Issey Miyake Square Rib AP Top

Rib knit almost always runs one way, in vertical channels. Square rib runs both, so the surface becomes a grid, and light catches it as a texture rather than as a set of lines. That alone would make the cloth interesting. What makes the garment interesting is the sleeve, which carries multiple openings at the wrist, so where your hand emerges is a decision rather than a given. It is a small piece of engineering with a disproportionate effect: the same top can end at the wrist, past it, or short of it, and the proportion of the whole thing changes each time. Frost White is a cool, slightly blued pale that keeps the grid legible.

Why we selected it

The multiple wrist openings turn a simple cropped knit into something with several settings, and they cost the garment nothing in simplicity.

A garment that changes shape according to how the wearer puts it on is a recurring Issey Miyake proposition, and this is the quiet, wearable version of it.

Materials and construction

50% cotton, 47% nylon, and 3% polyurethane, made in Japan, in Frost White. The nylon gives the square rib its spring and definition; the polyurethane gives it recovery, which is what keeps the grid from going slack.

Fit notes

Cropped, with a ribbed collar and long sleeves. The rib has stretch and recovery, so it sits close without gripping. Where it ends on the body depends a good deal on what it is worn over.

Styling

The crop asks for a high waist beneath it. It layers well over something long and plain, and the wrist openings are worth playing with rather than defaulting to the longest one.

Care

A technical blend, so wash cool and keep heat away from it; the polyurethane is what holds the rib in shape. Our fabric care guide covers polyester, nylon, and technical cloth.

Related pieces

The Square Rib AP Tunic is the same cloth and the same wrist idea at full length. The Campagne Pant is the identical composition woven rather than knitted. Everything we carry from Issey Miyake is listed together.