Early fall inches ever closer, and with it comes the promise of all the very best things in life: Crisp fall breezes, Oktoberfest beer, lilting folk songs, rugged denim overshirts… wait, denim overshirts? Of course, and this isn’t a game where one of these things isn’t like the others. A durable denim work shirt, kind of like the rough-and-tumble Filson Denim Work Shirt, is a stellar fall layer to buy right now, and then wear as often as you can. You’ll even get a pass if you break it out before Labor Day around a bonfire, trust me. That’s what I’d do, but then again, that seems to be the goal with most of the rugged menswear produced by Seattle’s Filson: These are pieces made to explore, to get work done, and to layer up time and time again.

And of course, if you’re like me and are merely looking for a sensible, stylish overshirt to wear on waterfront strolls and brewery visits, the classic Filson Denim Work Shirt is still a safe bet. It’s part of the always-epic and durable Filson New Arrivals section, which is a harbinger of things to come in the months ahead. What exactly lies ahead from Filson? More of the best early fall menswear, and that’s an understatement. But back to one of the best work shirts for men in the meantime.

SHOP: The Filson Denim Work Shirt

You know you can trust the specs on any Filson workwear piece (the brand has more than a century’s worth of experience making ’em, after all), and the Filson Denim Work Shirt lives up readily to that illustrious billing. It’s made from the brand’s heavy-duty cotton denim, the kind to develop a nice patina the more you wear it. At 14.5oz., it’s heavy and tough, most likely heavier than any selvedge denim you own. Filson, as it turns out, also makes some of the best men’s jeans, should you be in the market.

The point is, the Filson Denim Work Shirt with metal wreath buttons and tough rivets at the notched and slotted chest pockets, is tough as nails, but made to break in over time. Those two chest pockets are enough to hold crucial EDC items, which Filson also happens to do a bang-up job at crafting. The Filson Denim Work Shirt layers up atop a favorite fall henley on a cool morning, it wears easily over a classic pocket tee once the day’s work is done, and it’ll certainly work as hard as you do. Try it and see for yourself.

SHOP: The Filson Denim Work Shirt