THE JOURNAL
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The Gallery: Five Short-Sleeved Shirts Every Man Needs This Summer
Words by Ms Molly Isabella Smith
19 June 2020
Isn’t it interesting how a seemingly minor alteration can transform a piece of clothing’s character? Do away with the sleeves of your standard button-down shirt and you’re dealing with an entirely different beast. The short-sleeved shirt is a far cry from the smart, starchy articles you wear to the office (or used to, anyway); it has an easiness and breeziness to it, while still retaining an aura of put-togetherness that a tee rarely achieves. Short-sleeved shirts are not, however, entirely interchangeable: no single option will serve your every style need, but with a decent selection, you should have all bases covered. Here are five of our current favourites to stock up on this summer.
01.
The striped choice
True, a little while ago, short-sleeved shirts were the preserve of the perennially unstylish. All that changed when dressing a little bit like your dad (or even grandfather) became the done thing. Chimala, for example, is a Japanese brand that takes its inspiration from the fits and cuts of decades gone by. This shirt, with its wide collar, double patch pockets and clean lines, hits the right mid-century note. The blue stripes, which are inherently summery, have the added benefit of being able to be dressed up or down.
02.
The printed pick
Stüssy’s shirt is not a true aloha shirt (to earn that honour it would need to have been made in Hawaii for starters), but it does an excellent job of capturing the spirit and style of the island in what feels like a fresh new way. First off, there’s the subdued sepia print, which is an unexpected but welcome departure from traditionally bright iterations. And then there’s the cut: boxy, but also loose and louche at the same time, it’s everything you could ask for in a summer shirt.
03.
The smart option
Tailoring brands such as Canali do away with the notion that dressing smartly and beating the heat are mutually exclusive concepts: when you have the Italian climate to contend with, it is, arguably, what they do best. This shirt, cut from breezy cotton-seersucker (the puckered fabric that stays cooler than a smooth cotton fabric) is ideal, then, for weekly Zoom catch-ups with your boss.
04.
The cool one
Style has few rules, but during summertime, it’s wise to pay close attention to fabric choice. Few labels take their materials as seriously as Loro Piana – as well as supplying its own line, it also serves the tailoring industry with some of the finest yarns around. An excellent example, this orange shirt is made from linen that’s been woven with a touch of white yarn for a slubbed finish. None of it comes cheap, of course, but things that are built to last rarely do.
05.
The all-rounder
Give a man a camp-collar shirt and there is hardly a summer look he can’t nail. Its revival has done real wonders for warm-weather wardrobes in recent years, instantly rendering even the simplest of outfits several degrees higher on the stylish scale. The great thing about this Mr P. option is the so-called “convertible collar”, meaning it can be worn two ways: buttoned to the neck or unfastened. An easy, versatile choice to carry you through summer.
