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Who Makes the Best Chambray Shirt? After Years of Hunting, We’ve Compiled This List
It’s hard to think of a more natural workwear pairing than denim and chambray. The two fabrics have been boon companions for centuries, and, particularly when the temperatures climb and there’s work to be done or fun to be had, the reasons for this become obvious.
The affinity between the two fabrics runs so deep that indigo-dyed chambrays are often referred to as denim (a mistake). Yes, chambray and denim are both woven using indigo-dyed warp yarns and undyed weft yarns, but the yarns are combined in very different ways.
Chambray 101 (and why it’s not denim)
Denim is woven, usually in a 3×1 twill weave. In a repeating pattern, the undyed weft yarns pass under three warp yarns, then over one. This is why, with denim, the indigo-saturated warp yarns dominate on one side (the front) of the fabric and the weft yarns (usually undyed or bleached) dominate on the reverse side.
Chambray is a plain weave. Woven in a 1 x 1 configuration, the fabric looks and feels the same on both sides. The blue and white yarns combine to create a harmonious whole, with the vibrant blue tones balanced and augmented by the undyed or bleached yarns. The light blue tones, reminiscent of a cloud-whisped summer sky, are the perfect complement for selvedge denim.
Over the years, both Thomas and I have added a few chambray shirts to our collections, but there are chambray shirts and then there are chambray shirts.
The heritage brands listed below treat the chambray shirt as a love letter to the past, and the time has finally come for me to bring one of them home.
“I’ve been preparing for this moment for a while, so here’s my short list of what I believe to be the best indigo chambray work shirts on the market.”
Bryan
If you’re also on the hunt for that perfect indigo chambray, you’ll likely find it on this list. Happy hunting!
Iron Heart Chambray Work Shirt
Always running in the leading pack, Iron Heart’s full-throated take on the workwear classic is, as is typical for the brand, heavier by far than nearly every other shirt on this list. Again, true to Iron Heart form, the shirt fades beautifully if worn regularly in the sun.
A dependable member of the Iron Heart line-up, the chambray is re-stocked regularly. If your size isn’t currently available, sign up to have them email you when the shirt is hot off the presses.
Tellason Clampdown Chambray
Telllason’s Clampdown shirt—one of the brand’s most long-lasting and popular shirts—is always a savvy choice. Unfussy and practical as the day is long, the Clampdown can go toe-to-toe with any of the other shirts on this list.
The chambray, milled in Japan and cut and sewn in San Francisco, will fade to a brilliant dusty blue. Like the other chambrays on this list, you should wash this one regularly to bring out its best.
Ginew Mohican Crew Shirt
Tipping the scales at a beefy 10 oz., Ginew’s chambray is heavy enough to wear as an overshirt. If the traditional two-pocket design found on many of the shirts on this list doesn’t exactly do it for you, this simpler, single-pocket design might blow that steam whistle for you.
Tall gents, take notice! If Japanese sizing puts a ton of great heritage pieces out of reach for you, this American-made shirt might be the one you’ve been looking for. Longer in the body and sleeves than any of the other shirts on this list.
Buzz Rickson’s Chambray Work Shirt
The last time I made a short list like this, I was looking for an N-1 deck jacket. The time before that, I was looking for a peacoat. Both times, I ended up going with Buzz Rickson’s, and, if we’re placing bets, their chambray is the odds on favourite to be the one that I pick.
A meticulous reproduction of the shirts worn by US Navy and Army servicemen during WWII, featuring blue metal buttons, this chambray is tough enough to storm the beaches and stylish enough for an evening of shore leave.
Rite Stuff Heracles
Rite Stuff founder Bryan Shettig can say without blushing that he knows more about early 20th century work shirts than just about anybody on the planet. His meticulous reproductions of classic shirts from the ‘20s and ‘30s are as close as you can come to the real thing without paying steep collectors’ prices.
Rite Stuff’s popular indigo chambrays disappear from shelves very quickly, but they’re worth waiting for. If your size isn’t available, ask your retailer to notify you when they restock.
Real McCoy’s 8HU Chambray Serviceman
Whenever I’m looking for the best of something, no matter what the category, Real McCoy’s always makes the short list. Their chambray shirt is no exception. The double-layered heart-side pocket (designed to help keep workers’ cigarettes dry) is a brilliant detail.
The design looks backwards, but its construction looks forward. It’ll fade beautifully over time. When you’ve aged and sun-baked this shirt to perfection, you’ll be glad you dug deep for it.
Big John Selvedge Chambray
In my books, Big John can do no wrong. They’ve got a long and rich history that stretches back to 1940, when they started producing Japanese workwear. For nearly a century now, they’ve never placed a foot (or a stitch) in the wrong place.
Woven, cut, and sewn in Japan, the Big John Selvedge Chambray features triple-stitched major seams with miles of chain-stitch run-off, and it’s all finished off with shell buttons. A great alternative to some of the more expensive chambrays on this list.
Bryceland’s Teardrop Chambray
For our money, this shirt, modelled on a 1950s Lee shirt, is the most stylish chambray on this list. The proportions and the gracefully curved pocket flaps place this shirt in a category of its own. Finished off with mother-of-pearl buttons, this is where luxury and workwear collide head-on.
This level of tailoring and design don’t come cheap, but, for the exacting heritage enthusiast, this is the pinnacle of the category. If you’re hard to fit, this one is also available as a made-to-measure garment (for an added fee, of course).
Anatomica Big Yank 1942 Chambray
Based on a popular wartime working man’s shirt produced in Chicago by workwear legends Reliance Manufacturing, the Big Yank positively drips heritage bona fides. It may be produced in Japan, but it’s as American as apple pie,
Miles of fabric below the bottom button make this an ideal shirt for those planning to wear their chambray tucked in. The apron is so long that it looks a little strange when worn untucked, so tuck it into a nice high-rise pair of jeans or wool trousers for a truly classic American workwear look.
Sold out at Clutch Café? One of our all-time favourite retailers, Burg & Schild, also sells the Big Yank.
Dehen Drover Chambray
Dehen have been producing world-class knitwear in the Northwestern United States for nearly a century, so they’ve earned the right to riff on the standards in their own signature style. Their take on the classic American work shirt features snaps instead of buttons and a concealed pen pocket.
Best of all is the charm-oozing, sky-blue 7.25 oz. chambray fabric they’ve used. Miles away from ordinary, this fabric draws the eye and hand like nothing else. A shirt that practically demands to be worn until almost no trace of the blue remains.
Perfect Pairings
The lightweight chambrays on this list will look great when tucked into higher-rise and generously cut selvedge jeans. Here’s a list of our favourite high-rise pairs.
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The post Chambray Short List: 10 Shirts That Make the Cut appeared first on Denimhunters.
DENIM and PATCHES sourced this post originally published on this site