Although the Cuban Collar Shirt has many close relatives – the bowling shirt, the camp collar and even the Hawaiian shirt - it is often only worn exclusively as a ‘holiday’ shirt. Yes, you may be a little bit worried as you’ve probably seen the Cuban collar on many an outlandish Hawaiian shirt in the past, but the two are not synonymous. As this season, there is a host of rather more flattering ways to wear the Cuban collar shirt.
First of all, it can give your outfit a relaxed, retro-Americana feel if done right. While, some of the neater, understated varieties will even work for the office and in the evening, if paired with the right pieces. To illustrate our point, we have called upon the help of a few of our favourite menswear brands who have just launched their summer collections at OPUMO and naturally, they feature some of the finest Cuban collar shirts out there.
Sunspel Light Blue Camp Collar Shirt
Sunspel are always good for revitalising a classic piece of menswear and this open camp collar shirt is a case in point. The simple light blue colour hue makes it appropriate for both the workplace and the weekend while the contemporary box-fit and open weave fabric, inspired by materials in Sunspel’s extensive factory archive, keeps things interesting without going overboard.
Timothy Everest Grey / White Gingham Cuban Shirt
The understated colour hue of this Cuban collar shirt from Timothy Everest really helps to play down the ‘I’m clearly embracing the summer sun’ connotations that are often levelled at the more daring varieties of the patterned Cuban collar shirt. Better still, the shirt also benefits from a slightly textured touch courtesy of its exclusive Japanese cotton cloth construction. That means it can be easily layered and contrasted against a plain white t-shirt and a co-ordinating pair of navy shorts for a style that is acceptable to wear almost anywhere this summer.
Mews Jungle Vasilon Shirt
This Jungle Vasilon Shirt from Mews is one of our favourite shirts for summer as it displays the brand’s expertise in being able to turn the archetypal relaxed summer shirt into something more wearable by keeping the colour palette relatively neutral. The shirt, however, still has plenty of personality courtesy of the subtle jacquard print that creates subtle blue reflections in the sun. The understated, laid-back print and the relaxed, regular cut offers a nonchalant, languid style that is ideally suited for long days in the sun.
YMC Indigo Malick Batik Shirt
You can’t put together an edit of the finest men’s summer Cuban collar shirts without slipping in a few patterns for good measure. Nor without mentioning, YMC. That's because, for a long time, YMC have been have been at the forefront of free-and-easy, contemporary summer shirts and the Mallick has been right at the centre of that. This summer, the Mallick features a statement Indigo Batik print that acts as the perfect gateway shirt for not taking yourself too seriously and not looking you’ve been consumed by the full frivolities of summer, too.
Nikben Skinny Dipp Shirt
Inspired by the undisputed colour hue of the season, natural green, this Nikben Skinny Dipp Shirt, with a full rainforest motif to boot, is one of the most understated ways to make waves on the beach while still wearing a patterned Cuban Collar Shirt. Granted, it’s fairly loud in comparison to the Timothy Everest or Sunspel offerings, but its 100% viscose construction, lightweight spread collar and simple chest pocket make it a lot more relaxed than those alternatives.
Nikben Eggstavaganza Shirt
We’re featuring another Cuban Collar Shirt from Nikben because they are one of a select few brands that are able to turn kitsch into something contemporary. You know, turn designs, patters and prints that shouldn’t work or shouldn’t be appropriate into easy-to-wear shirts that you actually want to wear. All this goes to say is that you can wear this Eggstavaganza shirt with the utmost ease – just make sure you keep everything else clean and classic.
Gear up for summer with all the latest releases at OPUMO.
Be sure to check out our ultimate guide to men's shirts for everything you need to know.
