Massimo Alba Selma Shirt

The boyfriend fit is a real pattern decision rather than a marketing phrase. It means a shirt drafted with men's proportions, a wider shoulder, a straighter body, a longer sleeve, then cut for a woman's frame, and the effect depends entirely on the discrepancy being visible. A shirt that has merely been made slightly loose does not read as borrowed. This one does, and that is what keeps a white shirt from looking like uniform.

Lightweight linen is the right cloth for the idea, because linen slouches. It has no elasticity and a dry, slubbed surface, so a generous shirt in it collapses softly around the arm rather than holding a crisp silhouette, and the shape reads casual even when the shirt is buttoned. The pointed collar keeps a line at the neck, which is the one place a garment like this benefits from a little formality.

A white linen shirt gets worn more than almost anything else a woman owns, and the fit is the only variable that matters. This is the one that reads borrowed rather than oversized.

One hundred percent lightweight linen, made in Italy. Pointed collar, boyfriend fit. Colour: Bianco.

Cut deliberately generous through the shoulder and body, so it is meant to be roomy and sizing down will lose the point of it. Linen has no give, so take the size that lets you reach forward. It creases from the first hour and it softens substantially over a season. Sleeves are drafted long enough to roll.

With the Lois trousers, tucked, which is the cleanest version. Untucked over the Agone2 shorts. Under the Bali jacket in hemp, collar out. Half-tucked, if that is your habit, is what the cut anticipates.

Wash cool and hang to dry. Linen improves with washing and softens every time, so wash it freely. Press damp if you want it crisp for an evening. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

The Lois Trousers are the heavy linen cut high, the Nizza Shirt is the cotton jersey, the Bali Jacket in hemp is the jacket, the Agone2 Shorts are the corduroy, and the Genova Shirt in Soft Pink is the linen shirt cut closer. There is more on the house on the Massimo Alba designer page. Everything we carry from Massimo Alba is listed together.