Tibi Bio Twill Easy Tie Top

The hem is the design. It is cut asymmetrically rather than level, and it is meant to be worn either tied or loose, which are two genuinely different garments rather than one garment and a variation on it. Tied, the top gathers to one side and the line lifts diagonally across the hip. Loose, it hangs long and uneven, and the asymmetry reads as a cut rather than as an accident. Neither is the correct one.

What lets both work is the cloth. Tibi’s bio twill is a sanded Italian gabardine, mid-weight and with no stretch in it at all, and those two properties are exactly what an untied hem and a tied one respectively require. Without body, an asymmetric hem droops and looks like a mistake; without stiffness, a knot crushes into a permanent crease. A firm, sanded cotton holds a knot cleanly and releases it cleanly, which is why this is a garment rather than a styling instruction. The neck is a plain crew and the closure is a zip hidden at the back, so the entire front of the top is uninterrupted and the hem is the only thing happening.

Why we selected it

We are drawn to garments where the versatility is a consequence of the drafting rather than something added to it, and this is one of them: nothing has been attached to make the top adjustable, the hem is simply cut long and asymmetric and left to be used. It is also the top that solves the problem of what goes with a full trouser, since a shape this clean is what a triple pleat needs above it.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton, in the house’s bio twill, a sanded Italian gabardine. Made in China. Optic white. Crew neckline, asymmetrical hem, and a concealed zip at the back.

Fit notes

Cut clean through the body with the asymmetry at the hem rather than at the shoulder, so the fit decision is above the waist and the interest is below it. There is no stretch in the cloth at all, so take the size that closes comfortably rather than the one that nearly does. Tied, it wears shorter and closer to the body; loose, it reads longer and easier.

Styling

With the Bio Twill Triple Pleat Cropped Pant, one cloth top and bottom in two colours, which is more interesting than a match. Tied, over the Tropical Wool Maxi Skirt. Loose, over the Alec Jean in Classic Blue with a flat shoe. Under the Cavalier Twill Shrunken Blazer, hem loose, where the top’s length showing below a cropped jacket is the whole proportion.

Care

Wash cool and hang to dry, and press it if you want it crisp, which a sanded cotton takes well. Optic white is the colour that shows every mistake, so keep it away from fabric softener, which greys a white cotton over a season faster than washing does. Our care guidance covers cotton.

Related pieces

The same bio twill below the waist is the Bio Twill Triple Pleat Cropped Pant in Dark Navy. For a top with structure worked into the body instead of the hem, the Sculpted Cotton Long Sleeve Top. Layering With Tibi is the Library post that puts these together, and everything we currently hold from Tibi is listed together.