Dockworker Cuban Collar Shirt

A loose short sleeve shirt is not a fashion invention, it is a heat invention. Anyone hauling sacks on the docks needed a free shoulder, air moving inside and a collar that fell open on its own instead of closing at the neck. The Cuban collar, which lies open in a V because it has no collar stand, was born from exactly that problem.

The Dockworker Shirt keeps the design and improves the cloth. It is a blend of linen, lyocell, viscose and polyamide at about 160 gsm (4.7 oz). The linen gives the irregular texture and the breathability, and the lyocell, a cellulose fiber made from wood and not plastic, comes in to fix linen's usual flaw: it wrinkles far less and feels soft on the body from the first wear.

The collar falls open on its own. There is no collar stand to hold it up, and that is what keeps the neck free.

Roomy on purpose

This shirt fits very loose. From XS to XL, the ease is between 18 and 22 cm (7 to 8.5 in) at the chest, against about 12 cm (4.7 in) on a regular shirt. The shoulder is dropped too, with the seam sitting 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) below the joint. It is the drape the piece was designed for, and the reason it does not cling on a hot day.

If you want a closer fit, take one size down from yours. Five fit testers confirmed it in the chart below.

One patch pocket on the chest, no flap. Fits a whole hand.

Two lights that look the same in the thumbnail

Ecru and Light Sand are only four points of brightness apart, so in a small photo they blur together. Side by side the difference shows: Ecru leans slightly greenish and is the lighter of the two; Light Sand is warmer and goes toward beige.

Textured resin buttons

The buttons imitate polished stone, with veins and an uneven shine. It is a small detail that changes how the piece reads up close, in place of the plain white button of an ordinary shirt.

Technical details

• Material: blend of linen, lyocell, viscose and polyamide
• Weight: about 160 gsm (4.7 oz)
• Collar: Cuban, open, no collar stand
• Sleeve: short, wide at the opening
• Pocket: one patch pocket on the chest
• Buttons: resin with a stone texture
• Fit: roomy, with a dropped shoulder
• Colors: Ecru, Light Sand and Slate Grey

Size chart

Measure around your chest at the fullest point and pick by the "Fits chest" column. The shoulder looks wide on the chart because it is dropped on purpose: the seam does not sit on the bone, it sits below it. If you prefer a closer fit, go one size down. The Label column shows the size printed inside the garment.

Care

• Machine wash cold, inside out, gentle cycle
• Do not bleach
• Dry in the shade on a hanger, so the weight of the fabric pulls out the creases on its own
• Iron on medium heat while still slightly damp
• A linen blend wrinkles, and wrinkles less than pure linen. A light crease is part of the piece