Zip Shirt
We’re very fond of a shirt with a zip, whether a quarter or half zip or a full zip design like our new Checks Zip Shirt. It lends the item a certain practicality for throwing on and off, simpler to undo than buttons, adding to the transeasonal appeal of the garment, placing it somewhere firmly between a shirt and a jacket. The unusuality the zip adds to the garment is well complimented by the tactile or patterned fabrics utilised – there’s a nice contrast between the heavy hardware of the zip and the soft fuzzy textured fabric.
The shirt has roots in workwear with its dual chest pockets including pencil divider, harking back to ubiquitous workwear labels like Ben Davis and Dickies. Not satisfied with a simple update on a classic, the fabric is where these shirts really leap in to a category of their own.
Contrasts are a favourite tool of ours when designing to draw in various references, and this felt like the perfect opportunity to utilise this tiger printed faux fur which has a short pile to make up with enough structure in this style. It feels surprisingly light against the skin and its bold pattern is undeniable. Alongside this is a cotton velveteen in a duck egg blue colour, its short napped surface having a similarly textural appeal and the pastel shade well suited to the spring season.
We really like this style for its benefits when layering is important, at a time of year when a tee might not cut it on its own, an easy to throw on layer like this sits perfectly on top of a base layer. It looks really great layered over another shirt like an OCBD or polo and the shorter length of it and square hem are suited perfectly to pairing with shorts.
