I’ve been thinking about printed shirts a lot lately. And I know I’m not the only one – it’s that time of year where every publication is praising the merits of a “fun” printed shirt, and now I’m one of them. It’s taken me a while to come around on this style since I tend to dress fairly conservatively, but even I can admit to the utility of having a casual, whimsical shirt that adds a bit to the enjoyment of dressing seasonally.
Much like western shirts, part of the draw of printed shirts is that they’re so starkly different from the rest of my wardrobe. I have a closet full of blue, striped, button-down collar shirts, and throwing something like this into the mix helps give a bit of a different perspective to the same pieces. Plus, having a distinctive piece of clothing you can turn to makes getting dressed a bit more fun.
Aside from having some sort of out-there motif on them, my favorite prints usually have these qualities:
- Smooth, lightweight fabrics. Generally speaking, I prefer fabrics with a bit of heft and a lot of texture. That’s not the case here – not only do I want something lightweight for the heat, but a smooth surface means cleaner, sharper prints. High-end cottons can be quite silky, and synthetic fibers like rayon and viscose can make a wonderful print fabric as well.
- Camp collar. This one-piece collar style is often seen on Hawaiian and bowling shirts. Its floppy and permanently unbuttoned nature makes it a deeply casual style, and its uniqueness makes it a natural pair to more interesting fabrics.
- Short sleeve. Again, this just fits the style. These types of shirt are peak casual summer attire, so no need to even pretend they’re anything else.
With that said, here are a few places that I’m looking to for “fun shirt” inspiration:
Proper Cloth: it should come as no surprise that my favorite shirtmaker is my go-to for printed shirts. Proper Cloth has a wide variety of prints to choose from (from subtle to delightfully garish), and they also recently introduced a camp collar (as seen above). My Albiate royal blue print is shown above over my Suitsupply Jort jacket, but there are so many great prints right now that it was very hard to pick. If you’re a new customer, keep in mind that my referral code can get you $20 off.
J. Crew: I generally don’t like shirts from J. Crew due to their small collars, but I was surprised to see that they have a great selection of camp-collar printed shirts at the moment. All of them are well under $100, and most should be easy to get under $50 with the frequent sale codes. This rayon ukulele print may be my favorite, but it’s hard to choose. These are hard to beat for the price and a great way to try out a new style without investing too much into it.
Gitman Vintage: While Gitman does tend to specialize in very classic styles, they also seem to come out with a bunch of amazing prints every year. In particular, Gitman seems to have some particularly whimsical large-scale prints that really set them apart from the rest. The prices are high (though they can vary a lot based on sales) but the quality is excellent and these are truly the kind of shirts you will not find anywhere else. Stag Provisions currently has a great selection of beach-ready shirts, Mr. Porter has a few, the Gitman website is freshly stocked, and Need Supply rounds things out with some solid sale prices.
As for how to wear them – I tend to wear these shirts with chinos or shorts, and pair them with sneakers or loafers. I may start experimenting with the “collar over lapel” style shown above, though that’s definitely an advanced move (and one that I realistically don’t have the lifestyle to support). I imagine they’d work well with a faded pair of jeans or just about any casual piece of clothing. I think the main thing is to wear them outside, while you’re having a cool drink on a hot day or spending time by a large body of water. We’re getting to the dog days of summer now, so it’s an ideal time to be Prints Charming.
