4S Designs Knit BD Shirt Western

A knitted shirt and a woven shirt are two different garments that happen to share a name. A woven shirt holds a shape and creases; a knit follows the body, gives at the shoulder and the elbow, and recovers. Put a button-down front on a knit and you get the collar and the placket of a shirt with none of the stiffness, which is the entire proposition here. The cloth is one hundred percent cotton and textured rather than smooth, so it has enough surface to read as a considered garment instead of a polo. The western references are worked in rather than declared: the description is that they are subtly integrated throughout, and that restraint is what stops the shirt becoming a costume. Grey, which is the color a textured knit is most legible in, because a flat color would hide the surface and a strong one would hide the detailing.

Why we selected it

Western detailing is almost always applied loudly, in yokes and snaps and piping, and it dates fast. Worked quietly into a knit, it lasts, and it is much easier to actually wear.

The house takes an established garment language and takes the volume down rather than up, and this is the plainest example of that in the collection.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton, knitted, with a textured face. Made in Italy. Button-down front, with western-inspired detailing integrated throughout. Color: Grey.

Fit notes

Sized M and L. A knit shirt sits closer than a woven one and moves with the shoulder rather than against it, so it layers under a jacket without the bunching a woven shirt gives at the arm. Cotton knits will give across a day and come back with washing.

Styling

Under the Long Sleeve Organza Shirt Blazer or the Leather Denim Utility Jacket, both of which want a plain layer beneath. With the W Utility Pant or the Mil Pant, where the western reading is at its most coherent. Tucked or not, since the hem is not doing anything.

Care

Cotton governs. Wash cool and gently, then dry flat rather than on a hanger, because a cotton knit will lengthen at the shoulder under its own weight if it is hung wet. Press on the reverse. Our care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Knit BD Shirt Animal is knitted in cotton too, with the print built into the knit rather than printed onto it. Everything we carry from 4S Designs is listed together.