Is this Chambray shirt neutral enough?

I have a couple of ancient chambray shirts that I wanted to replace - one is worn and discolored; one has a collar that never lays correctly; one is a popover style that has a V neck too deep for work situations. And ALL have too short sleeves for my arms; I often roll my sleeves up but would like to have the option to wear them buttoned.

So I saw a nice price on a JCrew shirt, with a good wash and available in a tall size. I ordered it, and now that I've received it am not sure if it has too strong of a western aesthetic to be the neutral basic I wanted. (Western just isn't a style preference of mine).

I should have zoomed in a bit more and really should never order things on my phone as I miss important description details. Now that I've received it I see it has snaps rather than buttons (they are pretty and pearlized) and the pockets have a subtle western shape. Otherwise the fit is good. JCrew tall shirts fit my arms and shoulders like few other shirts. Maybe it's subtle enough to be fine? I do like subtle opalescent things, like opal and labradorite. Or is it that snaps themselves make it super western?

Should I keep it or does it skew too western to be a basic?

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by salt-sea

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2 years ago

Anonymous

TBH the pockets and snaps look very Western to me. It could be worth it to check the men's department for a basic chambray shirt, especially to get the extra arm length.

Star

Veteran

I don't know about western but it reads quite rugged to me. Even with pearlised buttons, maybe because of the pocket flaps. Depends where you want to wear it to I guess. It could suit my casual lifestyle.

Runcarla

In my experience a shirt without chest pockets is more versatile. Pockets add extra bulk under a jacket or topper and show under a sweater - limiting styling options to wearing it alone or layered over a t or tank.

LaPed

I would keep looking. This one definitely suggests western wear, and it sounds like that isn't what you want. Don't try to make it work if it doesn't feel right! There are lots of chambray shirts out there. Like Runcarla suggests, I'd look for one without chest pockets if you want a versatile, one-and-done shirt. It will read as a bit more polished and layer more easily.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

This looks like an iconic Levi’s classic to me, which I personally think is very versatile - if you like the vibe and chest pockets.

kkards

hmmm. i really like it, yup it has a slightly western feel, but to me it doesn't read western. if that makes sense... more like this boot has cowboy boot vibes, but, at least IMO does in any way read cowboy boot. Of course YMMV

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salt-sea

Active Member

I think all the outfits I'd wear this with would be ok with the pockets.
I tried it on again; I'm wondering if it's not flattering enough (seems to flatten out my chest a bit) and the shoulders might be just a touch too narrow for me to keep it.
I'm trying to be much more strict about perfect fit lest I add more 'almost right' pieces to my overfull wardrobe. And apologies for the pic - I'm still learning how to do selfies and I'm shy of posting!

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JAileen

It does skew Western, but to me, that makes it better.

Janet

To my eye, it skews a bit western, but whether that's good or not is really up to a matter of your personal preference. Personally, I let go of my chambray shirts with chest pockets because I ended up wanting to layer them under other tops/jackets, and the pockets created unwanted bumps and bulk. However, if you aren't interested in layering over the shirt, and you welcome the slight embellishment -- for instance maybe you don't wear much jewelry and like the additional accent of the pockets and snaps -- then I think it may be a nice choice for you.

I also found myself not reaching much for my chambray shirts because I was mostly wearing blue denim jeans on my bottom half, and I'm not much into doing denim-on-denim. Whether that's a concern for you or not, I don't know.

I used to avoid denim-on-denim but I find myself liking it the last few years! And I don't wear much jewelry so the embellishment is a positive for me.

rachylou

It’s a little western but not too western in my book. I think it looks great!

The shoulder fit looks right to me. I am also wary of breast pockets, not for flattening but making me look more bulky.

ChrisM

You might take a look at shirts offered by Orvis. They are a little more expensive, but I find that their sleeves are plenty long.

They have sales regularly, and the quality of their shirts is very nice.

I also like shirts by Duluth trading Company. Their vibe is a bit more rugged, but I love the way their shirts have extra buttons through the bust so that they don’t gape.

thank you all!

Given the mix of does-skew-western/classic-enough comments I'm deciding it's not too western for me. I will try it with a few other pants and see if I think the fit works; I usually wear a more oversized/blousy fit in button-downs, so I want to make sure I like it.

thanks!

Lesley

Before I wore chambray shirts, I think I had a similar worry about them. Once I started wearing them, and saw how versatile they were, I stopped thinking of them as having any western vibe at all--they are just such great neutrals! I wouldn't overthink it... when the fit is good that is 90 percent of the battle!

Style Fan

The shirt looks like it fits you very well. To my eye, it does have a bit of a western vibe. I have three denim/chambray shirts. Each one has a different look.

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