Shirt By Shirt

It's a beautiful thing when the unsung hero steps up to seize the acclaim that's rightly his; Willie Nelson quietly penned tunes for everyone from Patsy Cline to Orbison, and Carl's Jr. used to flip burgers for Carl's Sr. For a shirtmaker stepping into the spotlight, check out Shirt By Shirt.

After seven years of designing and producing private label shirts for Euro brands like Zegna Sport and J. Lindberg, SBS wised up and just started slapping their own label on the stuff; their summer collection rocks super-thin longsleeve buttondowns in slim-but-not-Iggy Pop cuts, with stitching and fabric deets that make you feel special, even though your mom can't say that with a straight face. Cowboy shirts include a bone number with pearly white snap buttons, brown contrast stitching, and rivets holding up the breast pockets; another in a blue/black/red plaid, with the plaid diagonal on the yoke, contrast cuff fabric when you roll up the sleeves; and a third in a picnic-y brown check (again, diagonal on the yoke), with tan contrast stitching, and stone-like snaps (cause even cowpokes like to rock). Non-cowboy jobs include a light blue plaid with yellow contrast stitching and blue gingham inside the cuff/collar; a lavender micro-plaid with interior solid purple; and one in light taupe with yellow detail, for a little fashion jaundice.

There's also one short sleever, in a loosely woven red/white micro-plaid with brown accents and brown snaps like the cowboy shirts, but yokeless -- exactly how Carl's Sr. wished his wife's egg was, so he could remain the dominant Carl.