Colette Negroni button-up shirt

Colette's Negroni is a men's button-up shirt. But what even is gender. And I wasn't having a huge amount of luck with the women's shirts and blouses I'd tried, so I gave it a go.

Negroni is a casual shirt with a doubled back yoke and front facing. As usual I left off the chest pockets and went for the short-sleeved version. Beyond the two tucks under the yoke there are no shaping seams. Every seam is enclosed or flat felled! It was my first time making a garment with entirely hidden seam finishes, and it does take a little longer, but the result is so wonderfully clean. It also has a cute collar button detail that made my vintage-loving friends very happy.

I made up a Large in an aubergine cotton lawn, which is less translucent than the last cotton lawn I used, but needs to be ironed if you so much as look at it, so there was a lot of pressing during construction. The end result feels amazing, strong but light.

It's when we get to fit that we find out what they meant by men's. It is made to fit a longer body with less hallow back, straighter sides, and hips that don't increase much. So aside from the usual fit issues (too long in the shoulders/sleeves) it actually fit quite well across the chest. No gaping. But there is an excessive amount of fabric across the lower back. And yet that fullness does not help it fit across the hips. I can still wear it happily as an overshirt, and with some changes I can see it making a solid base for future shirts.

Finished Negroni, front view
Photo by chebe

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