Margaret Howell Monogram Shirt

Almost everything worth knowing about this shirt is a decision somebody made not to do something. The cut is boxy, which means the body is cut straight from the shoulder rather than shaped to the waist, so the shirt hangs off the frame instead of following it. The buttons are mother-of-pearl, which is shell rather than plastic: cold to the hand, faintly uneven in color, and different on every shirt because no two pieces of shell are the same. The cloth is Japanese organic cotton, and Japanese shirting is a category of its own for a specific and unglamorous reason, which is that the mills there weave slowly and at low tension, so the cloth comes off the loom with more air in it and more give than a fast-woven equivalent of the same weight. Then there is a monogram on the pocket, two letters, small enough that most people will never see it. A house that puts its initials on a shirt at that scale is making a point about the scale rather than about the initials. It is the opposite of a logo, and it is the most Margaret Howell thing on the garment.

Why we selected it

The plain shirt is where a design house is easiest to judge, because there is nothing to hide behind. This one is judged on its cloth, its cut, and its buttons, which is the correct list.

Margaret Howell has built a fifty-year practice on shirting specifically, and the boxy body with shell buttons is the form she keeps returning to.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent Japanese organic cotton, made in Italy. Boxy collared body, mother-of-pearl buttons, chest pocket with a small MH monogram. Color: Faded Grey.

Fit notes

Boxy through the body and wide at the shoulder, so it sits away from the chest and does not need to be tucked to look finished. Organic cotton woven at low tension softens noticeably in the first few washes and then stays where it lands. Faded Grey is a color that reads differently under electric light than under daylight, which is worth knowing before it arrives.

Styling

Buttoned to the top with nothing at the neck, over the pleated crop trouser. Or open over a plain merino crew, which is the version we would wear most. It goes under the flap pocket blazer without bulk because the body is boxy rather than full.

Care

Wash cool and hang to dry. Mother-of-pearl is shell and it will chip against a machine drum, so turn the shirt inside out or use a bag. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Bib Front Shirt carries its structure in a doubled panel across the chest, and the Three Button Shirt is a light cotton with most of the placket left off. Everything we carry from Margaret Howell is listed together.