Issey Miyake Chiffon Twist Shirt- Black

A straight pleat falls straight. A twisted one spirals, and the light running down it turns with it, which is why this cloth appears to move even when the wearer is standing still. The base is chiffon-weight and semi-sheer, so the twist is visible as much through the fabric as on it, and the two readings sit on top of each other. Fine pleating at this scale is a slow process and it is what keeps the garment weightless despite carrying several times its apparent area in cloth. A mock neck and a long sleeve keep the shape plain, which is correct: the surface is doing enough, and anything more at the neckline would compete with it.

A twisted pleat is a much harder thing to execute than a straight one and it changes how the garment reads in motion. The plain neckline is what lets you see it.

Fine pleating is the technique Issey Miyake is best known for, and twisting it is the studio refusing to leave a solved problem alone.

100% polyester, made in Japan, in black. Semi-sheer, finely pleated, with a mock neckline and long sleeves.

Pleated garments size unusually. The cloth compresses considerably and opens as it is worn, so expect more room than the flat garment suggests. Semi-sheer, which is worth planning for.

Being semi-sheer, what goes under it is part of the garment rather than hidden by it. A plain solid beneath keeps the twist legible; anything busy will fight it.

The pleats are heat-set into the polyester, which is why they are permanent and why it washes without losing them. Miyake's own instruction is to wash at 30°C or below in a laundry net on a short cycle, or press gently by hand, and never to tumble dry, iron, steam, or dry clean, since the pleats are not heat-resistant. Store it rolled along the direction of the pleats. Our fabric care guide covers polyester and technical cloth.

The Chiffon Twist Top in red and the Chiffon Twist in Pink Robin are the same twist in other colours. The Wooly Pleats Shirt is a semi-sheer pleated top built by a different route. Everything we carry from Issey Miyake is listed together.