The classic button-up is a nondescript garment, so you’d be forgiven for not noticing, but women’s shirting has undergone a seismic shift. It’s everywhere on the runways and, more importantly, on the rack. More brands are taking on the category from a woman’s point of view, applying beloved elements of classic men’s shirting – construction, quality, and, often for women, an oversized fit – to a woman’s body.
“You can steal a man’s shirt, but it has limitations. The sleeves are too long, the fit is a little off—it’s going to look like you borrowed a man’s shirt,” said Olivia Villanti, founder of Mexico City-based atelier Chava Studio.
It’s not just Chanel and Charvet–though their collaboration for Matthieu Blazy’s first collection has brought more women to the world of bespoke, said Lizandra Cardoni, a tailor at century-old shirtmaker Budd London. For fall, Sarah Burton went big on the category at Givenchy, showing dramatic cuffs and collars alongside some reverso versions. There were shirts without collars and collars without shirts at Fendi, and sharp points peaking out from behind vests at Schiaparelli. Resort highlights included Balenciaga’s button-up with a draw-string bottom capable of giving off a puff effect, and shirting with priestly high collars at The Row.
In turn, more women are cutting out the middle man: no “boyfriend” necessary for the “boyfriend shirt”
Despite the much-hyped “borrowed from the boys” fantasy, the boyish charm of a loose-fitting shirt from the men’s section means sacrificing polish, said Pip Durell, founder of the 8-year-old London-based shirting brand With Nothing Underneath. Often, with a man’s shirt, the sleeves are too long, and the shoulder width is wrong, said Melissa Ventosa Martin, founder of the New York-based label Old Stone Trade.
Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Photo: Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com
Photo: Courtesy of The Row
