Men's casual shirt: how to choose and wear it

 Summary

1 – What is a casual shirt? 2 – How to choose the right casual shirt for men? 3 - How should a casual shirt be worn? A casual shirt is what?

The casual shirt that is generally worn on weekends or at work, when the dress code is not too strict. Unlike a formal shirt, the casual shirt allows greater originality with more varied possibilities in the choice of materials, fabrics, colors or details. The casual shirt has become a must in the male wardrobe and it is for this reason that we write you a summary article to help you choose and wear it well.

How to choose the right casual shirt for men? In order not to make a mistake when choosing your casual shirt for men, it is important to find out about the material, the weaving, the buttons, the type of collar and the cut. What material for a casual shirt?

At Les Optimists, we are always looking for the most eco-responsible materials and these materials often go very well with a casual shirt style which leaves more freedom than a formal style for the visual rendering of the material. For a casual and responsible style, we recommend the following materials for your shirts: organic cotton, linen, recycled cotton or alcohol. The Lion men's chambray shirt below is made from a blend of organic cotton, linen and recycled cotton and is made in Portugal. Visit our e-shop to see all our models of organic shirts. Avoid synthetic materials (even recycled) which are not comfortable for clothing in direct contact with the skin (not very breathable, they will make you sweat) and which are not at all ecological.

Which fabric to choose for your casual shirt?

Many fabrics are suitable for a casual shirt, so we decided to list the ones we prefer below: Chambray The chambray fabric is made up of 2 threads of different colors: an ecru thread and a colored thread (indigo most of the time). We can make chambray shirts from all types of materials.

The term chambray comes from the town of Cambray in northern France where the fabric was originally produced (the first chambray fabrics date back centuries, so they were probably made from linen at the time). the oxford This weaving originating from the city of Oxford (one could suspect it), is made from a plain weave with a doubled white warp thread and a doubled colored weft thread.

A slightly visible grid which gives it a unique look characterizes the oxford shirt, it is often associated with a buttoned collar. The flannel The flannel fabric is obtained by scraping the cotton, it is this step that makes the flannel so comfortable. We can make the flannel shirt from wool or cotton and it is the perfect casual shirt model for winter. Which collar and which buttons for your casual shirt? The choice of shirt collar is essential.

Today, we made many casual shirts with mandarin collars or buttoned collars. However, it is also possible to choose more versatile collars that can also be wear in a more formal setting. At Les Optimists, we have chosen a French collar for our chambray shirt because it is versatile and adapts to both casual and formal outfits.

Regarding the buttons, the casual shirt allows you more originality and you can therefore opt for buttons that contrast with the color of the fabric.The wooden buttons for our chambray shirt are a perfect example. They have a raw finish that contrasts with the fabric and brings a touch of originality to the shirt. What cut and what length for a casual shirt?

To keep them comfortable to wear, we advise you not to opt for a a casual shirt cut that is too close to the body, rather prefer straight or semi-slim cuts for your casual shirts. In general, for your shirts, avoid cuts that are too close to the body (slim or extra slim). These cuts are less comfortable and Sometime show off. For the back length, you can opt for a shorter model when it comes to a casual shirt because they wear it outside the pants. Be careful though, if you want to wear your shirt tucked into your pants, remember to choose a shirt long enough so that it does not come out at the slightest movement (for more information on this subject, go to our article “how to wear his shirt: in the pants or outside?“). Casual-chic style The casual chic style is the art of combining chic (formal) clothes with more casual (casual) pieces.

Casual shirts are perfect for building casual chic outfits. You can, for example, wear them under a blazer or with a suit and tie to break the too strict side of the suit/tie. More elaborate, the workwear style is a style that is inspired by the outfits of manual trades. And given that a picture always speaks louder than words, the above is a marvellous example of a casual shirt in a perfectly constructed workwear outfit.