I love all things fashion, and I have been a clothing buyer for over 12 years, developing ranges for top brands, yet the perfect woman’s t-shirt always eluded me. No matter where in the world I travel to, the amount of shopping I do – I’ve still never found The One.
It might not seem like a big ask, but to me, and many other women I know, it’s the Holy Grail. Because we know that a great t-shirt makes us feel confident and pulled together during the day, and effortlessly cool for heading out in the evening. Even when you feel like you’ve got all other bases covered – your classic Stans, that brilliant statement necklace – it’s the most basic yet essential part of a
woman’s wardrobe that seems impossible to find. You might have a good one, but I’ll bet it’s not perfect.
With each of the 53 t-shirts I own, something is flawed, which means that we’re just not clicking. Perhaps the length is just a centimetre the wrong way or the sleeves fall just at the wrong point of my arm, or it just seems to cling in all the wrong places. Maybe what got off to a great start has now shrunk or twisted in the wash, or the neckline has sagged, or the quality suffered. And so it goes, consigned to the back of the wardrobe, and the hunt continues.
My frustration piqued when, after the birth of my wonderful daughter, Maggie Ivy, I desperately sought comfortable, practical clothing that made me still feel good about myself, my style, and my body.
So I’ve taken everything I’ve learnt in my career and researched, studied and sampled everything needed to strive to create what I think is the perfect t-shirt. From establishing what I believe to be classic, key shapes to scrutinising the perfect measurements, and sourcing the best quality fabrics, I’ve found fit, style, longevity and versatility.
Today is my 1st full day working on Ivy as my daughter Maggie has started at her child minder allowing me time to get the brand going. All of the work I have managed so far has been done in spare snippets of time, so it feels good to be able to get my teeth stuck in, albeit very strange to not have Maggie bumbling around my feet playing happily away.
I have now sent the design tech packs to my supplier for the first 5 styles, so I am waiting for fabric qualities before going ahead with sampling – after months of working on them and scrutinising the technical specs, I cant wait to receive the 1st samples and try them on.
There will be more to come once the samples have arrived and I'll keep you posted as I take the next steps on the path to perfection.
