If you’ve lived in Florida for any period of time, you know. If you’re new here, you’re likely learning. Florida heat is no joke, and it often makes having a style game a major challenge. What I quickly learned growing up in the Sunshine State was that “dressing up” sometimes felt synonymous with “sweating profusely.” But what I also learned (out of necessity) was there are ways to combat the heat, wear pieces you like, and still manage to look and feel good!

My family has always been into denim. One of the coolest pieces of my dad’s clothing is a 46-year-old pair of Levi denim overalls, which he often wore without a shirt! Naturally, I was born loving and appreciating denim culture. I guess you could say it’s “in my jeans.” Yet wearing quality denim when it’s 90 degrees and humid outside doesn’t always feel like the most appropriate option. Terrible puns aside, I’m going to give you a little secret. It’s called chambray.

What is chambray? Glad I asked for you! Put simply, it’s a plain, weave-structured fabric. A simple over-under pattern with the weft fiber being white and the warp fiber often dyed blue, making it look strikingly similar to denim but feel thinner. Basically, chambray fabric looks like denim and feels like linen – great news for Floridians.

Why is the chambray shirt important? It’s cross-seasonal. Chambray shirts look too good for one season to have full exclusivity of them. It’s versatile. You can wear it with a suit and tie. You can have that denim-on-denim look by wearing it with jeans. You can wear it with board shorts over a white tee when you head to the beach.

It’s lightweight. Because of its plain weave construction, it gives you the heavier rugged denim look without the weight and heat. Now, this doesn’t mean there can’t be lighter denim shirts, but typically stores sell light fabric chambray shirting more often. So if you enjoy living in Florida but would like to wear more than just tank-tops every day, invest in the chambray train. It won’t weave you hot. I’m officially done with the puns…for now.

This won’t be the last time I talk about combatting Florida’s aggressive rays with your style game – frankly, because this won’t be the only time of year that it’s hot. So, keep coming back each month to check out what’s new in our Nonahood News Menswear Column. If you have a question, concern, or would like us to address a specific topic, let us know by contacting us at http://nonahood.to/menswear.