It’s warm again, and I’m asking myself the same old question – ‘Why on earth don’t I own more button-up shirts?‘ In reality, I own plenty of button-up shirts – two drawers filled to the brim, to be exact – but hardly any are quite right…
Old Polo Ralph Lauren shirts with that weird low-hanging cut. Thick flannels that are much too warm. Weird collars, bad fits, ghastly checked patterns. Button-up shirts are part of your wardrobe that I once thought you could sort by a couple of trips to the charity shop, but the contents of my drawers will tell you that’s absolutely not the case.
Shirts should be treated with the utmost respect. A sentiment that few brands seem to appreciate more than Café Mountain – a Northeast-based brand that treats shirts with the same attention to detail as jackets and trainers.
Café Mountain has proven its dedication to shirting time and time again with various beautifully checked, finely crafted button-ups – but their latest High Summer drop contains some of their finest work to date.
For the release, Café Mountain exchanged the lush countryside and rolling hills of the North East of England for the patchwork terraces and snaking canals of Amsterdam. After arriving in the Dutch capital, they met up with digital content creator and tastemaker Clayton Chambers for an editorial featuring the shirts.
The release spans two different shirt styles across five fantastic patterns. The Heritage Shirt (Café Mountain’s do-it-all, single breast-pocketed shirt) arrives in a pink seersucker, a rich ocean indigo, a deep navy and an incredible earth-toned madras. Accompanying is the double breast-pocketed Workers Shirt, coming in a season-appropriate sky blue accentuated by an off-white check.
Seeing the shirts breathe on the streets of Amsterdam while Clayton played tour guide to all of his favourite spots only makes us love them even more. The colours, fabrics and patterns all complement the city’s energy, which anyone who has visited will know can switch from relaxing to hectic at the drop of a hat.
Relaxing seemed to be the mood of the day; however, as Clayton cruised through Amsterdam’s side streets and into Vondelpark, where, against all odds, he enjoyed a hot dog without spilling mustard or ketchup onto the finely checked garb.
All in all, it’s another great job from a brand that has already cemented its place in the shirting game. Pair that with Clayton’s approval, and that should tell you everything you need to know about Café Mountain’s dedication to the craft.
Find out more about Café Mountain’s High Summer Shirt release at cafe-mountain.com
