A button-up is the versatile summer staple that never goes out of style. Whether you prefer casual checks or dressy whites, we have gathered the best seasonal offerings to satisfy all of your shirting needs this summer, ensuring you'll beat the heat and make the most of the breezy weather. You'll never be caught off the style cuff.
Margaret Howell
Sea Island Cotton shirt, by Margaret Howell
Celebrating 50 years of design, Margaret Howell has released a limited-edition collection of her first classic shirt designs. Using Sea Island Cotton woven by David and John Anderson, who’ve supplied the British brand since the 70s, both the Classic and the Collarless shirt are excellent options when updating our summer wardrobes. Initially designed for men, the styles have since their conception evolved to embrace a unisex clientele with both men and women favouring the fit. Individually made in Margaret Howell’s Edmonton Factory, the sharp cut styles feature larger breast pockets, glistening white buttons and a straight silhouette.
L.E.J
Left, pocket officer's shirt in blue and white cotton poplin. Right, selvedge blouson in Japanese hickory, by L.E.J
According to L.E.J founder, Luke Walker, the brand's shirts look better three years after they've been produced. ‘When I use the word better, I mean worn, used, travelled, experienced, weathered, frayed, and loved,' he says. Blending utility and luxury, the new shirting brand is all about being worn and loved. For the summer collection, this means a versatility in the design, with he shirts created with the artist in mind. Think Lucien Freud, Peter Lindbergh, Richard Burton. ‘I know that I'm not re-inventing the wheel. That's what I find the most interesting,' Walker says. ‘How people take the same ingredients and make something different every time.'
Loro Piana
André shirt in optical white, by Loro Piana
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Loro Piana’s André shirt is the shirt for any quintessential gentleman or woman. Inspired by Neapolitan tailoring traditions and first introduced in the ’90s, the André shirt is the perfect embodiment of the Italian fabrication expert. Focusing on the details and construction of collar and cuff, the simple shirt is a blank canvas that can be styled to suit any occasion. The rounded cuffs are finished off with Australian mother of pearl buttons and the silhouette feature two small side pleats to ensure comfort and ease.
Crista Seya
Handmade poplin Mao shirt with fringed collar, by Salvatore Piccolo and Crista Seya
The first Crista Seya and Salvatore Piccolo capsule was conceived in 2017 over pizza in Naples. Crista Seya's founder and creative director, Cristina Casini, explains how valuable the collaboration with Piccolo is. ‘His savoir-faire is unequalled and his fabric archive amazing,' she says of the Italian shirtmaker. ‘It is in Piccolo's Ali Baba cave of fabric wonders that the design process starts'. For Edition #14, the inspiration comes from vivacity that surrounds African fashion aesthetics. ‘The idea of mixing up very different fabrics, patterns, textures and colours without any pre-concepts and in total freedom,' Casini adds. ‘It is very elegant and modern at the same time.'
Paul Smith
For S/S 2020, British brand Paul Smith explores imperfect art processes and pays homage too naive printing techniques with a rambunctious collection of mismatched shirts. Mixing wide and thin stripes in a myriad of colours, the designer attributes his inspiration to 70’s downtown New York and the creative individuals who were part of the Soho’s burgeoning art scene. The shirts are a sartorial kaleidoscope of collaged cotton and screen prints, with the striped patterns produced in-house. We are especially smitten with the cartoon bunny.
INFORMATION
loropiana.com
