Originating from the small town of Cambrai in the north of France, chambray is a very soft and light woven material made from 100% cotton. We sometimes confuse chambray, woven using a white weft thread, and denim, because of its color close to faded jeans. A chambray shirt is very easy to wear and combine with every outfit. We designed our chambray shirts to provide great freedom of movement without compromising on style and quality.
How is a chambray shirt made?
When weaving chambray, also called “baptist”, we interweave warp threads of a different color to that of the weft threads. Generally, we choose a white warp thread which we associate with a dark colored thread such as indigo. It is often the shades of blue threads that are used, which sometimes explains why chambray is confused with denim.
The characteristics of a chambray shirt
Undoubtedly, the chambray shirt is ideal in any season. Our Hast chambray shirts are made from cotton, making the shirt soft and light to wear. Since the chambray is woven, the shirt maintains a certain hold, ideal for impeccable style while having a certain freedom of movement.
A shirt steeped in history
Unmistakable, the chambray shirt is a shirt rich in history. Indeed, the term "blue collar" comes from this shirt, because the chambray shirt was the iconic garment of workers in the United States during the 1920s. At the time, this shirt quickly became that of workers all over the world . The collar of the chambray shirt therefore stood out from the white collars of executives. Due to its historical past in factories, chambray shirts were not traditionally cut close to the body. At Hast, we wanted our chambray shirt to fit the body without molding it to maintain great ease of movement.
How to wear a chambray shirt correctly?
The chambray shirt is worn in a casual environment while maintaining a certain elegance. Chambray being lighter than denim, air circulates freely and cotton respects the skin. In summer, you can wear it open over a white T-shirt or closed over shorts or chinos, sunglasses in the front pocket of the shirt. The chambray shirt can be worn as a casual chic outfit, under a suit jacket or on its own. You can also pair it with shoes, a tie and raw jeans. In mid-season, the chambray shirt slips under a wool sweater , and goes with jeans or chinos with ankle boots. Finally, to combine elegance and sophistication, opt for our classic blue chambray shirt with the “Peaky Blinders” collar, the famous club collar. This rounded collar at the tips was very popular during the 1920s. The classic cut of the shirt suits all body shapes. Opt for chinos or pleated pants for a neat look for any occasion.
