Margaret Howell MHL Open Neck T-Shirt

Two decisions separate this from an ordinary t-shirt and both are about where cloth touches the body. The neck is opened rather than finished with a tight rib, so it sits away from the throat and lies along the collarbone instead of gripping it. The sleeves are cut oversized, so the arm has room and the shoulder line falls slightly off the shoulder. MHL by Margaret Howell has changed nothing else about it. Together they change what the garment does: it drapes from the neck and the shoulder rather than being held at both, which is why it reads as knitwear rather than as underwear.

Fit, styling, and care

Oversized at the sleeve and open at the neck; size on the body. Lettered sizing. Alone, or under the MHL Worker Jacket, where the open neck is what stops the two collars competing. Blue Marl is a heathered blue, meaning fibers of two shades spun together, so it reads soft rather than flat. Wash cool and dry flat. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

Most t-shirts are cut to fit and this one is cut to hang. That is a real distinction and there are not many of them at this end of the wardrobe.

One hundred percent cotton, made in Portugal. Open neckline, oversized sleeve. Color: Blue Marl.

The MHL Simple T-Shirt is knitted from cotton and linen together, which gives it a drier hand and a longer drape, and the MHL Big Pocket Swing Shirt is a cotton shirt cut to move away from the body. MHL by Margaret Howell is a line of its own rather than a part of the main Margaret Howell collection, and there is more on the house on the Margaret Howell designer page.