How to wear a checked shirt as fetchingly as Calum Best
When it comes to shirts, guys, chances are you own a classic blue Oxford shirt, a few of the formal variety, and several casual shirts for the weekend.
Among your casual stuff, a checked shirt may feature highly, especially on these cooler autumnal days when you want to relax or take in some fresh country air.
And with so many checked options out there, you can pull off smart, smart casual, or casual – essentially everything but scruffy – as long as you follow our dos and don’ts of how to wear the checked shirt.
As you may have seen already, the AW15 Burton Man range is being modelled by no other than Calum Best, but by following our tips, you too can pull off the checked look with all the ease of a seasoned celebrity.
Do consider the fabric
While it’s no longer just the uniform of the lumberjack, the checked shirt is still available in that thick brushed cotton so associated with the name.
The flannel version is great for wearing at the weekend – either in place of a jacket, or casually thrown over a t-shirt or even a plain hoodie.
A finer cotton checked shirt is just as versatile – if not more so – than its lumberjack counterpart. Wear it with jeans or under a jumper and you’ve got the perfect smart-but-chilled look for when you head to the pub for Sunday lunch.
Don’t be afraid of colour
The staple checked shirt is one way to instantly inject colour, and spice things up a bit in the wardrobe department.
Keep it muted in a black and grey check, or, to make a bolder impression, adopt a brighter red or purple check. Team with jeans and boots or plimsolls and a casual jacket, such as one in a fisherman’s style, and your look for the weekend will be all sorted.
Do check your style
Checks come in a real assortment of styles and designs which can be essentially drawn into two camps – busy patterns vs clean patterns.
Now, what do we mean by this? Well, a busier pattern has far more lines, and edges towards the lumberjack style. Cleaner patterns tend to feature small checks and distinct squares (gingham check is a great example of this).
Choose the latter if heading on a date or even to the office. Because the former comes across as more casual, it’s more suitable for wearing to that Saturday match than for the boardroom.
Don’t just stick to casual
That said, while we’ve made clear that the checked shirt does have its place in the casual wardrobe, there’s certainly scope to also smarten it up.
Try a cleaner pattern check with a tie and blazer for work, or even team it with a dark suit. By making simple changes, such as tucking the shirt into your jeans and adding a belt, you can instantly transform this casual piece of kit into something smarter and sharper.
Do think about sleeve length
In summer – when it finally comes round again – try a short-sleeve checked shirt. They can actually look very smart when done all the way up, and offer an alternative to the Oxford shirt on particularly warm days.
Long-sleeve shirts work in two ways. If you’re wearing an oversized version, in place of a jacket or thrown over a plain t-shirt, you can easily roll the sleeves up when you need to. Alternatively, do the cuffs up and wear with jeans for a slightly smarter style.
And finally, wear it with the right attitude
Combine your checked shirt with some Calum-esque gentlemanly charm, and you’ll be all ready to go – whether you’re looking to impress the boss, the other half, or the mother-in-law.
