A customer came in to select cloth for a new denim shirt but when flicking through the samples, they selected a light blue chambray. And then asked:
"What's the difference between Chambray and Denim?"
As with so many sartorial words and phrases, both of these words have developed loose definitions in recent years. But in their truest meaning denim is a cotton warp-faced twill weave with a blue warp thread and a white weft thread. Chambray is a plain weave, also with a blue warp and white weft. So really the only difference between them is that one has a diagonal weave and the other a straight. Use of the two colours of thread gives both an uneven or mottled appearance which develops a beautiful patina over time and gives these fabrics their depth of character.
In practice, denim is a much tougher material. Originally developed for the cowboys of the Camargue (denim or De Nimes means from the French city of Nimes), it was adopted by Levi Strauss and turned into the behemoth we know today. The twill weave made it possible to use thick, strong yarn and still have it feel flexible and comfortable. That tough yarn is still part of the appeal today, I don’t know about you but I want to know that jeans are going to last for years.
Chambray is typically a much lighter fabric. Also birthed in France, it has a finer spun yarn and is more like a typical shirting. Over the years it has come to be used for all sorts of colours aside from blue and as long as the warp is a colour and the weft is white then I’ll let it go.
Fun fact, chambray was such a reliable cloth that in the 20th Century much workwear was made from it, leading to the phrase “blue collar jobs” when referring to manual labour jobs. That blue collar was more than likely made of chambray.
So given that the actual difference is the style of weave, and the practical difference is the weight of the cloth which should you use for what?
A true denim shirt is ideal if you want something which doubles up as outerwear. Perhaps you want to wear it open over a shirt or a little oversized like a chore jacket. It will be hardy and durable and change beautifully over time.
If you are looking for something which will wear more like a typical shirt, perhaps to wear for work or even under a suit then chambray is the one. I absolutely love a light chambray shirt with a navy flannel suit. It has so much more depth than a plain blue poplin or Oxford and double points if you pair it with a tie. The high-low of formal tie with informal workwear is so good.
My favourite “denim” shirt recently fell to pieces and I am looking to replace it. I use denim in quotation marks because it is definitely a chambray but like so many others I have always referred to it is my denim shirt and when paired with jeans I am accused of wearing double denim.