It may look like denim, but the cambray is completely different. Lighter in weight, softer to the touch, this unique fabric is sleeker and certainly more versatile, with a slight sheen that gives it entry into dress codes where denim can’t keep up.
While denim is more commonly found in jean shape, the cambray is better known as shirt fabric. The cambray shirt is one of the classic pieces of men’s clothing. The same t-shirt could be combined with the same ease with a dress as with shorts. Want to know more? Here’s everything you need to know about this versatile fabric and where to buy the best cambray shirts in the business.
Considerations for buying cambray t-shirts
Fit
Reiss
The way a camouflage shirt fits can drastically change how and where you wear it. Buy a tight camber shirt and it will be a perfect accompaniment to a dress or separate. Whereas, if you opt for a more traditional relaxed cut, you have one basic work clothes ideal for casual and relaxed looks.
Details
Drake’s
The classic cambray work shirt comes with two chest pockets with buttons, oversized and usually double stitched. But, some cambray shirts can be found without pockets and with button collars as opposed to the traditional, ruffled style.
The thing is, cambray shirts come in many shapes, so choose wisely when shopping for yourself. A general rule of thumb is that pockets make t-shirts look more casual, so if you want to add a touch of workwear to your outfit, this is the way to go.
Color
Reiss
Like denim, the most popular and common color of cambray is blue. Fortunately, blue is arguably the most versatile color out there. It blends happily with browns, grays, greens and neutrals, so pick your poison and put it with pretty much everything you have in your existing closet. From time to time, you can find light red, or even white camber shirts, so shop there if you’re looking for something more off-track.
How to wear a cambray shirt
Smart
Brunello Cucinelli
As mentioned above, cambray shirts can work with clothing. In fact, they can stand out with tailor-made clothing, but you need to find one with the right cut. It should be thin and tailored, preferably without pockets. We don’t have strong opinions about the buttoned neck in any way.
Find this cambray shirt and it might be the easiest way to dress up in this medium brown, unstructured dress you wanted to wear. Make sure the dress is not structured. The cambray is an inherently casual fabric, and combining it with a very sharp fabric Savile row number it may be a step too far.
Smart-casual
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This is the space where the cambray is most at home. Without a doubt, it is the ultimate smart-casual t-shirt and can be worn in seemingly endless ways. For a contemporary look that uses the classic basics of men’s clothing, try wearing one over a pair of dark blue pleated pants. Leave it undone and place it on a plain white t-shirt, ending with suede desert boots o minimal sneakers.
Casual
Eidos Napoli
Chambray is an incredibly lightweight and breathable fabric, despite its durable durability. For spring and summer, then, it’s fantastic alternative to linen and classic cotton shirt. For a relaxed, casual summer look, put on a relaxed camber shirt over stone or navy blue shorts. Leave it undone to channel some Call Me By Your Name and finish with some espadrilles. An easy outfit that will take you from the park to the stylish bar.
The best brands of cambray shirts
Todd Sinner
Designed with functionality and practicality in mind, New York brand Todd Synder is the favorite for cambray t-shirts made to last with a durable but soft cotton. He wears his dirty white work shirt, which combines perfectly with navy chinos and brown leather boots.
Nordic projects
Scandinavian brand Norse Projects is well versed in the production of understated menswear with expertly sourced fabrics. So it makes sense for your camber t-shirts to be both minimalist in design and classic to cut. Wear it over tapered pants and white slippers and you can’t go wrong.
Taylor Stitch
Resistant workwear brand Taylor Stitch makes garments that are built for the long term and are designed to be worn over time. This is never more evident than with their line of cambray shirts, which are cut with 100% organic cotton and have a tailored fit that looks great put on or untied. Wear them and wash them regularly and observe how they develop their unique character.
J Crew
Known for his contemporary updates on the classic grapes preppy, J Crew combines a well thought out design with considered fabrics. Their camber shirts are no different and are available in modern, custom settings, making them ideal to pair with a soft tailoring.
The Brooks brothers
Brooks Brothers helped popularize the classic Oxford cloth button down, inspiring a generation of agile showcases with their classic fit and soft neck. But the US brand he is not afraid to experiment with his designs, as seen here with his updated versions of the cambray shirt.
Ralph Lauren
King of preparation, Ralph Lauren’s cambray shirts are timeless. Available in a variety of styles, including the classic double-pocket work shirt, they’re easy to stylize, whether you combine them with other American staples or modern tailoring.
Sunspel
Although best known for his T-shirts, the British heritage brand Sunspel makes a fine line in other equally well-executed wardrobe staples. Their cambrai shirts are cut with Japanese cotton and are available in other easy-to-wear shades, such as raw.
Loro Piana
At the most luxurious end of the spectrum, Loro Piana’s designs are always classic and easy to wear, but it’s the fabrics that set them apart. He Italian brand has its own fabric factory, spinning wool and cotton to a much higher level than almost any brand in the world. So their cambray t-shirts are made by experts and are remarkably soft – two traits that are reflected in the price tag.
Brunello Cucinelli
Known for his luxurious wardrobe basics, Brunello Cucinelli handcrafts all his clothes from his own factory in Solomeo, Italy. They are designed to the highest possible standards and, as a result, are designed to last a lifetime. If you’re looking for a camber t-shirt that will look just as good now as it did 20 years from now, your search ends here.
History Of The Chambray Shirt
A manual worker in a camber shirt
Like denim, cambray has a history dating back centuries and, like denim, began in France. Chambray was said to have been first made in 1500 in Cambrai, a region in the far northeast of Paris. It was then used for T-shirts and accessories, and eventually became popular among farmers and manual workers because of its durable but breathable structure.
Unlike denim, which has a diagonal twill fabric, cambray is a plain fabric made with contrasting colors (usually blue and white). This is what makes it softer and smoother, and sometimes gives the fabric a bit of shine.
In more modern times, cambray became a standard issue for the U.S. Navy from 1901 until World War II. That’s when we started seeing the style we know and love today: American sailors often wore short-sleeved versions of the cambray work shirt, with double chest pockets and contrasting white seams.
Elvis putting on a camber shirt
Like many other garments worn by American soldiers, the cambray shirt was widely adopted by civilians after the war, in part as a badge of honor, in part because the shirts were comfortable and very useful garments.
In the following decades, camber shirts became synonymous with workwear, a niche of clothing that became incredibly popular in the 2010s, with the rise of reproduction brands and Japanese specialty manufacturers. Today, the cambray shirt is known for its versatility and ease of use, and will surely become one of the true classics of modern men’s clothing.
