Red: The Other Chambray

We’re big fans of chambray shirts. The slubby fabric is less casual than denim yet more dressed-down than a crisp twill or oxford shirt, making it the perfect in-between for both yard work and work from home. When most people think of chambray, they likely imagine it in either an indigo or light indio hue. These colors are the most popular shades of chambray for the same reason that they’re commonly used in denim: they go with everything. But not all jeans are blue, and neither are all chambray shirts. As an alternative, we're particularly fond of red. 

What makes a red chambray shirt so great is its unexpected wearability. You don’t typically see dress or casual shirts made from red, as the color is so bold and attention-grabbing on its own. But that isn’t the case for a red chambray shirt, which features the same washed-out quality that marks indigo chambray. Thanks to this softer coloration, red chambray shirts have an easier time fitting into the background, and provide one of the few opportunities for men to wear red outside of knitwear. 

How to wear a red chambray shirt.
Wearing a red chambray shirt is easy: pair it to neutrals like light grey chinos during the workweek, and khaki corduroys on the weekend. Better yet, you can wear it with denim and avoid the dreaded “Canadian tuxedo” effect created by layering indigo-on-indigo, as you might with a more traditionally colored chambray.