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There’s just something about the camp collar. Maybe because it’s functionally the perfect summer top — breezy enough to sustain you in 90-degree weather, dressy enough to pass for a “work shirt” — that the style has become synonymous with summer style for 19-year-old FashionTokers and r/MFA menswear for going on a decade. (We don’t see the trend departing any time soon.)
Case and point? The camp collar remains the go-to style for…well, everything. Packing for your Rivieran holiday? Camp collar. Searching feverishly for the perfect mix of slutty and swaggy for that hot date? Camp collar. Headed to your cousin’s less-than-black-tie wedding? Camp collar. It’s the summer workhorse you’ve come to know and love, and when it comes to the best camp collar shirts for men, there’s practically nothing they can’t do.
- The Best Camp Collar Shirt, Period: Flint and Tinder Camp Collar Dobby Stripe Short Sleeve Shirt, $118
- The “Actually Camping” Camp Collar: Buck Mason Wornwell S/S Camp Shirt, $138
- The Splurge Shirt: BEAMS PLUS Cotton-Blend Camp-Collar Shirt, $304
- The Breathable, Boxy Blouson: Wellen Easy Hemp Stripe Short Sleeve Shirt, $98
- The #SexyBoySummer Camp Crop: Abercrombie & Fitch Camp Collar Cropped Linen-Blend Shirt, $80
What Is a Camp Collar Shirt?
For those uninitiated into the wide world of camp collars, the shirt has two distinct features that separate it from a crowded cohort of OCBDs, sweater polos, trippy madras button-ups and a host of other summertime tops. First and foremost, the style is cut straight, or square, at the bottom — unlike a dress shirt, which sports a rounded hem — specifically with the intention of being worn untucked, making it fundamentally more causal.
The second difference revolves around the nominal feature: the button-up has a wide, open collar meant to be worn as such, often complete with a loop-and-button closure at the neck. It’s a multi-purpose fixture — it’s arguably a more comfortable fit than a tie-accommodating joint — but its main objective is to imbue a breezy, off the neck fit that’ll help you be the beachy, laid-back, not sweaty guy we know you can be.
Camp Collar vs. Cuban: What’s the Difference?
The camp collar is associated with many names — spread collar, Cuban, Guayabera — and, in essence, these all describe the same wide-collar shirt we mentioned before. If we were to get very specific, there are minute differences in certain versions (the Guayabera, for instance, traditionally has four pockets) but for all intents and purposes, you can think of them as the same shirt style.
Weirdly, a dependable CCS is actually quite hard to find — sizing, texture and general swag levels are all over the place. Luckily, we’ve waded through a sea of offerings from the likes of menswear darlings Buck Mason all the way down to the affordable grails at Abercrombie & Fitch, and we’ve found a variety of can’t-miss styles that every guy can pull off. All you have to do is pick one, sit back and crack brewski at your Mojo Dojo Casa House. Below, the best camp collar shirts to live in this summer.
The Best Camp Collar Shirts for Men
Material: 100% cotton | Sizes: XS-3XL | Colors: 2
If you think of the elements you really want from the style — a relaxed but flattering fit, a breathable, sweat-free weave and a versatile look for everything from weddings to weekends — it becomes apparent that most camp collar shirts don’t cut the mustard. Flint and Tinder’s seasonal dobby stripe take, however, checks all our boxes, flatters virtually everyone and clocks in at just a hair over $100 bucks. Practically speaking, it’s the perfect summer shirt for 99.99% off guys.
Material: 100% cotton | Sizes: XS-XXL | Colors: 4
At first glance, Buck Mason’s take on the camp collar might not look much different from the competition, but the mercerized 4 oz. washed wornwell cotton it’s made with would be to differ.
Material: 54% cotton, 46% polyester | Sizes: S-XL | Colors: 1
It takes a real man to drop $300 on a Japanese-made, pheasant-printed camp collar from BEAMS PLUS. But trust us when we say the Magnum, P.I. comparisons are worth every cent.
Material: 90% organic cotton, 10% hemp | Sizes: XS-XXL | Colors: 2
Summer offers up a host of “cooling” materials — seersucker, linen, the works — but, for our money, this simple hemp blend from Wellen does one of the best jobs at keeping us cool when temps really spike.
Material: 55% linen, 45% viscose | Sizes: XS-XXL | Colors: 3
Haven’t you heard? All your clothes should be getting smaller. A&F’s latest trend-forward top is a breezy (and much more importantly) cropped camp collar that shows off just a hint of skin and looks like something Paul Mescal already owns.
Material: 100% cotton | Sizes: S-XXL | Colors: 1
The majority of Corridor’s weaves are thoughtfully crafted in the label’s partner workshop in India, and this flowery shirt is no exception — cut with tiny eyelets throughout, it’s an airy camp collar that’s perfect for beach and bar alike.
Material: 70% cotton, 30% recycled polyester | Sizes: XS-XXL | Colors: 2
A terry polo? Pretty far out, dude. A corded terry camp collar? Now that’s ideating with a galaxy brain.
Material: 100% cotton | Sizes: XS-3XL | Colors: 2
We’re pretty sure we spotted this exact shirt last time we were in Ibiza. That is a good thing.
Material: 98% cotton, 2% elastane | Sizes: S-XXL | Colors: 1
Portuguese Flannel’s wares are (naturally) woven in Portugal, home to some of the finest fabric mills in the world, and that quality shines through in pieces like this plaid camp collar. The conceit is simple — a slubby, breathable cotton camp collar, preshrunk for the perfect fit and designed to fit relaxed. But the result…now that’s something to write home about.
Material: 100% linen | Sizes: S-XXL | Colors: 3
Much like their lauded swim trunks, Bather’s linen camp collar charts a stylish way forward for beach bums everywhere.
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