On Short Sleeve Button Downs
From the city to the beach and back
I have been obsessed with short sleeve button down shirts since I got my Hawaiian print one from Aritzia back in 2018.
My friend May May and I were actually done paying for our stuff when I chanced upon the shirt hanging on a rack on our way out, the distinctive Hawaiian feel beckoning me.
“What do you think? Should I?” I asked May May.
Because she is not only a good friend but also my shopping enabler, it was a quick decision to head back to the counter, Hawaiian shirt happily dangling on my arm, swinging on it’s hanger as though it were excited to go home with me. Never mind that our husbands were left alone tending to the kids somewhere in the mall and we promised we were going to just quickly pop in at Aritzia.
It was a decision I am grateful for to this day. This shirt has been a trusted weekend wardrobe staple that delivers when I want to wear something that is not only comfortable on a warm day, but looks cool and fun too. No wonder printed button down shirts are a dressed down Dad fave. Best paired with long shorts, Birkenstocks or sneakers, beer (or BBQ tongs) in hand. I wear mine with ecru wide leg jeans with a high waist or blue denims though.
“Dad on Vacation” must have been my inspiration when I packed for our recent beach trip. I packed short-sleeved button downs and shorts to wear as swimsuit coverups and I felt so validated in my wise spending, seeing how my city clothes felt just as appropriate on sandy beaches.
Amy Smilovic acknowledges that dressing for a vacation is tricky. How can we most feel like ourselves in a setting that is a far departure from our usual surroundings? How do we not fall into the trap of buying something beachy that we only ever use when we are out of town? Especially if you are not the type to wear pareos, kaftans or resort dresses.
I do love my linen kaftans though. But if you’re like me, traveling with little kids, the answer is often just always in our closet. Pull out your button downs, short or long sleeved, doesn’t matter and pair them with roomy shorts.
Breezy with plenty of room for movement, it’s a classic look that won’t leave you cringing at your vacation photos decades later. Doesn’t hurt that they will continue to serve you well style-wise, in and out of town.