The US military had adopted the humble chambray shirt as part of its fatigue uniform in the early 1900s. Worn by enlisted sailors, the shirts were a perfect mixture of hardwearing, light enough to dry quickly and easy to clean. Though they would change through various iterations, the same simple garment is still in use today. Its on the backs of sailors in the pacific that these would become famous, there are hundreds of great photos of these being worn on deck under the blazing equatorial sun.
This particular example is a WW2 pattern, though the N140 contract number puts the production date around 1947-52. She's a classic two pocket, single cuff style with the cats eye buttons used on the WW2 examples.
Condition
Completely deadstock, never worn, absolutely perfect
Size
- Tagged a 15.5, fits a modern med/large
- Pit to pit 22.5
- Shoulder to shoulder 19"
- Shoulder to cuff 24"
- Collar to hem 32.5"