiff. It’s the perfect move for smart-casual settings, dress-down days at work, or any occasion where you want polish without formality.
The Canadian Tuxedo Remix
For the denim-on-denim look, you need a third element. Here, the oxford steps in as a stylish stand-in for T-shirt. Jeans, a denim jacket, and an oxford shirt become a kind of rugged suit; formal in outline, casual in execution.
It’s a styling move that underlines why this shirt belongs in a jeanswear wardrobe. It’s also the look Tony has in mind when he says the shirt can stand in for a more formal piece. With the right jacket and shoes, it becomes a dressed-up look without losing its roots.
If double denim feels a bit too much for you, try wearing it with an unconstructed blazer or something like Tellason’s fatigue shirt (currently not available).
Beyond these three, the shirt’s versatility runs even further. Layer it under a fatigue jacket, a chore coat, or even a blazer. Leave it open over a tee in summer, or tuck it into raw denim with boots in winter. The fit of Tellason’s works tucked or untucked, layered or on its own. The fabric holds its shape but softens with wear, so it adapts to whatever role you need it to play.
Why the Oxford Deserves a Place in Your Wardrobe
Tellason has built its reputation on denim, but the brand’s oxford shirt shows how naturally its ethos extends beyond jeans. It’s a shirt with history, but also with attitude.
Pete and Tony aren’t chasing trends or trying to reinvent the wheel—they’re making the kind of piece they want to wear themselves, built with the same mix of quality and honesty that defines their jeans.
The oxford cloth button-down has always been about crossing boundaries. From polo fields to Ivy halls, from jazz clubs to punk stages. With Tellason, it now sits right where it belongs: In a jeanswear wardrobe that values durability, authenticity, and a sense of style that gets better with time.
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