Style Shots—Beau & Co. Chambray Pt. I
Photography & Words by: Swabreen Bakr
Chambray has really taken off this summer, this soft lightweight fabric was first designed in France some 400 years ago in the town of Cambrai. The way the threads are woven distinguishes it from denim. It was adopted by blue collar workers and the Navy in the early 1900s; super stars like Marlon Brandon and Steve McQueen also helped popularized the garment.
Tailor Michael Beaumont of Beau & Co. says,
A chambray shirt is definitely a nice versatile cloth to have in your closet. It’s strong, but has with a smooth, soft surface, making it durable yet extremely comfortable to wear. The cloth, depending on how it’s treated when being woven, can also handle wrinkles well and though it will show creases after a day of wear, the casual nature of the coloring means it’s much easier to pull off when creased, than say a more formal shirt like a cotton oxford (which should always be sharply pressed). Color wise, chambray shirts are typically a dark or medium blue, both of which are incredibly versatile and will work with most other colors in your wardrobe.
Photographed here is Beau & Co.’s take on the chambray shirt, a modern and paired down version with a larger collar than seen on traditional chambray shirts. There are contrast colors on the inside of the collar band and sleeve cuffs. The white top stitching remains and is paired with a pale blue thread inside the buttons for a little extra contrast. The front placket underneath the shirt buttons has also been replaced by the much cleaner, pressed back front, again for the purpose of modernizing. The overall shirt is reminiscent of the classic chambray, but has been brought nicely up to date with these subtle additions.
URBSVOX has teamed up with one of our featured Philadelphia Creatives, Beau & Co. to show you how to wear chambray as a transition piece throughout the rest Summer and into early Fall.
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