The first time I was presented with the above photo of Bruce Springsteen wearing a black shirt and a black blazer together, it was accompanied by a question. The gist of the question was this: "Is Bruce showing us all how to wear a black dress shirt with jeans?"
The answer, unequivocally, is yes. He is wearing a black dress shirt with jeans. He is definitely showing us all how to do that. But that's a bullshit answer, because the real question isn't whether he's showing us how to do a thing—it's whether he's showing us how to do it right. As someone who has an extremely fraught relationship with black poplin shirts, I'll admit it was hard for me to answer that question. Is there any right way to execute this particular style move?
I have concluded that I'm still not sure. But I have also concluded that if you're going to wear a black dress shirt with jeans, you could do a whole lot worse than taking a page out of The Boss's book:
The thing about black dress shirts is there's more than one thing about black dress shirts. The material can look too sheeny. The vibe can hover between try-hard ("I'm a cool guy!") and not trying ("I don't wanna dress up!"). And the visual effect, especially with a black suit, can be a big wall of monochromatic blah.
But with this particular outfit, Bruce makes it work. If the shirt is indeed shiny, the blazer hides it—and makes him look like he's put in some effort. He looks cool, though the extent to which his being Bruce Springsteen contributes to this should not be underestimated. Would I like it more with a different shirt? Maybe! But I'm not The Boss. Springsteen is. And if you're going to wear a black dress shirt with jeans, you listen to the boss.
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