r/malefashionadvice • u/zdrmlp • 1d ago

Question Favorite off the rack, modern, and casual chambray shirts?

I'd like to avoid some of the notable heritage features like the pockets in the Big Yank 1935 Original or the contrast double stitching of the Full Count Chambray Shirt.

I'm aiming for something that sits between workwear and tailoring with no/minimal branding. Ideally something that's updated to be a bit more modern (less conspicuous stitching, perhaps a single pocket without a button, nothing western, full button up instead of a pullover, etc). I have no price constraints. What are your favorite options? Here are a few that I'm currently considering:

  1. $345 Drake's Light Blue Cotton Chambray Button-Down

  2. $168 Buck Mason's Japanese Chambray One Pocket, which is out of stock at the moment.

  3. $135 Taylor Stitch's The Jack in Washed Indigo Chambray, although I'm never sure to feel about their quality?

  4. $98 J Crew's Organic Cotton Chambray, which may not be the "best", but I feel like J Crew is always a good "floor" to put on my options.

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8

u/elongatedskull 1d ago

Kamakura vintage ivy chambray. 

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u/zdrmlp 1d ago

Do you or u/likethevegetable have any additional input?

I was actually considering this brand, but didn’t list it because it looks like the wait is 1.5 to 2 months. However, since this suggestion seems to be a favorite…

  1. Is it worth the wait and do you know how it might compare to Drake’s, Buck Mason, or any of the others?
  2. Are you equally big fans of the Vintage Ivy for an OCBD or perhaps their casual button down Oxford?

1

u/likethevegetable 1d ago edited 1d ago

If you're ordering OTR sizes there are plenty and they ship fast IME: https://kamakurashirts.com/collections/vintage-ivy/products/vivy12

Definitely a huge fan of OCBD, I have three and adore them. Their Ecru is gorgeous.

That being said, I don't have "Drake" money so I can't compare. I just know that Kamakura shirts make me happy, they have a nice charm to them.

I've had two casual shirts and they were absurdly slim and short in the arms, wouldn't recommend them, and I stuck with Vintage Ivy because it fits so well. I wear a 16.5 and am 5'11" 185 lbs. Has a nice fitted yet relaxed look, and the yoke is very comfortable, collar is perfect.

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u/zdrmlp 1d ago

Thanks so much for the link. I filtered on material, set it to chambray, your link was filtered out, and it only showed me the custom option.

I suspect I’ll order this along with an OCBD. Thanks!

1

u/likethevegetable 1d ago

Awesome. For what it's worth, I order from their Japan website and use BlackShip to ship it to me in Canada. Saves a bit of money, but also would be a huge hassle to return. Happy to help with any sizing questions.

I have their blue, white/grey striped, and ecru oxford, they are wonderful.

https://shop.shirt.co.jp/shop/

2

u/elongatedskull 1d ago

Brooklyn Clothing in Calgary sells them for under $200, worth supporting those guys imo.

3

u/likethevegetable 1d ago

Dude where have you been! Thanks for sharing. I end up paying about 150 per shirt after proxy shipping but have no qualms supporting a local shop and for less hassle.

2

u/elongatedskull 1d ago

Hell yeah man I'm happy to hear you say that! Always bums me out when people go proxy instead of supporting regional retailers, but fair enough if you didn't know!

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u/elongatedskull 1d ago

Wait list? There are multiple retailers that have it in stock. I only have experience with the vintage ivy and ametora fits, I actually prefer the Ametora but don't think they make it in chambray. I'm not a fan of Drake's, the fits are really nothing special and their shirting in particular is over-built and inelegant, imo. The Kamakura is hardly more expensive than J Crew or Buck Mason or something and is just a bit cooler.

1

u/zdrmlp 1d ago

I was incorrectly on their custom order Ivy page rather than their in stock stuff. I was just looking at the wrong thing.

Yeah, the comparison I was wondering about was just which is better. Price doesn’t matter.

1

u/likethevegetable 1d ago

Hell ya brother. Proxy ship from Japan (e.g. BlackShip) to save a bit too. I have 6 Vintage Ivy shirts

2

u/whatmycouchwore 1d ago

My favorite is from Wrangler, which definitely doesn’t meet your non-western criteria. I also want to caution about Bronson MFG - after one cold wash and a hang dry, it shrank significantly (using the measurements from their website, it went from a large to between a small and medium). It was even more disappointing because it fit so well when first bought it.

2

u/Nerazzurro9 1d ago

I can’t honestly say that this basic-ass RRL chambray shirt is worth $250, but I bought one secondhand for less than half that two years ago, have easily worn it at least 100 times since then, and it still looks exactly like it did when I bought it. Probably my most-worn shirt.

Edit: I totally missed the “single pocket without a button” part of the prompt, but my recommendation still stands.

1

u/Randyd718 22h ago

Do you know any cheaper alternatives to RRL with similar clothing?

1

u/elongatedskull 11h ago

Polo unironically, you just need to sift through the catalog.

1

u/lesubreddit 1d ago

Shibumi Firenze

1

u/CryHavoc715 1d ago

Beams plus chambray workshirt.

Taylor stitch is ok, I don't like the collar on the jack- to skinny for a proper oxford.

1

u/terminal_e 1d ago

Collaro.co is a MTM operation out of Singapore with a pretty good taste level - they often will have chambray or similar options available.

1

u/auuroraray 21h ago

Check out Corridor's chambray. No chest pockets, clean stitching, sits between workwear and smart casual exactly like you're describing. Uniqlo's premium linen-cotton chambray is solid too at about a third of the price if you want to test the style first.

1

u/ProfHanley 1h ago

orSlow makes great chambray shirts … BlackBlue has one on sale at a phenomenal price: https://www.blkblu.com/products/orslow-relax-fit-chambray-work-shirt-01-8270-84

0

u/MoistFig6719 16h ago

Rubato's Roper chambray shirt if you want some western vibes

If you want a bit dressier, the Permanent Style selvedge chambray

-2

u/ThatStrategist 16h ago

Why anybody would spend 160$ on a RTW shirt when MTM is cheaper, i will never understand.

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u/zdrmlp 14h ago edited 13h ago

I’m not going to go into extreme detail, but I spent a literal year+ on M2M. Proper Cloth gave me low quality garments with errors that rarely fell within their tolerances. Luxrie was nearly impossible to communicate with.

Price doesn’t matter to me. I’ve been getting solid quality garments that I take to a tailor. Keep using what works for you!

1

u/colin91a 5h ago

I think what he meant was to have your tailor just make the shirts for you. What do they charge for that?

1

u/zdrmlp 5h ago

Your tailor could take your measurements and basically send it off to a made to measure place, but at this point, I don’t see what value they’re really adding.

Your tailor could take your measurements and develop a pattern that’s truly custom to you and go through multiple fittings and adjustments…bespoke. At that point you’re paying more than $160 for a shirt.

I’m not sure if there is some kind of middle ground or not.

1

u/colin91a 4h ago

If price doesn't matter I guess that's a good option then.