Harris Wharf London Crinkle Top

A crinkle is a texture set into the cloth rather than pressed onto it, and once set it is what the garment is. It does two useful things. It lifts the fabric off the skin, so a crinkled top sits on the high points and leaves air everywhere else, which is why the texture belongs to hot weather. And it means the garment cannot look creased, because it already does, which removes ironing from the relationship entirely. Here it is knitted rather than woven, and the polyamide and elastane in the blend are what hold the crinkle rather than letting it relax out under the weight of the cloth. Sleeveless, with a small collar standing at the base of the neck rather than a plain round opening, which is a detail that reads as considered from a distance of about six feet and costs nothing in comfort.

A sleeveless top that is neither a vest nor a shell is harder to find than it should be. The collar is what lifts this one out of that category.

Eighty percent cotton, eighteen percent polyamide, and two percent elastane, knitted with a crinkle texture, made in Italy with Japanese cloth. Sleeveless, unlined, with a collar at the base of the neck. Color: Off White.

A crinkled knit with elastane in it follows the body loosely and returns, so it is forgiving without being shapeless. Sleeveless tops are decided at the shoulder and the armhole, and the crinkle means the cloth will not cling at the waist.

Off-white against anything darker. Under the Stand Up Collar Blazer Honeycomb or the Women Stand Up Collar Blazer, where a sleeveless top under a jacket is the whole point. With a wide trouser in summer and nothing over it.

Wash cool and let it dry on its own. Keep it out of a hot dryer and away from an iron entirely: heat is what releases a crinkle, and two percent elastane will not survive it either. Our general guidance on elastane in blends covers the rest.

The Geometric Dress with Pockets is knitted virgin wool with the hems left raw rather than turned. There is more on the house on the Harris Wharf London designer page. Everything we carry from Harris Wharf London is listed together.