Denim or Chambray?
Denim and chambray shirts are a common occurrence here at Ledbury. You’re likely to spot a team member or two wearing one on any given day. Sometimes the differences between denim and chambray are easy to spot from a mile away, but much of the time, the distinction between the two is a bit more nuanced. Here, we take a moment to break down the subtleties between the fabrics.
First things first, wearing a denim or a chambray shirt will make you look like a badass. Think more Cool Hand Luke than early-aughts Justin Timberlake. The fabrics are as American as they come. They make the quintessential utility shirt for when you’re working around the house, yard or garage, or just for projecting a laid-back sense of cool when you’re out on the town. You can even get away with wearing either one of these fabrics at the office on a casual Friday if you wear them appropriately – consider a knitted necktie, Matthew McConaughey-style.
There’s the common misconception that the terms “chambray” and “denim” can be used interchangeably, or that chambray is a type of denim. Sure, both are constructed from cotton, made by weaving white yarn through a traditionally indigo dyed yarn, and have roots in workwear. Despite these many similarities, they are entirely different fabrics. Chambray is woven through a more basic technique: a 1-to-1 strand ratio. This even ratio creates a squared pattern and a lightweight fabric. Denim, on the other hand, is woven with a 3-to-1 ratio, creating its iconic diagonal pattern and a denser fabric. Another distinction is that chambray appears similar on each face side, whereas denim appears lighter on its underside.
Denim and chambray shirts can be worn year round and look exceptional during the fall when paired underneath a jacket or sweater. We’ve recently released a few new shirts constructed from the fabrics as well as restocked some old favorites:
The Westerham Chambray is a stonewash chambray with a shortened body and button-down collar that can be worn casually.
The Fairlight Denim has one left breast pocket, a club collar, and constructed from a deep indigo-dyed denim.
The Vale Patterned Chambray was constructed from a washed and patterned chambray fabric from Tessitura Monti. This shirt features a left breast pocket, button-down collar, and a shortened body for casual wear.
The McDaniel Chambray is more formal than traditional chambray shirts to make for effortless officewear; however, you can easily wear this casually with an open collar and rolled up sleeves.
The Collins Denim was our first take on the iconic denim shirt. Since it’s release over a year ago, it has remained consistently popular.
Shop all of our shirts here.