Pip Durell always found the lack of women’s shirting brands one of fashion’s great mysteries. Most of her female friends and relatives wore shirts at least a couple of times a week and cared about the cut, fit and quality. Yet, most stores failed to cater to them.
After years of stealing shirts from her boyfriends to wear with jeans and skirts, and over bikinis, she decided to quit her job as a stylist at British Vogue and start making them herself. The result was her brand, With Nothing Underneath.
“Between shape options and material options, we are able to say to any woman of any size or age, ‘We have something for you,’” she adds. “It really is the most democratic item of clothing.”
Thankfully, this is changing. This season, women’s shirts are dominating both designer and mid-range collections and leapfrogging from the “work” section of wardrobes onto the main stage.
Buy less but Bettter: unsold menswear upcycled into timeless womenswear
Buy less but Bettter: unsold menswear upcycled into timeless womenswear
Luxury brands in particular have focused on women’s shirts in their core collections. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons made shirts the linchpin of Prada’s autumn/winter 2023 offering and played up their masculinity with pockets at the chest and a stiff, buttoned-up finish – but not before adding some va-va-voom with miniskirts and bow-embellished shoes.
The “borrowing from the boys” trend continued at Bottega Veneta, where pinstriped shirts were paired with matching men’s boxers, and at Versace, where oversized white shirts were sent down the catwalk over baggy jeans.
For Durell, the high-end women’s market has always sold well-made shirts; it was the mid-range that was sorely lacking.
“I was forced to wear men’s shirts before I started WNU,” she says. “Most of the women’s shirting you find is either great quality but inordinately expensive, or accessibly priced and awful quality. I wanted to bridge that gap, and give the sort of middle offering that men have always had – great shirts at an accessible price.”
As well as the quality of the cotton and the all-important cut, Durell points to the importance of small details that are far more likely to be overlooked in womenswear than menswear.
“The material and the finish are all essential – the same with any good piece of clothing. But for a really good shirt to work, the finish matters. Buttons are often an oversight and we take great pride in using natural materials for ours, such as nuts and shells.”
French brands are also leading the pack, with Maison Standards – once a menswear label – now making space for women’s fashion by designing shirts and jumpers in the same materials and colours as their male offerings, but adjusting for a woman’s body.
Once called girlfriend dressing, this shift is fast becoming such a standard part of women’s fashion that it no longer needs a name. Getting the best of menswear while retaining the flair and creativity of women’s fashion? Sounds like a win to me.
