I can't recall ever seeing a picture of anyone wearing a navy OCBD, is/was it a rare color?
There was only that Steve McQueen picture for reference, otherwise I don't ever recall seeing it. I actually want to know the answer to this too, because I got the Kamakura one and I'm not too sure how to wear it. Maybe with chinos and a seersucker jacket?
Haha, thinking of buying that one too. Which fit?
I wear a Tokyo Medium, and it fits well. It's got a bit of billow for me, though. Nothing a military tuck doesn't fix. I'd recommend it, though the only problem is (obviously) the 3-inch collar. But not like you'd wear a tie with it anyway.
Actually, the one on the HATIL book with McQueen is a black shirt, Graham altered it after the shot was scanned as it had a blue hue and he felt it looked better, also the reason why he did a navy version with Kamakura.
I've got a couple of vintage navy shirts but they do seem to be a rarity.
Navy is listed as an option for their OCBD in a few old JPress catalogues/ads but I've never found one.
I think it was more a case of enhancing the blue cast rather than totally changing the colour, but see your point Stan.
Saying that you don't see many black BD shirts either
I would get a lot more miles out of a navy shirt rather than black, can't say a black shirt would work for me at all? Garçon....
/\ J. Press used to carry a great navy Viyella shirt, plain tennis collar and one flap pocket, I had one when I was in school, it was a staple of my winter wardrobe, truly loved it and it looked great .... wore the heck out of it ..... preferred it to the one in red, which I also had (see J. Press 1981 Fall/Winter catalog at #139)
currently have another lightweight wool/cotton long-sleeved sport shirt in navy that is similar but I don't get a chance to wear it, it hasn't been worn in years ....
also have had, and still have, buttondown pima broadcloth shirts from Andover and J. Press in tiny navy and white checks that look predominantly navy from a distance .....
and quite a few long-sleeved polo shirts in navy
all of those are/were sport shirts though ....
Bean has sold navy chamois shirts for years as well ...
in my mind's eye I can see various pop stars of the '60s in navy blue shirts but whether some of them were ocbds ain't exactly clear, for what it's worth .....
Stephen Stills, for example, is wearing what appears to be a navy chamois shirt on the cover of his first solo LP ......
a black ocbd is something untouchable for me but I could wear the right one in navy .....
Flicking through Hollywood & The Ivy Look today has Paul Newman, Woody Allen and Ralph Bellamy all in navy button down shirts.
Unseen, I don't have a copy of the book but is Woody's blue shirt actually navy blue? looks a bit more deep royal in the pics I'm seeing on the net ....?
it would be good to see those pics of Woody and Paul here .....
The Woody pic is hard to tell, possibly more royal blue but definitely not sky blue.
The Paul Newman picture is in B&W so only the caption says it is a navy popover BD shirt.
There are loads of navy polos in there substituting for shirts too.
Personally I think a navy BD is a nice thing in a soft fabric.
/\ I agree ... I'm a big fan of the navy blue polo shirt and as mentioned above one of my favorite shirts ever was a true navy blue J. Press Viyella shirt (albeit with plain collar) ....
I personally would love a navy ocbd in, as you suggest, a soft fabric .....
A button down polo shirt to me seems very wrong, just unnecessary whereas in a normal shirt I find it essential. Curious.
McQueen can wear anything but the navy OCBD is fundamentally wrong. Not prep at all.
/\ if I saw a good one I'd wear it as a sport shirt but I don't think I've ever seen one ....
denim shirts are not my thing but I used to have a navy Viyella shirt (plain collar, flap pocket) from J. Press bought in say 1980 (see The J. Press Brochure, Fall & Winter 1981, Item 139) that shirt was excellent and very wearable with jeans/cords and lambswool v-necks, and Sero had one in navy combed cotton lightweight flannel with open pocket and a properly rolling buttondown collar which looked great (although I only had it in hunter green, not navy), so I'd try a navy OCBD out if it wasn't shiny but like I said haven't seen one, wouldn't go as far as to have one made as an experiment ......
Never seen a navy OCDB, but I could certainly see how I'd wear one with a lighter colour/ brown jacket or tweed. Also look good with jeans and a khaki/ stone Harrington, as long as the jeans weren't too matchy.
Looking at the seams, Woody's shirt doesn't look like an oxford, more like an end on end maybe similar to the one BB still offers today.
http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Milano-Fit-Button-Down-Collar-Dress-Shirt/535Q,default,pd.html?dwvar_535Q_Color=BLUE&contentpos=20&cgid=