If there’s one kind of garment or accessory I love, it’s the kind that can be dressed up or down with ease. Which, OK, granted that doesn’t really narrow things down: there are sweaters you can wear with suit pants or joggers, boots that work with jeans or slacks, blazers you can don over a tee or a button-down and tie, and on it goes.
But hey, when something fits the description, it’s OK if it keeps a lot of company. And, the H Bar B Snapshirt from Howler Brothers? If fits the description of a dress-up/dress-down piece of apparel.
Exhibit A: as I write these words, I’m wearing my H Bar snap shirt over a pair of dark, rather dressy jeans. But I also have plans to bring the thing camping in a couple of weeks, where I’ll wear it over rough and ready hiking pants and, if the mercury drops, under a puffer. So too will this shirt be coming on a theme park family vacation over the summer, where I will surely wear it with shorts, swimsuits, slacks, and if the past speaks to precedent, jeans.
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Available in three colorways.
It’s just that versatile of a shirt, in terms of looks: muted but pleasant colors, a pattern that adds interest without being overly assertive, and the classic styling of a Western (or “cowboy”) shirt, like the pearl snap pockets, the pointed yoke (that’s the panel across the shoulders and upper back), and a fit that’s easy without being loose.
As for the materials, first off, as the name suggests, this shirt closes with snaps, not buttons. Which doesn’t really change the course of your life that much, but can make it fun to rip open from time to time. It’s a cotton-poly blend (60/40) so it’s comfortable even from the first wear and gets even softer with washings, plus it does a pretty good job of drying quickly while you wear it, whether it was dampened by sea spray, a splash from the pool, or your own sweat.
And if you’re a cherry on top kind of person, just flip up the hem down there on the right front portion of the shirt. Yep, that’s a two-by-four-inch microfiber glasses cleaning cloth stitched right into your new go-to shirt for warmer days, so you can keep your sunglasses, regular glasses, or monocle crystal clear. (Incidentally, monocles are not in the dress-up/dress-down category… ).
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