THE JOURNAL
Fashion is a simple game sometimes. Silhouettes tend to get bigger or smaller in cycles. Sneakers and shoes right now? Low-profile and slim. Trousers are wide and tailoring is boxy. Over the past few years, shirts have taken a turn towards the loose and louche, with designers riffing on classic long-sleeve poplins and formal styles, worn untucked and carefree… or at least that’s the intention.
Sigurd Bank, who founded the brand mfpen in Copenhagen in 2015, draws much of the inspiration for his label from 1980s and 1990s pop culture along with an ironic glance at corporate culture, his designs occupying a space somewhere between strip-lit office and skate park.
“It’s always been about recontextualising the business stereotypes,” Bank says. “We like to use these traditional codes but play with the silhouettes, or the fabrics and details. We move a lot of textured shirts, which is cool, but my own favourites are crispy poplins in simple stripes.”
When it comes to wearing a simple “work” shirt that’s a size or two bigger than what might be considered the usual, the next approach is to treat the rest of the outfit with a similar disregard to sizing charts. Pleated wool trousers with a little bit of extra give in the leg, a classic trench or raglan-sleeve overcoat that falls low to the ground – smart clothes that are oversized without being silly.
“I tend to not style myself that much,” Bank says. “But I like a shirt with just a few closed buttons and then a tee or tank top underneath. Usually I unbutton the cuffs, so the sleeves become a bit sloppy.”
Other Scandinavian brands such as Our Legacy and NN07 have created their own take on big business shirts, along with the Munich-based label A Kind of Guise, whose relaxed Gusto and Telmen styles have been a popular offering for years.
“I think part of the appeal is that oversized shirts are easy to style,” says Rachel O-Williams, part of the Personal Shopping Team at MR PORTER. “You can dress them up or down without much fuss. Most importantly, they’re comfortable, which has become non-negotiable for a lot of people.”
More folky, homespun versions of oversized shirts are being made by the likes of Story mfg., BODE and Kartik Research, a young New Delhi-based brand with a burgeoning reputation, that works with regional artisans, employing techniques such as intricate Kantha embroidery and traditional block printing.
“For me, there are really two approaches to an oversized shirt once the temperature dips,” O-Williams says. “The first is treating it as the ‘look’ in itself. Think of a crisp buttoned shirt, most of the buttons done up, paired with relaxed jeans. The trick here is all in the details – you want the fabric, the fit and the wash to be spot-on. That way, you look elevated rather than like you’ve raided your dad’s wardrobe.
“The second route is to use the oversized shirt as a layering piece. Worn open over a T-shirt, it doubles as a light overshirt and when styled with relaxed tailoring, it suddenly feels office appropriate. I like finishing the look with something soft and indulgent on top, like a relaxed cashmere sweater.”