Fashion: Denim Shirts (the polyester alternative)

[Anthropologie $88]

There’s a denim shirt craze going on out there. Every retailer has denim up front and center for spring, and I’m starting to take notice for more reasons than its fashionable appeal. You see, this embarrassing horrible thing happens to me sometimes — my skin without warning breaks out in hives for seemingly no reason at all. I began to suspect that perhaps I was allergic to elastic materials or polyester because these rashes tended to be at points of contact with my clothing. I checked the labels of all my clothes and realized that polyester and polyester blends were in almost everything! Ah. Even if most of the shirt was cotton, straps and linings were not. So, for a short while I went on a polyester hiatus and searched for 100% cotton clothes. Not an easy task. What I found were generally boring: white T shirts, yoga pants. Mom stuff. But one thing that was sure to always be 100% cotton were denim shirts, so I bought a few. And was pleasantly surprised at how chic they looked when tucked into shorts, a skirt, or slacks with a bright belt. Most fashionable clothes that are 100% cotton will run you over a $100, but for some reason it is very easy to find affordable 100% cotton denim shirts at almost any store without having to sacrifice on quality. Here’s some of my finds from various catalogs and retailers: