Designed by our Product Creative, the Square Top began as a solo personal project. She wore it to work the next day and everyone on the team (and we literally mean everyone) wanted one of our own. We loved the angled sleeve, open slit neckline, boxy fit, and stitched details. Most of all – we loved that it went so well with every pair of pants in our closet. From there it was a no brainer, this was the perfect sleeved top.
Here are 3 questions asked and answered by our Product Creative:
What inspired you to design this top?
It was initially created just for my own use. I had been looking for a top with sleeves for a while now, specifically one with a cropped length so I could easily pair it with most of my pants (which, more often than not, are high waisted).
I felt really good when I wore this, because the boxiness of the top complimented my figure but also made it really easy for me to move around and that flexibility of wear was amazing. I wore it to the office the next day and my co-workers asked me where it was from, when I mentioned that I made it, they then asked for one of their own. One bartered for it with her banana bread, and another cashed in her “it’s my birthday” chip. A few weeks later, at a production meeting we quickly decided to take this pattern and produce it for our community.
The reason was twofold: because of its crop length and structured silhouette we all already pair it with our own MATTER pants at work (and off duty), plus the sleeves were exactly what our community had been asking for. 10 months later, here we are.
What was the design process like? Were there any difficulties or challenges?
If you look at it in full, it is a simple top in its silhouette but because it was so simple all the details and the fit had to be perfect. Take for example, the sleeves. I always prefer the sleeves to be without an armhole seam on the bottom, that way only the top part of the sleeve covers the shoulders and the bottom cuts diagonally inward. It’s such a small detail but it makes the largest difference in its silhouette and I personally find it way more flattering. Adding the narrow V neckline also ensured that the top would sit just so on your shoulders. The cross-section stitching adds a touch of uniqueness to an otherwise basic top.
The biggest challenge I faced when creating this top was the sleeves. I drafted an initial pattern, but I had to change it completely two times after I fitted it for myself. I think the reason why it needed so much adjustment was because of the way the sleeves extended out, it was very difficult to determine the ideal length of the sleeves without an armhole seam. Details like the amount of fabric around the armhole and body area also needed a few adjustments after my draft so that the shirt wouldn’t look too bulky when my arms were down.
What are some ways you would recommend our customers to wear it?
Honestly, any way you want it. I know that sounds generic but just like the Split-Back Mandar Shirt, we intentionally wanted to make this a basic top that matches all of our bold printed bottoms (be it pants or skirt)! However, I think it goes especially well with our high waisted pants just because it makes the waistline look cleaner.
The Square Top is available in 2 colourways: Natural and Noir. Take a look at the range here.