Mai-Gidah Shortsleeve Tunic Shirt with Wraparound Collar

The collar is the whole garment. It is built so that it can be worn standing up around the neck or folded flat against the shoulders, and the house calls it a chameleon collar, which is a fair description of a collar that is two collars. That is not a styling suggestion, it is a construction problem: a collar that stands needs enough height and enough body to hold itself, and a collar that lies flat needs enough softness to fall without a fold line, and one piece of cloth doing both has to be cut and interfaced to sit between those requirements rather than at either end of them. The cloth helps. Ninety percent cotton with ten percent rayon, and the rayon is there for hand: rayon is regenerated cellulose, it drapes where cotton stands, and a tenth of it is enough to take the papery edge off a cotton shirting without making it limp. The body is cut as a tunic, meaning long enough to be worn out rather than tucked, with short sleeves. The color is Bleached Carrot. Made in the Netherlands.

Why we selected it

A shirt that does two things usually does neither, and this one is the exception because the difference is built into the pattern rather than left to the wearer. The color is the second reason, and Bleached Carrot is a very difficult one to arrive at.

Mai-Gidah gives most of its garments one element that has been thought about harder than the rest, and on this shirt it is at the neck.

Materials and construction

Ninety percent cotton and ten percent rayon. Tunic length, short sleeves, and a collar built to stand or to lie flat. Color: Bleached Carrot. Made in the Netherlands.

Fit notes

Tunic length means it is cut to be worn out, and it will look wrong tucked into anything but a high waist. Short sleeves on a tunic want room through the body rather than a close fit, which is how it is cut. The rayon in the blend means it falls from the shoulder rather than standing away from it, so the length reads as line rather than as bulk.

Styling

Out, over the Corduroy High-Waisted Trousers or the Extra Classic Trousers, with the collar flat. Under the Sleeveless Jacket with Extruding Pockets, with the collar standing, since a stand collar is what a sleeveless outer layer needs at the neck.

Care

Rayon governs this shirt, not the cotton, even at a tenth. Rayon loses much of its strength when wet and shrinks in a way that does not come back, so wash cool and briefly by hand, dry flat rather than in a machine, and press on the reverse while slightly damp. Our care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The White Shirt with Autoportrait is the house’s other shirt, in pure cotton with a standard collar and a silkscreen print across it. Everything we carry from Mai-Gidah is listed together.