White queen: three designers making a series of winning moves on the classic shirt

This spring, a trio of womenswear designers are putting their own spin on the classic white shirt. ‘It represents purity, a fresh take,’ says Maria Cornejo, of New York label Zero + Maria Cornejo, of her interpretation, which features a deep V-neck and drawstring details. ‘I’ve used a responsibly sourced viscose material that I love,’ she says. ‘It was developed using a yarn manufactured from a mixture of Norway spruce and Scots pine wood pulp, sourced from sustainable forests in Domsjö, Sweden.

Meanwhile, Brazilian-born, London-based designer Barbara Casasola describes her buttoned-up design with accentuated collar as ‘serious and pared-down but feminine.’ Femininity comes courtesy of its cream colouring and soft Italian poplin fabric, a mixture of cotton and silk. Finally, Dimitra Kolotoura and Mareva Grabowski, the duo behind Greek label Zeus + Dione, weave their own fabrics, and their band-collar shirt design, with subtly ballooning sleeves, is imagined in a transparent fabric with delicate stripes, created by weaving silk and metallic fibres. ‘The design focuses and frames the body in a fluid way,’ they say.

As originally featured in the May 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*218)