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Home / Blog / Clothing and Style / Outfit Ideas

5 Ways to Wear a Blue Chambray Shirt

Published on December 10, 2015 by Brock McGoff · Outfit Ideas May contain affiliate links (what's this?)

The medium blue chambray shirt is one of those classic menswear staples that never seems to go out of style.

5 Ways to Wear a Chambray Shirt

If you could only own 2-3 casual button up shirts, a blue chambray shirt should definitely be one of them.

It’s kind of like the light blue OCBD, but slightly less preppy and more rugged.

You can wear it with jeans, chinos or shorts. It looks great with dark blue, lighter blue, greys, browns and even greens.

There are so many ways to wear a chambray shirt. To give you some ideas, here are five examples from my own closet, featuring my very own creation, The Elijah:

#1: Under a Cardigan

I love a good shawl neck cardigan, especially during the colder seasons. This dark grey cardigan looks great over a medium blue chambray shirt.

Chambray shirt grey cardigan

cardigan (similar) | shirt | jeans | boots | glasses

You could wear any kind of boots with this outfit, but these chocolate suede Chelsea boots sure do look nice.

#2: With Shorts

Chambray is a casual fabric. It’s totally appropriate to wear with shorts, especially if you roll the sleeves up for a more laid back look.

Chambray shirt grey shorts

shirt | shorts (similar) | shoes | sunglasses | watch

These Vans (for J. Crew) came with brown laces, but I replaced them with black leather laces so they’d look good with my black watch.

#3: With Blue Jeans

Yes, you can wear chambray with denim. It will look okay as long as there’s enough contrast between your shirt and pants.

Chambray shirt jeans sneakers

jacket (old) | shirt | shoes | sunglasses

This is kind of a sporty, retro look. You could use almost any track jacket, varsity jacket or windbreaker, and you could wear whichever classic sneakers you prefer.

#4: Under a Sweater

A chambray button up is also great for layering. It works well with many different colored sweaters, especially neutrals like cream and oatmeal.

Chambray shirt under cotton v-neck

shirt | shoes | glasses

This outfit would also work well with brown leather boots, loafers or lace ups.

#5: With a Topcoat

This might be my favorite. It’s simple, timeless and – if I may say so – really cool.

Chambray shirt grey top coat

coat | shirt | jeans | boots | sunglasses

You could swap the brown suede boots for black leather, as long as you make sure they’re not too formal.

Do you own one?

Do you have a blue chambray shirt in your wardrobe? If not, you should check out The Elijah, one of three shirts from The Modest Man limited edition collection.

I made this shirt specifically for shorter men. It’s one of my personal favorites!

You can order one for yourself right here (ends 12/30/15).

Which of these five looks is your favorite (and why)? Leave a comment!

Outfit Ideas button down shirts, button up shirts, casual, chambray, shorts, topcoats

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About Brock McGoff

The Modest Man founder, Brock is an aspiring minimalist who enjoys working out, spending time with his family, discovering new brands and creating great content.

Background: Brock McGoff has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a professional background in digital marketing. He believes that men's fashion is just one facet of self-improvement, and he started The Modest Man to help regular guys feel more confident by improving their appearance.

An east coast native, Brock currently lives in Arizona with his wife and daughter. When he's not working, he spends time with family, training BJJ, reading/listening to books and podcasts, and unsuccessfully trying to decide which movie to stream.

Expertise: Brock has built a men's lifestyle YouTube channel with over 400k subscribers. He's also worked as the creative marketing manager in a men's apparel startup. Brock has been quoted in, mentioned by or featured in publications like Esquire, Huff Post, Men's Health, WWD and Forbes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    Ask Me Anything Cancel reply

    Got questions? Want to share your opinion? Comment below!

  1. Pat says

    March 7, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    My shirt just arrived and it is fantastic. At 5’6″ and 148 lbs, the size 39 fits me perfectly, but what I’m most impressed with is the scaling of the details. The cuffs, pocket and collar are just ever-so-slightly smaller than a standard shirt, but the impact on the overall look is phenomenal. The only downside is that it makes me never want to put on any of my existing button-downs ever again.

    I just tried it on with my Peter Manning chinos and it is the first time in my life I’ve worn an entire outfit that completely fits. When is the next round of MM clothes going to be ready for pre-order?

    Reply
  2. Emmanuel M'M says

    January 18, 2016 at 4:58 am

    So THAT is what this shirt I have been wearing for years is. And to imagine I hated it at first. I now love it so much I had to have the collar turned up…

    Reply
  3. osteenm2 says

    January 5, 2016 at 9:47 am

    I always loved Chambray shirts. I am turing 54 in three weeks can I still pull it off? Can I still pull off wearing casual shirts untucked? I do not want to be the “middle-age” crisis guy everywhere I go. What do you think?

    Reply
    • Brock says

      January 5, 2016 at 12:21 pm

      Yes, you can definitely still pull the untucked look off at 54 years young!

      Reply
  4. Pyung Kim says

    December 10, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    Love the chambray with sweater. Adds a touch of refinement to the ‘ruggedness’ of chambray. #BondOnVacation

    Reply
    • Brock says

      December 11, 2015 at 4:31 pm

      Right on! I might steal that hashtag…

      Reply
  5. Rollo says

    December 10, 2015 at 5:52 pm

    I’ll pass on the chambray, just tell me where you got the topcoat please.

    Reply
    • Brock says

      December 10, 2015 at 6:13 pm

      Check the item links under each photo!

      Reply
  6. Antonio says

    December 10, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    Hey Brock, for all 3 of these shirts that you’ve designed and created, will we be able to order them after the preorder time has ended? And will the shirts be able to be returned? They look great btw

    Reply
    • Brock says

      December 10, 2015 at 2:13 pm

      Thanks! No, after Dec 30 they won’t be available. These specific shirts (with this fabric) won’t be available again.

      You can return them for any reason within 14 days or when they arrive. It’s free if you’re in the U.S.

      Reply
  7. Jonod says

    December 10, 2015 at 11:41 am

    I bought a chambray shirt earlier in the year and I agree that it is a very versatile shirt. You can pretty much wear it year-round. Since I already have a chambray, I decided to order the Jason (the grey shirt). It looks equally as versatile. Looking forward to its arrival when it is ready!

    Reply
    • Brock says

      December 10, 2015 at 11:46 am

      That’s a great choice. I’m doing an outfit post next week featuring The Jason. Definitely an extremely versatile shirt.

      Reply

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