What is a Popover Shirt?

What is a popover shirt?

A popover shirt is a woven garment made with 100% Egyptian cotton that has 3 or 4 buttons at the top of the shirt. The 1 quarter placket stops at the center of the chest. Since the popover does not have a full placket with buttons going down the front, it must be “popped over” your head and shoulders to be worn. Due to the lack of stretch in a woven garment (as opposed to a knit garment), the body is cut a little looser to make it easier to put on and take off. This looser fit gives the popover a more casual, relaxed look. The best way to describe the popover is a polo shirt made with dress shirt fabric.

Like a polo shirt, popover shirts can come with long or short sleeves. Like their Indian “Kurta” top brethren, popovers can be found without a collar or a banded collar.

Hugh & Crye makes the following types of popovers: 1) The short-sleeved, banded collar popover, 2) the short-sleeved collarless popover, and 3) the long sleeve button-down collar popover

What occasion do you wear a popover shirt? What do you wear with a popover shirt?

Popovers are made with thinner fabric and thus make for a great summer shirt that dries quickly when wet -- a great option for the beach or in humid environments. This thinner fabric combined with the looser, more casual look makes the popover a great option for beach vacations.

The popover can be dressed up slightly with an unbuttoned denim or dress shirt. This allows the popover to be worn in a more chic setting. When worn with a casual blazer or with a sweater, the popover looks more like a dress shirt and can be worn to more formal settings. The thinner fabric makes popovers a great option for layering.