Short sleeve summer shirts (why you should try something different)

So, Brett just received a couple of really fun shirts. I thought it was worth a blog post to go over how he designed his short sleeve summer shirts and what his aims were from the onset.

Short sleeve dress shirts, as you can imagine, are a warm weather staple. Simply put, we lose the sleeves when the mercury rises too high to stay comfortable otherwise. And these shirts will definitely keep you cool. Paired with a breathable fabric, you’re bound to stay well ventilated.

Tip: When it gets really, really hot outside, it is acceptable to wear short sleeves under your suit. Just be sure that your collar can stand up to the weight of the jacket lapel without a neck tie. 

Fabric

Brett designed these as sport shirts. That is, a shirt that isn’t built in a traditional or conservative fabric, but something a little more fun and bold. And I think you’d agree with me when I say that yes, he found some bold patterns!

It should be noted that Brett doesn’t plan on wearing a tie with either of these shirts. Being short sleeve shirts, it can be difficult to pull off a neck tie, and more so with the complex print patterns that we have here.

Pockets

Brett wanted to have a single shirt pocket on both of these shirts. But there’s something interesting about how we do our shirt pockets at BE.

Take a close look at the pocket in the image below. See how the pattern has been lined up? The little bicycles that are part of the fabric on the pocket line up with the partial bicycles on the shirt itself.

You might be tempted to exclaim that this is a subtlety that doesn’t have a big impact, but now look at the shirt as a whole. With the partial bicycles lined up according to the pattern, the pocket tends to disappear altogether. It’s a cool effect and a sign of high quality short sleeve summer shirts.

Buttons

Brett set out to complement each of the shirts’ fabric with his choice of button. With the bicycle shirt, he wanted the buttons in a navy/black so that they stood out a little. Another option would have been to select a more white button, similar to what you’d find in an off-the-rack shirt.

For the floral print shirt, Brett found a very cool metallic button – yes, metallic. It doesn’t stand out a lot on its own. And especially with the strong floral print pattern it would be difficult to draw attention away from the shirt anyway.

And for both shirts, the buttons selected were very shallow in depth. These buttons feel much different to the touch and have a slightly more sophisticated look than a more standard and thicker button.

By the way, you could always try corozo buttons for a different look.

Wrap up

Short sleeve summer dress shirts are a great way to express yourself during the warmest months of the year. Unlike a polo shirt, a bespoke short sleeve shirt opens up all sorts of fun ways to detail and highlight the shirt. You could even recreate something you saw in a film, such as this one that Ryan modeled after a James Bond movie.

Just like all of your BE clothes, fit is the most important thing. Short sleeve shirts need to be well tailored in order for them to not look baggy and over-sized, especially at the sleeve. But with the right fit, you’ll look sharp as a tack in a short sleeve summer shirt!