Even when I was a wee thing walkin' barefoot as a prairie dog with a grape Sonic slush sticky-gripped in one pudgy hand and a blue leather Darryl Strawberry outfielder's glove in the other, there was no above-the-waist wardrobe component you would more likely find me sporting than the fitted camp shirt.
These days, aside from living against a backdrop with less honeysuckle and fewer homes on stilts, not to mention having sports heroes who aren't in-and-out of the clink and a BMI that doesn't hover in between "obese" and "super obese," my life - my style - is pretty much the same.
After a thorough closet assessment, I can claim official ownership over 11 camp shirts, all of which are fitted, all of which pass the "keyhole effect" test and all but two of which - the linen ones - I wear on a year-round basis.
What is a camp shirt, exactly?
A camp shirt is a hits-right-at-the-waist, short-sleeved button-up, sometimes with a rounded-collar, sometimes with breast-pockets, and is reminiscent, as you'd expect, of the kind of shirts our parents or grandparents might have been issued back when those Parent Trap-type summer camps still existed. The camp shirt is in no way a sexy top, it's a cute top.
What color should I look for?
The sky's the limit. I myself have five solids, two plaids, two with geometric patterns, one with terriers (shut up) and one with cherry bunches.
What pairs well with a camp shirt?
It really depends. About half of my cache, due to their prints, are strictly post-work appropriate and are pretty much limited to dressy shorts and jeans. The other half can go the casual-to-professional distance, complementing both the shorts and jeans and nearly all my below-the-waist work bottoms.
What's the best fit for a camp shirt?
Fitted, fitted fitted. While I believe in a more generous cut when it comes to a traditional oxford, I like my camp shirts to hug my curves just short of tight, which is difficult to achieve in conjunction with a keyhole-free front when your rack is disproportionately more heaving than your waist is wide.
Whether you're headed to the dog park, brunch just off the cobblestones of M Street in Georgetown or to the Manhattan Vintage show, a camp shirt is a sure-fire way to achieve that sweet, low maintenance, I'm-a-guy's-girl façade we all work tirelessly to maintain until they move in and we can finally admit the under-15-minute shower doesn't exist, we will be watching Pretty Woman every time it airs on TBS and that au naturel really means "everything but eyeliner."
Ladies, your man-trappers:
Top to bottom:
1. Cherry blossom shirt by JW Los Angeles ($152 at couturecandy.com)
2. Plaid Jen shirt by Ben Sherman ($69 at urbanoutfitters.com)
3. Pinstripe shirt by Classiques Entier ($118 at nordstrom.com)
4. Puff-sleeve button-up ($39.50 at gap.com)
5. French schoolgirl shirt ($78 at jcrew.com)
6. Welt-pocket button-down ($220 at activeendeavors.com)
7. Farm shirt by Rag & Bone ($170 at activeendeavors.com)*
8. Passiflora blouse by Fei ($49.95 at anthropologie.com)
9. Pop shop blouse by Odille ($49.95 at anthropologie.com)
10. Puff sleeve shirt by Nili Lotan ($203 at shopbop.com)*
11. Ruffled silk blouse by D&G ($295 at saks.com)
12. Dulcie blouse by Theory ($180 at saks.com)
*your editrix's favorites
