Blue Collar Chic

In today's floundering economy the definition of chic is changing. The days of looking like you dropped a month's wages on any given outfit are over... at least for now. Roots-based clothing is re-emerging as the stylish wardrobe of the day. Looking stylish without looking like you paid to look that way is becoming common mentality, which in my opinion, is great! That's what style is all about anyway! You can't buy style; you really have to own it. Fashion is always for sale, but maintaining timeless style is what we're all here for.
Anyway... today I speak on behalf of the chambray shirt. The chambray workshirt was popular amongst Navy military personel during the second world war. The USN chambray shirt has been worn in every hull, galley, and deck on every great destroyer, carrier, and submarine for over a half a century. Since surplus military apparel was often "reappropriated", the chambray shirt popped up in the prison system as issued garb for prisoners (Clint Eastwood rocks the look below in 1979's Escape From Alcatraz) since it wore like iron and could stand up to commercial laundering. Let's also make sure not to forget Paul Newman sporting the chambray shirt in Cool Hand Luke.
The cool and soft yet durable cotton of the chambray (or Cambric) shirt made it ideal for manual labor, and it is because of this that such workers have been dubbed "blue-collar".
Today folks may still work in their chambray shirts, but designers are quickly recognizing this timeless shirt as go-to's for the season. J. Crew, Ralph Lauren, APC, GAP, French Connection... all of these labels have offerings in chambray shirting. I'm not saying that this is reason enough to get one, but the functionality is great, and designers and stylists alike know it. The chambray shirt works with chinos, jeans (although hopefully in a contrasting color denim to your shirt), and even with a skinny tie and a charcoal suit. You can enjoy playing around with it.
The fact that this particular shirt has been around for so long makes it a great wardrobe building block. Look at it as an open canvas to build upon. Mine, shown at the top of the post (and at right), is an older Ralph Lauren offering from his now defunct Double RL line, which churned out clothes of Americana and Western heritage. I like the style of the pockets and the different direction of the buttonhole stitching on the pockets. The closest thing I have seen to this today is made by J. Crew and can be seen on their website, however finding an old vintage chambray on eBay or thrifting can be much more exciting.
Look for one that's trim and tailored; I don't think that blousiness is very flattering in this style of shirt (if in any style), so go trim.
Enjoy the search! Until next time,
Cheers!
-Paul