Meet the season's sassiest new personality shirts
Soon comes the season of the statement shirt. Here's how to own it without overdoing it
As the weather warms up and our little spring jackets get shed, its invariably our shirts which become the sartorial stars of the show. But that doesn’t mean you should start dressing like Timmy Mallet or Magnum PI, because right now it’s all about statement shirts which whisper rather than screech.
Herewith, a close edit of the finest statement summer shirts to invest in this silly season.
1 | The Victorian Funeral on Poppers One
Yes, I’m starting strong, but who doesn’t want to spend the amount of a flight to Australia on a shirt that makes them look like the ghost in The Woman in Black?
This tie-fronted shirt from Dior is extra and ridiculous, but will look great worn with close-cut black tailoring at the wedding of your ex. Gauzy black veil and deathly pallor, optional.
2 | The Night to Day One
Technically this is a shirt to sleep in, but Tekla Fabrics makes such lovely nightwear in brilliantly soft jewel tones that it seems a shame to reserve them solely for sojourns between the sheets. I’m particularly taken with this washed teal number.
3 | The One to Wear in Ibiza
SMR Days was co-founded by my friends Adam, Dan and Gautam a few years ago, and the brand specialises in super-summery pieces cut from hand-printed and woven fabrics sourced from India.
Side note: this burgundy collarless pop-over will look great teamed with your leopard print CDLP swimmers from last week’s newsletter.
4 | The Shirt as Cape
I love this dramatic Trench Coat-cum-Cape Shirt from Homme Plisse by Issey Miyake. The cut speaks to the brand’s minimalist Japanese roots and the fabric is thick enough that it can be worn alone on warmer days or as a layer when the temperature drops.
5 | The One to Wear at La Colombe D’Or
No one does summer dressing better than Simon Porte Jacquemus. This roomy shirt has Alexander-Calder-mobile-meets-Mattise-paper-cut-out vibes (only with a more muted tone) and is extra appealing for it.
Team with white denim and a tanned, sweat-speckled chest for peak Jacquemus dans La Colombe D’Or aesthetic.
6 | The Something of the Night One
Delos is by far my favourite purveyor of ridiculously luxurious, super silky summer shirts. This midnight blue pussy bow style would look as good worn with wide-leg matching trousers for a night in the Chora on Mykonos, as it will with a pair of slim white jeans for a summery mid-week lunch at Le Petit Maison.
7 | The Saint Laurent Cosplay One
Less a shirt, more a jacket, use Yves Saint Laurent (the man, not the brand) as your reference when it comes to wearing a safari shirt with style. This one from Dries Van Noten will look best teamed with some matching trousers and a pair of aviators. Oh, and a tan. Always a tan.
8 | The Sunny One
This oversized shirt in faded lemon from my current favourite British brand, Studio Nicholson, is perfect for everyday wear. Sport it alone with some blue jeans and caramel leather sandals or team with a white vest and blue chinos for a (slightly) smarter vibe.
9 | The Sexy Scarlet One
Wear this slinky little number solo, with a pair of tiny black speedos, sea-water-slicked-back-hair and a come-hither smirk. There’s no other way.
10 | The Beautifully Blousy One
This excellent silk and cotton-mix shirt from Our Legacy is a lighter, slightly dressier version of the Studio Nicholson one above, and can be swapped in with the same style of outfit, as you see fit.
11 | The Wear at a Wedding to SHOCK One
Silly, cute, smart. Wear this shirt by young British designer Steven Stokey-Daley under a tonal blue suit at a wedding and remove your jacket during the speeches to give the elderly attendees the sexy distraction they’ll be craving.
12 | The One to Go with Swimming Trunks and a Suit
I found this cut-price Giorgio Armani shirt on Yoox and I can’t stop thinking how good it would look with my roomy, midnight blue wool twill suit from Studio Nicholson. Did someone say “STEALING THE BRIDE AND GROOM’S THUNDER”?!
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