Issey Miyake Pleats Please Monthly Colors: July Shirt

The interesting thing here is a single button. The neckline is built in layers, and that button at the shoulder is what decides which of two garments you are wearing. Left undone, the layers lie open and the neckline is flat and wide. Fastened, the same cloth is drawn up and gathers into a soft cowl at the throat. It is a genuine change of shape rather than an adjustment of fit, and it costs the garment nothing: no extra construction, no visible hardware, just one fastening placed where it can do the most work. Sleeveless and in black, the neckline is the only place anything happens, which is precisely why it has been given two states.

Why we selected it

One button that produces two necklines is a very economical piece of design, and it is the kind of detail that makes a plain black top worth owning.

Garments the wearer completes are a recurring Issey Miyake proposition, and this is a small, practical instance of it.

Materials and construction

100% polyester, made in Japan, in black. Signature pleating, sleeveless, with a layered neckline that can be worn open or buttoned at the shoulder.

Fit notes

Sleeveless. The neckline sits wide when open and closer when buttoned, which changes how much shoulder shows. Pleated cloth opens out in wearing.

Styling

Worth deciding which neckline the rest of the outfit wants before dressing. The cowl reads softer and suits a sharper bottom half; open reads cleaner and suits volume below.

Care

The pleats are heat-set into the polyester and are permanent, so it washes without losing them. Wash at 30°C or below in a laundry net on a short cycle, or press gently by hand, and never tumble dry, iron, steam, or dry clean. Store it rolled along the direction of the pleats. Our fabric care guide covers polyester and technical cloth.

Related pieces

The Monthly Colors August Dress and the January Dress are from the same series. Everything we carry from Issey Miyake is listed together.