Camiel Fortgens Boxy Shirt

Four things distinguish this shirt and three of them are things most makers would tidy away. The hems are raw, which is to say the cloth is left cut rather than turned and stitched. The buttons are large, larger than a shirt of this weight would normally take, and a button that size stops being a fastening and starts being a feature. The pockets are patched on and placed unusually. The fourth thing is the cut, which is square through the body, so the shirt hangs from the shoulder in a straight line instead of following the chest. None of that is difficulty for its own sake. A short-sleeved cotton shirt is the plainest garment in a summer wardrobe, and these are the four decisions that keep it from disappearing into the background.

Why we selected it

Short-sleeve shirts are usually either a holiday garment or an office one. This is neither, and the lilac is a real color rather than a hedge, which is rarer than it should be.

Leaving an edge cut rather than finished is a house habit rather than a one-season idea, and this shirt is the plainest thing to carry it.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton, made in Portugal. Short sleeves, raw hems throughout, oversized buttons, and patch pockets. Color: Lilac. We hold no measurements for this shirt.

Fit notes

Boxy through the body, which means the width is doing the work and the length is what to choose for. A square cut sits away from the waist, so it works untucked and looks wrong tucked. Raw hems soften with washing and will fray a little at the edge before settling. That is the finish behaving as intended rather than the shirt failing.

Styling

With the Suit Pants for the version that reads dressed. With the Normal Jeans for the one that does not. Under the Simple Jacket when the sleeves need covering.

Care

Wash cool and gently, and let it dry flat or on a line. A raw edge frays fastest in a hot machine and a hot dryer, so a cool wash is not fussiness on this shirt, it is what keeps the hem where the maker left it. Our care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Inside-Out Basic Shirt is the same cotton with its seams exposed rather than its hems, and the Big Shirt Blockprint is the oversized cut with a print carried front and back. Everything we carry from Camiel Fortgens is listed together.