Navy does something a plain black cami cannot quite manage. It has the same ease against the skin and the same low, unfussy neckline, but it reads softer, less severe under office lighting and considerably easier to wear against pale denim or a cream trouser without the stark contrast that black sometimes brings. That slight shift in tone is the whole case for the category, and it is why a good navy cami earns a permanent place near the front of the drawer rather than getting shuffled to the back after one summer.
The construction is where the good ones separate themselves from the disappointing ones. Look at the strap width first, because anything under about half an inch tends to dig in and twist by mid afternoon, and adjustable straps matter more than people expect since a cami sits or falls based on a few millimetres at the shoulder. The fabric should have a bit of weight to it, a silk or a substantial satin backed crepe rather than a thin stretch jersey that clings and shows every seam of what is underneath.
A bias cut or a slightly gathered front helps it move rather than stick, and a hem that sits straight rather than curving up at the sides will layer far more convincingly under a blazer or a shirt.
Styling one is less about finding an occasion and more about finding the right second layer. Underneath a sharply cut blazer with the sleeves pushed up, it does smart casual without looking like an afterthought. Buttoned into a slouchy shirt left open, it becomes the quiet base note for a weekend look with straight leg jeans and flat boots.
For evening, a navy cami tucked into a high waisted skirt with gold jewellery and a heel does far more than its price point suggests, precisely because navy photographs richer than black under warm light and reads less obviously like eveningwear trying too hard.
What to avoid is anything with a built in shelf bra that puckers after two washes, or a neckline cut so low it needs constant adjusting. A cami should behave itself once it is on. The best ones disappear into whatever else is happening in the outfit and let the tailoring, the trouser, the jewellery do the talking, which is precisely why they keep getting reached for.
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