We live in hot FL and still very few younger men wear short sleeve dress shirts. Polos definitely, short sleeve casual button downs (like Cuban style) yes, but the button down dress shirt no way.
My DH does not even like the short sleeve casual style but I will say they must be in style right now. My S23 loves a brand called Supreme (ugh - so expensive for the simplest things but it is super trendy for some younger teens) and I was juts on the website to see if I could surprise him with a t shirt. There were a bunch of short sleeve button downs! https://www.supremenewyork.com/shop/shirts/gr1udtqbn/h27e0mu6v
Funny side story. My uncle was a politician and was often on local TV and sometimes on national TV. He LOVES short sleeve dress shirts. I used to laugh if I saw him on TV because he looked so un-politician like to me - but he does not care what people think and stuck with them for all of his 20 years in office. I once met someone - a young person in their 20’s - who had worked with him. When I said he was my uncle she said, “No way - we call him Captain Short Sleeves!”
Oh you definitely have a convert to the store - plenty of nice short sleeve shirts there and sale prices look superb! Long sleeve too, since my H wears those in the winter.
That Supreme stuff is just dumb. Anyone who pays that much for a shirt that looks like a $10 shirt from Walmart or a hardware store needs to mature a bit (yup, teens! ).
“I used to laugh if I saw him on TV because he looked so un-politician like to me - but he does not care what people think and stuck with them for all of his 20 years in office.”
I have a feeling that un-politician look worked in this favor and won him some votes!
Sure, @SnLMom. Its not a fancy store, but they have great prices, and they have a petite section, which I need, so occasionally stop in to see what they have in the Calvin Klein or Kasper lines. Its Steinmart. I’ve probably posted about deals in that thread. Bought DH a Nautica long sleeved shirt for $16, and another LS shirt (I forget the brand) for $11 yesterday.
I was thinking about @doschicos theory that the short sleeved shirts were plentiful on the sale/clearance racks b/c of seasonal changes. I am thinking they might have a huge supply because we are in a warm climate, so having a large stock might make sense. BTW, what are camp-collar shirts? Are they a specific type of casual shirt sleeved front button shirts?
Not really. It just means short sleeve, casual, woven, button-front shirt with a collar that is fairly unstructured and lays flat against the collarbone. Aloha shirts or bowling shirts would be subsets of camp collar shirts. As for the etymology - I have no idea.
So DH and I have discussed the wardrobe issue. I get cold easily and he is the opposite. So there may be situations where he is more comfortable in that kind of shirt, where a t-shirt is too casual and a long sleeved shirt with them (the sleeves) folded up once or twice may be too dressy. But he may need to get one or 2, that are sporty - not shirts that look like long sleeved dress shirts with the sleeves whacked off. But, that said- he is not a shopper. He would leave that up to me.
(and that would say short sleeved, not shirt sleeved in the post above . Darned autocorrect)
@skieurope Where do you live that these are called button-front shirts? Even when I look at some ads from circulars or online I don’t see that term used. It’s button down. (See linked website) Regional language differences are interesting too.
And @skieurope before you answer, some of the shirts in @Creekland’s link have button down collars but are called “woven” shirts (see the Izods). But I think the ones listed as “button down” have buttoned collars.
Now I’m more curious than ever. I didn’t know button down collars were back in style. Many on that page have them (vs the woven), but not all. This one is listed as button down too:
I have never heard “popover” before. Learn something new every day box checked!
Apparently “woven” is H’s preferred style, sometimes more formal"ish" and sometimes more leisure"ish. He’d have loved this one for today (or any day really) since he’s a sailing addict: (It says woven in large type, but the small print calls it both button front and says it has a button down collar - not sure H would care for that part.)
@Creekland I did not go image by image, but the first few rows where the term “button down” is used, it is used correctly - the collar points are buttoned to the shirt as @jym626 correctly points out. “Woven” refers to the fabric, not the style. Very simplistically, in fashion, fabrics are categorized as knits or wovens.
And while all these shirts pictured on the link are termed in the industry as button-front shirts, in colloquial usage, including where I live, they are simply shirts.
But then, we’re not looking at Stein Mart as being the arbiter of fashion terminology.
A popover is a woven shirt where the buttons only go halfway down the front. Since wovens have less stretch than knits, popovers tend to be roomier, with a slightly fuller cut to allow for getting the arms and head into the shirt. They are a small segment of the shirt category.
Gotta admit, I’m not looking at cc for that either.
We’ll stick with buying/wearing what we want and just using terminology folks around us understand and let anyone interested in specific fashion terminology have their own circle without us.
ps I do appreciate knowing what popover means even if I never hear it in my circle (where pullover or polo is common).
As @skieurope states, a button down is the preppy type shirt with the collar that buttons - and please don’t let your sons or husbands walk around with it unbuttoned!
Here is info on camp collar shirts. It’s a less formal look but dressier than a t-shirt or most polo shirts, and dressy enough, IMO, for most restaurants depending on the fabric/finish. A nice camp collar shirt worn with nice slacks (does anyone use that word anymore? but pants dressier than khakis or jeans) can be suitable for many occasions. https://www.thread.com/tips/categories/shirts/what-camp-collar-shirt/
The term “camp shirt” was very common in women’s wear in the 80s and 90s, back when I sewed a lot. Wish I still had some of the patterns, they were simple to make.
It was a short sleeved button front shirt with a lapel that laid flat on the front. I always assumed the name came from the type of shirt one wore to summer camp back in the day before t-shirts and jeans.
But didn’t you say upthread to let them dress as they like? Yours is another good example of how/why feedback to those we love can be helpful. Both are offering style suggestions and seem to be ways to offer gentle fashion guidance, and both are usually appreciated.
