short-sleeve, waffle-knit men's Henley

June 3, 2020 9:24 PM

Are you a better online shopper than I am? I thought this would be easier to find: a men's short-sleeved waffle knit Henley. Needs to be size small, ideally trim fit, and actually available for purchase.

I've checked Land's End, Nordstrom Rack, and Amazon, among others. So far, I've only found this one (H2H Waffle Henley), but the white placket makes it look a little too casual.

The nice thing about waffle-knit Henleys is that they can look a little dressy if they're made well.

This is the only other one I've found in S, but it looks a bit too casual (color/cuffs/fabric) and it's a bit more expensive than I expected at $66.

preferred colors: medium gray, deep red, or subdued green color, open to others in this family. Not white or pale gray. One in black might be cool, but I definitely want at least one in not-black.

Thanks in advance for any help.

posted by amtho to Shopping (11 answers total)

Hey there, amtho. I wonder if the difficulty in sourcing this shirt is due to timing? Beyond any pandemic-related stock issues: in early June (if you're in the northern hemisphere), most short-sleeved Henley shirts on offer with any 'texture' tend to be pique mesh knit, or made from linen or cotton/linen fabric, or using a blend of the two approaches for depth. (Warm-weather shirts can just appear textured, too, sometimes from color variations in flat-woven material.) I found these Ralph Lauren waffle-knit short-sleeved Henley shirts, in indigo blue and off-white; they're too casual, pricier than your examples, and aren't even the right colors. I think more waffle-knit Henleys, in any sleeve length, will be easier to find in August.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:12 AM on June 4, 2020

Response by poster: Pique could work -- I really just want some kind of texture so there's some body to the fabric.
posted by amtho at 12:29 AM on June 4, 2020

Response by poster: This is for shipping to USA / Chicago.
posted by amtho at 12:49 AM on June 4, 2020

Man, you weren’t kidding, looking for textured short sleeved henley tees in a small is nigh on impossible. If you want to go the eBay /Poshmark route, here are some options for you.

Club Room brand waffle knit Henley tees in olive or grey.

Also Club Room, this time in navy blue

Express tee in grey
posted by Champagne Supernova at 2:21 AM on June 4, 2020

Gap has a bunch of henleys, but they are “slub”—not sure if that’s an acceptable texture for you?
posted by stillmoving at 3:40 AM on June 4, 2020

Uniqlo has a waffle crew in a few subdued colors. No placket, but the texture and body are there.
posted by fountainofdoubt at 6:10 AM on June 4, 2020

Bonobos has this linen henley that looks pretty nice.
posted by jabes at 11:59 AM on June 4, 2020

Of course the pandemic complicates this, but shortening sleeves is a simple alteration if you find long-sleeved options that tick the other boxes.
posted by doift at 12:59 PM on June 4, 2020

You may want to look for something made from hemp. I have a couple Gramicci short-sleeved henleys that, due to the nature of the material, have 'texture" and "body".
posted by notsnot at 2:14 PM on June 4, 2020

Response by poster: The linen Henley at Bonobos is $88 and nice, but very casual looking - appropriate for the big boat party (to which we weren't invited), but not what we're looking for.

I looked at slub fabric, but that's not really what I'm looking for either.

I think hemp tends to wrinkle, but will look into it.

(Why am I following up here? I have this vision of someone from "the fashion industry" reading my sad, sad shopping threads someday soon, and seeing where the unfilled market niches are...)
posted by amtho at 3:24 PM on June 4, 2020

I'm annoyed on your behalf, and now I want these shirts, too (in other colors, no worries). Tried again, searched rib-knit, ribbed, & textured for heft:

Calvin Klein Henley is rib-knit in black; Gridle is black/grey heather pattern
Huckberry Henleys, Supima Air Knit, Merino Blend in a few colors
Macy's slim-fit Alfani line Henley in several colors - 1 2 3; Birdseye in Blue at Overstock
Banana Republic linen blend in new cedar green
Rambler's Way cotton rib knit, wild rose
Weatherproof Co. Textured Henley in black melange
Lucky Brand Linen Henley Tee, in Black or Blue Heaven
UntuckIT Traveler Henley in gray stripe, Performance in blue or gray
JOE Joseph Abboud Blue Short Sleeve Henley, "Textured Woven Stripe"
RedHead Henley at Cabela in grove green, black
Buck Mason slim-fit pima Henley in Moss Venice
Henley Shirts at Cuts Clothing - Black
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:40 PM on June 4, 2020