Best Short Sleeve Shirts For Summer

A lot of guys and gals out there consider short sleeve shirts a no-no, and I get it: no one wants to look like Dwight Schrute. But I’m here to argue that they can be worn well.

I’ll start by listing some advice that I’ll call rules but are really just suggestions that I think work well, and then I’ll get into my favorite short-sleeve button-up shirts.

When I first wrote this article it was based on this video, but that was four years ago and most of them aren’t sold anymore. So I’ve updated this article to my favorite summer shirts you can still buy!

What to Look For in Short Sleeve Shirts

I guess there are two parts to this: there’s what I like the most in a short sleeved shirt and there’s my minimum requirements for a short sleeved shirt.

So this list of “rules” (which are fake and made up) is in order of preference:

1. Best worn untucked, or at least casually.
2. Natural materials: synthetic fabrics have their place, but their biggest downside is they don’t breathe well in the heat.
3. I prefer a camp collar: they’re unstructured, lay flat against the shirt, and are actually supposed to be worn untucked.
4. If it’s a cotton shirt, look for lightweight and loose plain weaves (eg. chambray) over tight twill weaves (eg. denim)
5. Not too tight, especially in the shoulders and chest: you want a “breezy” look

With that in mind, let’s look at some good options.

1. Flint and Tinder’s Camp Collar Shirts

I think there are tons of decent options out there but there is one perfect option, one button up shirt that nobody can argue is inappropriate for shorts: the camp collar shirt.

Plenty of guys have misgivings about wearing a button up shirt with short sleeves, or wearing one untucked, or wearing a shirt with patterns. But you can be totally comfortable with all three elements if it’s a camp collar.

There are zillions of good options out there but my recommendation is Flint and Tinder’s line of camp collar shirts.

My reasons are pretty simple: Flint and Tinder’s line-up is inexpensive, they’re sold on Huckberry which has a great return policy and fast shipping, and above all: their camp collar shirts come in a wide range of summer fabrics.

At the time of writing they’ve got seersucker, linen, cotton-linen blends, and some options with a little stretch fabric woven in — just in case you prefer that kind of comfort.

Basically, there’s something for everyone, and if you’re on an article like this because you’ve heard people say that button-up shirts should never have short sleeves (or should never be untucked), camp collar shirts are universally accepted as the exception.

2. Taylor Stitch: The California

• Lots of summery fabrics with an emphasis on hemp
• Fairly form-fitting; good alternative for guys who don’t want the billowy look

Taylor Stitch is one of my favorite brands. I’ve got Taylor Stitch boots, jackets, shorts, and shirts, and this short sleeve California is my favorite model of theirs for our purposes because it’s 100 percent hemp, which is a really cool fabric in general and for summer especially.

Hemp is 25% stronger than cotton, and in the same “comfy in summer” category as linen because they both come from the fibrous stem of plants. It’s quite porous and allows air to circulate, all while doing a great job of absorbing moisture. Incidentally, this means it tends to hold dye better than cotton.

The California line-up often has other summer fabrics like gauzey cottons and even summer wools. The main thing you should know about this product line is that the fabrics are summery but the collar and fit are more smart and slim.

[SHOP TAYLOR STITCH’S CALIFORNIA SHIRT]

3. Faherty: Breeze Shirt

• Chill, summery brand with fun patterns
• Hemp, lyocell, and elastane blend adds stretchiness
• More casual and looser than the Cop Shirt and The California

The next brand I want to draw your attention to is Faherty. My first cool swim shorts were from Faherty after I saw them in Men’s Health like 8 years ago and the brand has a very summery, beachy vibe in general.

If you want to go all the way into really summery patterns then Faherty should be your stop. Specifically, their Breeze shirt: it’s got a more relaxed fit than the other shirts here but the fabric is mostly hemp with 45 percent lyocell, which is a natural material that’s better at cotton than wicking moisture. So the shirt has a lightweight feel to it, plus there’s 2 percent elastane to give it a lot of stretch.

It’s more casual, looser, and more stretchy than anything else here, but since those are qualities a lot of guys want when they buy a short sleeve shirt and if that’s what you want this summer, Faherty makes really good quality stuff.

[SHOP FAHERTY: BREEZE SHIRT HERE]

4. Naked & Famous: The Easy Shirt

• Relaxed but flattering fit
• Mostly natural materials, some semisynthetic cooling ones like rayon

Speaking of heritage-inspired brands, Naked and Famous has some really impressive shirts that probably don’t get enough love because their crazy, fun, high-quality denim gets a lot of the limelight.

But this one’s the Easy Shirt. It’s similar to the Dean, but it’s a Japanese fabric that’s stitched in Canada. While it’s marketed as a relaxed fit, if you get the right fit in the chest, it’s impressive how modern the overall fit is.

It comes in blue, pink, natural, and black, and the fabric has some interesting bonuses like it’s organic cotton, meaning no pesticides and no GMOs, and it’s woven with grandrelle yarns which are more mottled: two colors twist together to make the yarns, which gives it a nice, complex look.

[SHOP NAKED & FAMOUS’S THE EASY SHIRT HERE]

Wrapping Up

There you have it guys and gals, my favorite short-sleeve button-down shirts for summer. I’ve learned to love them and I wear them a lot. Oftentimes with a hat, which I also learned to love and now wear a lot. Definitely make sure you check out my list of the best straw hats if you want to complete the ensemble! Featured image via Faherty