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Brace yourselves, people: Summer is right around the corner, which means it’s time to stock up on the type of easy, breezy shirts that’ll keep you cool as the mercury rises. Thankfully, you’ve got options. (Oh-so many options.) But if you’re trying to get on your Talented Mr. Ripley tip, the only summer shirt you really need—the one you can wear over a crisp white tee, ribbed tank, or all on its own—is a camp collar button-up. But here’s where things get tricky. At this point, the silhouette (in all its boldly-printed glory) is nearly ubiquitous, and that variety can be a little overwhelming. At least for me.
But a dozen or so tabs into my search, I quickly realized that most of the options I was eyeing were way too thick to wear solo, let alone layered over anything else—even a gauzy A-shirt. Woe is me, I thought to myself. Do I need to give up this noble quest entirely? Well, fortune must have smiled on me in my moment of despair, because shortly after I considered calling it quits I stumbled across Bather’s ridiculously lightweight Traveler shirt. And after wearing it almost daily for a few weeks straight (accruing about as many compliments in the process) I couldn’t gatekeep in good conscience any longer. So here’s the lowdown.
Bather is an upstart Toronto brand that specializes in swimwear designed to look aces miles away from the beach. (Fittingly, its swim trunks are some of the best in the biz.) A handful of years ago, the brand introduced its signature camp shirt, a boxy riff on a classic Hawaiian shirt cut from an airy cotton-viscose blend. All of which is to say: They were always pretty damn good. But last year the brand added two additional pockets to the equation, a Guayabera-esque flourish that clinched the decision for me. I copped one in lavender and never looked back.
I expected it to look cool. (The product images speak for themselves, really.) What I didn't anticipate was how lightweight it would feel straight out of the box, like a welcome midday breeze gently buffeting my torso. What I initially thought was going to be a fairly straightforward camp shirt ended up revolutionizing my summer fits. I can’t take it off. Its breathable construction makes it ideal for warm weather layering, and those nifty trio of pockets offer a level of functionality I never knew I was missing.
So if you’re reading this with the A/C cranked to the max and an ice pack taped to your forehead, tell your roommates the Con Ed bill is about to take a plunge—and then text your buddies expeditiously. A button-up like this merits sharing with the world, and who knows? You might just help a fellow sweat-drenched journeyman discover their next summertime grail.
