If the one-millionth tie-dye sweatsuit ad I’ve been served on Instagram tells me anything, it’s that we’re all trying to find the perfect in-between wardrobe for working from home. For guys, that means looking and feeling dressed up enough for Zoom calls but not so dressed up that you can’t take a quick nap in between meetings.
Enter, the short-sleeve shirt.
Not a t-shirt. We’re talking: the responsibility of buttons. The collar of adulthood. It’s easy. It’s cool. It’s professional enough. So why isn’t every guy wearing one right now?
Even in the Before Times, I found that this warm weather style sent shivers down many a guy’s casually-dressed spine. Our team heard from trepidatious trend seekers who worried they couldn’t “pull a shirt like that off.” They didn’t know what to wear one with, or how to wear it (do you roll the sleeves, or is that just something only Ryan Gosling can pull off?!).
But now is the time to be brave...by staying home and wearing a slightly different kind of short-sleeve shirt than you’re used to. I believe in you.
Below, check out three styles of short-sleeve shirts you can wear this spring and summer, with ideas on how to wear them:
Short Sleeve Button-Down Shirt
(l) Riviera Short Sleeve Shirt | $78 | Bonobos
(r) Slim Short Sleeve Shirt | $60 | J.Crew
The standard-bearer. Every guy can pull off a short-sleeve shirt with a button front in crisp cotton. Look for styles that come in extended fits - both the J.Crew and Bonobos shirts above are available in slim and standard fits, as well as longer shirt lengths for the tall boys out there.
Wear this short sleeve shirt the way you would your best pocket tee, i.e., with pretty much everything in your closet. Jeans if you’re feeling fancy, or you could try it with performance shorts for a WFH look that feels just right for right now.
Popover
(l) Short-Sleeve Popover Shirt in Paper Cotton | $55 | Alex Mill
(r) Linen Polo Shirt | $185 | Vince
At SG HQ, we’ve found the popover shirt (think: polo shirt meets short sleeve button front) to be somewhat...controversial? Guys have oPiNiOnS about this quarter placket style, and I don’t want to sound like I just got off my weekly therapy Skype session, but those seem like issues you need to resolve.
Because the popover has been and continues to be a great addition to any guy’s warm weather wardrobe. This shirt is laaaaiiiid back, like lounge chairs positioned six feet apart from each other at the pool. But! It still feels pulled together.
Bottom line? You’ll enjoy all the tailoring of your favorite button front, with 75% less button-fumbling.
Wear yours in a ‘rumpled rich guy’ way with a linen suit and slip-on sneakers at a summer wedding (if those still happen), or with your favorite easy-breezy shorts - I’m thinking, something with a drawstring waist - for everyday.
Camp Collar Shirt
Wilder Short Sleeve Shirt | $65 | Banks Journal
Slim Fit Linen Camp Shirt | $27 (on sale) | Banana Republic
The camp collar shirt has been back in fashion for a couple years now, so if you were waiting to see if the style would last before jumping on the trend train, well, all aboard.
In fact, in the lifespan of this trend, it appears the shirt has now reached the, “You can’t tell me what to do!” style adolescence stage. Now, anything goes. This means shirts in swervy prints and patterns like animal print and deceptively subtle hi-vis stripes like that Banana Republic number above.
Lean into the ‘so trendy it hurts’ vibes by pairing a camp collar shirt with your favorite loungewear pants and an indoor/outdoor shoe. Think: Adidas track pants and Birkenstocks (with socks, of course).