forget about the drop-down sleeves, it's time for raglan now.
Multiple voices of the internet made me believe there is a new fashion hack that will save us from overspending and on top of that add a layer of fashionable taste to it.
Swimsuits as tops.
I knew they would come after me one day.
Teary eyed I had to witness how my beloved wardrobe staple, undiscovered in its virginal innocence and beauty, was being drained like a baby through the cervix and forced to see the ray of light and turn into an inevitable thing.
My raglan shirt is now trending.
If you’ve read my newsletter last week, you might have been aware, I was wearing this archetype by French brand Baserange.
As I was still believing to have found the needle in the haystack, the luxury and streetwear brands were already after it, they knew skaters and 70’s kids will rise in popularity again and got ready with delivering shirts with 45 degree cuts around the shoulders.
But while a lot of us associate classical American sports like baseball with the sleeve shape, the history goes actually way back.
The raglan sleeve has its name from Lord Raglan, a British army officer, who lost his arm in the battle of Waterloo, 1815. To make his life of dressing easier, one of his tailors invented the shape with the elongated arm that goes up to the collar to accommodate his injury, rather than having just a traditional shoulder seam.
We again managed without ever asking for it to be utilitarian, it’s in our blood to be captivated by functionality in fashion.
It might be the nostalgia, the sports association or any other thought that we can easily project on ourselves by just wearing it, but I just love the simplicity.
Bi-colour, long arm, thin fabric and a fit on the slimmer side is what my dreams are made of. Especially in the summer, where the whole world is dictating you, the perfect white tank is what to go for. This is still underwear to me, find one that fits well and is not sheer, then we can talk about it.
I got this one, which is on the more transparent side (what an allure), but I also got the exact same design in a different fabric and colour way here. I even got the t-shirtversion, tell me I am not dedicated.
This is not me proving how I over-shop, but after searching for years for the perfect raglan and finding something that comes very close to it, I catched them all.
I also have this Uniqlo one, which I double purchased, yes shame on me, but I was scared something could happen to it. The obsession is real. No item was ever double purchased in my wardrobe. There’s also this Arket t-shirt I didn’t manage to get in blue, but they have the rusty red version now, if you like your body out there, that’s a good fit.
Other options I find appealing and will keep on my wishlist for now is this beauty from Sacai for more of a sportive look and this Margiela one, which has the ever strong nostalgic appeal of a university Campus in the 70’s. And we despise logos, but I even love the baby blue one.
It’s a lot easier to find said shoulder type on thicker garments, but I can’t help but like this re/done gone Snoopy version, too. As a person craving the forever modern attitude of Jil Sander, I can’t help but feel nostalgic sometimes.
Now that we are on the thicker side, this High Sport sweater seems to be the epitome of perfection, but I still need to investigate the background of this brand. Did you ever hear of High Sport before? Also Literary Sport, Opera Sport, Sporty & Rich, High Sport…topic for another time.
And an in-between that might be better for the current season, this one is wool, but it has this seriousness about it that makes me laugh. You’re a raglan shirt, stop pretending.
Leaving New Yorker coolness and coming back to funkiness, this Julie Kegels one is reminding me a lot of the Margiela sweater from 2 years ago. I feel like this is too ironic for me, but I do like it.
Technically not a raglan, but we keep the imagination up, thanks to MM6’s new deisgn team we finally see a lot more improvement on their basics as well. If you liked the Marie Adam Leenaerdt cape dress (ex Balenciaga designer), then you might be into a nightly bat walk in this thing. The longer I look at it, the better it gets. There are many color ways, the white one has the lowest price.
Only for the well sighted fellows, because we do love a bit of secrecy, Kijun, with the perfect graphics if you want to go hiking and vintage inspired, but keep it new. The fact that we can’t immediately tell the Raglan here is intriguing, that’s good. And a Magliano taffeta jacket, a category the raglan is a lot more populated in, with the perfect tracksuit anatomy in disguise.
And the last one I found that’s worth considering is this one from New York based brand 6397, not sure why everything is made in china, but it does seem like an interesting brand to watch that manages to build the unfortunate bridge between comfort and cool.
the looks & alternatives
