
Chambray shirt in a popover design with a continuous one-piece camp collar, bespoke from Camiceria Carmen i Turin. Photography: Sartorial Notes
The fashion system
Casual blue denim shirts and blue chambray shirts are in demand. They suit an expanding global street wear style of chinos, sneakers and a t-shirt. The big question in those circles is: Should the blue shirt be tucked in or untucked?
A camp collar shirt
To me it was more interesting to find the right collar for a blue chambray popover that I had in mind.
I opted for a continuous camp collar based on an old drawing I saw in Istanbul of Kemal Atatürk. That open collar type is not much in use nowadays, although it is perhaps most classic collar you can find being the product of the neoclassical era of the late 1800th Century.
Back in those days classical minded people considered an open neck collar that exposed the throat be a more honest expression than a style of standing collar and cravat. Like a Roman bust the open neck-collar would bring the truth about a man.
Denim and chambray
The weave of denim and chambray both have a white or off-white weft. That gives the fabrics a distinctive white touch even in a dark blue colour. The weavings differ though. Denim is a twill weave whereas chambray is a simple poplin weave. In general denim will also be a heavier fabric than chambray.
How to use a casual blue shirt

Cary Grant in a denim or chambray shirt. Photo: Getty Images
The stars of old Hollywood has shown us how to use denim shirt and a chambray shirt. In other words, blue denim shirts and blue chambray shirts are casual wear, mostly. A very fine chambray cotton or cotton blend weave can work as a fine shirt for suits. As some readers perhaps can remember, there is an old French firm that makes a chambray summer dress shirting in a composition with polyester to minimize wrinkling in the heat.

Gary Cooper in a chambray shirt. Photo: Condé Nast