How To Pull Off the Crochet Shirt Like a Pro, According to the Pros

Break the news to your camp shirts gently: there’s a new contender for summer button-up supremacy. This season, brands are going all-in on the crochet shirt, helping style-minded fellas catch a breeze and add some extra sauce to their get-ups in the process.

If these button-ups invite nostalgia for weekends spent at Nana’s house, well, that’s kind of the point. In the case of Portuguese Flannel’s aptly-named Grandma Knit shirt, founder Antonio Magalhães’s took inspiration from the patterned towels his grandmother used to make by hand. Despite the wholesome origins, though, there’s something inherently sexy about a shirt that shows off a little skin—even more so when it’s done up in the dainty fabrics otherwise found in the women’s section. “Fabrics that are normally used by women’s brands are really pleasing to the eye,” Magalhães says. “When I wear these shirts, my wife and other people like it. They like to see [those types of fabrics] on a man.”

Most crochet shirts come done up in subtle eggshell tones, and much like their exuberant camp shirt counterparts, they’re way easier to make your own than you might expect. “They’re so versatile,” says Sydney Lopez, a stylist who’s dressed Nick and Joe Jonas in an endless variety of crochet shirts over the last few months. “They can be dressed up and down for summer and hot days, and are a great statement piece when worn casually.” In other words, they’re shirts you can wear under a suit at your best bud’s beach wedding, then again the following morning when you hit the sand with absolutely nothing on the schedule.

Still not convinced you’ve got the juice to pull one off? Magalhães and Lopez know you can—and to prove it, they helped us illustrate just how simple it is to weave some crochet into your wardrobe right now.

Keep It Simple

You don’t need Nick Jonas’s chiseled frame to rock his crochet Bode shirt—a simple “add to cart” will take care of that—but a few tips on how to wear it from Sydney Lopez, his stylist, can’t hurt. “Don’t overthink it or over-accessorize,” Lopez says, noting that, especially in the case of an Emily Bode special, the shirt will do most of the work for you. To her, crochet shirts encapsulate the more adventurous, risk-taking state of men’s fashion in 2023; she recommends wearing one with a simple tank top and retro-tinged, high-waisted trousers. Just don’t be shocked if onlookers start snapping impromptu fit pics when they think you’re not looking.

Bode flagship cottton-rocchet shirt

Uniqlo dry color ribbed tank top

Casatlantic “Safi” trousers

Todd Snyder tuscan leather double strap sandal

Miansai 14K gold vermeil chain necklace

Your Wedding Season Secret Weapon

Invited to yet another summer wedding, but sick of sitting through ceremonies in a starchy button-up and tie? Good news: Crochet shirts are built for moments like this. Swedish imprint Séfr sells one in a refined geometric pattern, but that’s merely a cover for the real draw: its airflow-enhancing open weave design. If you want to go full cabana club, wear the shirt collar splayed out over the lapels of a slouchy linen suit and finish off the look with two-tone loafers. We can smell the cigar smoke already.

Ahlem “Le Marais” D-frame sunglasses

J.Crew Italian herringbone linen-cotton suit jacket

J.Crew Italian herringbone linen-cotton suit pants

Uniqlo cotton ribbed socks

Blackstock & Weber “Ellis” penny loafers

Embrace the Retro Swagger

You likely own most of the pieces Portuguese Flannel’s Antonio Magalhães likes to wear with his brand’s Grandma Knit shirt: crisp trousers, a classic leather belt, a great-fitting sport coat. With a button-up that packs this much swagger, they really are all you need to transform your look from corner-office casual to after-hours all-star—especially if you make like Magalhães and rock yours open over a tee. You can’t go wrong with a pair of polished penny loafers, but retro-leaning suede sneakers add a welcome dose of visual oomph.

Portguese flannel grandma knit camp collar shirt

Drake’s unstructured “Games” blazer

Buck Mason pima classic tee

COS tapered linen tailored pants

Take It to the Beach

When you want stand out in a sea of striped tank tops and graphic tees, a crochet knit polo is equally airy and a whole lot cooler. There’s no need to double down on the big swings, either—a solid-colored bathing suit will let your shirt get the shine it deserves. Ditch the spring break wraparounds for low-key tinted lenses, swap out your rubber flip-flops for woven huaraches, and voilà: you’re left with a look that’ll make you the flyest guy at the beach, but will also look swell at the hotel bar after a quick dip.