sykes silk: part I

I've wanting the perfect off-white silk shirt for a while. I love my white cotton shirts, but I wanted the softness of a weighty silk - something a little luxe, a little sensual, but still with the sportiness of a classic shirt. It would be matte silk, preferably with no breast pockets . There would something of a screen siren glamour to it, but in a very natural, Lauren Hutton sort of way.

There were a few close calls over the years but something was always off - fabric too shiny or too sheer, unnecessary details like double breast pockets or epaulets, wrong length, quality. I considered Equipment shirts but again, what was with those double breast pockets? And Equipment just doesn't appeal to me as a brand.

I was highly intrigued by an article in the January issue of UK Vogue where the writer rhapsodised about the joys of a silk shirt, and in particular, those by Joanna Sykes, (now the creative director at Aquascutum). I have been very interested in her because I keep reading about her in all the other British fashion media and she's always sounded like my kind of designer. Describing her diffusion line, Sykes Silks - she goes on about the type of silk she does for different seasons, her french seams, the little stud details.

That's the kind of loving detail I love to hear from designers (like the time I warmed to Bottega Veneta after watching a short film on how they make their leather weaves), and I was super excited to find out on Disney Roller Girl (another silk shirt fan contributing to my obsession) that my-wardrobe had Sykes Silks shirts on sale, reduced from GBP222 to GBP155 (it's now GBP133).



It was in terms of style, and fabric, seemingly everything I was looking for. Unfortunately, they only had it in navy and khaki. They did a have selection of lovely silk t-shirts and camisoles (check them out here) but I didn't need those. I made a mental to look out for new arrivals for spring.

This morning, as I was browsing ASOS for possible bridesmaids dresses (another story altogether), I was surprised to see Sykes Silk amongst the labels they carry. I never shop at ASOS because I'm always intimidated by the sheer volume of clothes they carry, and a lot of it bores me. Who knew ASOS was so discerning?

Curious, I clicked on the link, and there was the shirt in khaki, reduced to GBP110. With the very promising tag of "More Colours" underneath the picture.

I clicked again. The shirt appears. In white. In my size. Deep inhale. I added the shirt to checkout, and amazingly enough, ASOS holds items in my bag for an hour while I faffed around deciding if I should make the splurge on something I haven't seen or touched. It's a nice touch.

I decided I had nothing to lose; I could return it and bear the return costs if I didn't like it. I had much more to gain: a shirt that ticked all my boxes and would be a treasured item for years to come, bought at a very good price.


(There isn't a good picture of the white with the details, hence pictures of the khaki.)

I placed the order, and it should arrive in two weeks (ah, the price of GBP5 shipping). I hope it's everything I imagined it to be.

A digression: Isn't it interesting that while I'm still mulling that A.P.C. dress, I needed less than 20 minutes to buy a shirt I hadn't even seen in person, at a not-inconsiderable price? I suppose it's because I wear dresses far less often, and I always need more time to think through buying one.

Pictures from street dress codes via tfs, my-wardrobe, asos