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, made on contract number NXSX 22028, with the contract dated between January and July 1943. It comes with a US Navy Reserve stamp to the upper back.
Condition
This example has been washed once, but otherwise deadstock
Size
- Tagged a 15 1/2
- Fits a modern large
- Pit to pit 23"
- Shoulder to shoulder 19"
- Shoulder to cuff 24"
- Collar to hem 33"