As I sit here in my hotel room by the sea, lounging around until I decide to rise and stick my feet in the Pacific and spend some pesos on various beachy baubles, I find myself thinking fondly of chest muscles in tight Henleys. The "Henley" if you weren't aware, is possible the next best thing to a well worn sweater. Possibly, in fact, even better than a crisp, white button down. That's right. I said it. Possibly even better. The reasons why, if not obvious to you, will be loosely outlined below. But first, here is a piece of edification on the abdomen-flattering Henley shirt as quoted from Wiki:
"A henley shirt is a collarless men's pullover shirt, characterized by a 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long placket beneath the round neckline, usually having 2-5 buttons. It essentially resembles a collarless polo shirt. The sleeves may be either short or long, and it can be made in almost any fabric, although cotton, cotton-polyester blends, and thermals are by far the most popular...
Originally quite popular in the early 1970s, henley shirts have recently made a fashion comeback, especially in Western countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia, but also in some East Asian Countries such as Japan and Korea.
In his biography of Ralph Lauren, the journalist Michael Gross quotes a New York merchant who recalled showing a vintage shirt to a Ralph Lauren buyer: "I showed this fellow underwear---a three-button long-sleeve shirt by Johnstown Knitting Mills. He said, 'This is a new shirt.' That's where he got the idea for the Henley shirt.'"
So, you see, it's underwear. But it's a shirt, too. Perfection. Perhaps this is why it's so undoubtedly sexified. In the first photo, you can clearly see the pectoral muscles of the 70's man on the left side of the frame. I could shield myself from the African sun in the shade of his pecks. Thanks to his Henley, and its trademark buttons, I get an idea of what's under it via the suggestive collar opening. I hope that was as creepy for you as it was for me.
The garment pictured below is not a Henley. But it's a sweater. And it is good. I have a penchant for 70's men such as the ones below. They weren't afraid to show off their crotches and sundry muscles with impossibly tight clothing choices. And stripes??!! Oh, 70's men. So very fine (especially because now they're old enough for me to really be attracted too. Mmmm. Daddy issues).
So now, I give you just three Grade A prime examples of Henley's in action. I urge you to go out and observe the perfection of man-bodies accentuated by this fantastic, collar-bone/top of chest-muscle/often chest-hair exposing style. That little depression under the clavicle and just between the pectoral muscles of a well-formed upper torso is indubitably my happy place.
Double nerd fuel: Henley + True Blood. Bill Compton knows that a man need only have Henley's in his wardrobe to be a heartthrob. Unless that other, larger vampire is around. "Viking" trumps Henley.
There's a Henley in there somewhere.
Henley/Carhartt combo. Divine excellence.
Soon,
Ché
