Finally, the ultimate comfy chic garment gets its time in the spotlight. From H&M to Valentino, the oversized shirt is everywhere this year.
Three shirts in one
Few garments are as versatile as an oversized shirt. Wear it like a traditional shirt with a pair of jeans for a more casual look or with wide trousers for Scandi cool minimalism. Wear it open with a cami or t-shirt underneath and it works as an overshirt or duster coat. Or, depending on length and courage, wear it as a shirt dress.
As always, styling is a key to variation. Add a belt, add jeans and boots (or pick up on the clogs craze this spring), or add a pair of shorts, a straw hat and leather sandals for lazy Summer days. The oversized shirt is perfect for layering, combine it with a knitted vest or biker jacket!
From COS:
The magic of fabric
One of the best things about making your own clothes is you’re in full control over the fabric choice: texture, fibre, thickness, pattern and colour. The oversized shirt will totally transform depending on what you choose.
For a festive vibe, we recommend lightweight viscose or silk blends. With blends, you still get the exclusive feel but most often an easier cutting and sewing process.
For casual coolness, we love it in a cotton lawn och crisp poplin (search for paper touch poplin).
For overshirt comfiness, we would pick a light to medium weight flannel or needlecord.
For ultimate summer flair, we suggest a double gauze fabric or lightweight linen. We think the fact that linen fabric tends to wrinkle is part of the charm, but we have seen some gorgeous linen blends as well and they are often less likely to crease.
However, sewing does not require new fabrics, we have seen beautiful shirts made out of old tablecloths and bedspreads.
Shirt-friendly picks from our stockists:
Hacking the pattern
We love a good hack! We often hear from makers that TAL patterns are quite easy to hack, which we find very inspiring and a good feature.
Hacks can be small but give a big impression. Use piping, shorten or lengthen the shirt, skip the pockets (although we love pockets), or use a different fabric for the inside of the collar stand and/or cuffs.
With the Oversized Shirt Collar Extension you get your own hacking kit with three different collars.
Some brilliant hacks by our makers:
Tips how to make your perfect oversized shirt
Some tips from our designer and founder Anki:
When I designed the Oversized Shirt Pattern I wanted it to be oversized and cool, without losing the feminine silhouette. The shoulder area needed to be well-fitted and the sleeves narrow enough to be able to stay in a rolled-up position for that casual vibe. My best tip is therefore to use an oversized fit pattern and not size up a “normal” shirt pattern.
Don’t rush the making of the buttonholes. Sew them and open them carefully by using a stitch cutter or a small pair of scissors. A tip is to fold the buttonhole and make a small opening in the middle first. Especially useful if using a stitch cutter as you can then easily open them from the ends and move towards the middle, avoiding the risk of sliding with the cutter.
Or just use snaps if you want to avoid buttonholes altogether.
Use a pointy but not sharp object to get the corners of the lapels neat. A ruler or tongs from your DIY tool box works well. An additional tip is to sew a diagonal seam over the corner seam as explained here.
Follow the hashtag on Instagram, #taloversizedshirt, to get inspiration from other makers and their tips and tricks. The sewing community is really the best part of my job – so generous and kind.
And my best tip: Turn up the music, have fun and enjoy the process!
#taloversizedshirt by you:
