Woven Stripe Kimono Cardigan 'Shimagara'

Woven stripes in black, grey and white, none of them the same width twice

The stripe on a shop curtain is never tidy, and neither is this one. Bands of black, charcoal and off-white run down the cardigan at widths that change as they go: a wide black panel, a cluster of fine white lines, a mid-grey band, a thin stripe on its own. Front, back and sleeves are cut from the same cloth but not matched, so the panels sit against each other slightly out of step. It reads handwoven, which is the idea.

Two round buttons close the front at chest height, side by side, the only fastening in the collection that is more than a tie. Below them, two patch pockets at the hip, big enough for hands. The sleeves are wide and stop at the elbow, and the hem sits at the hip. Buttoned, it is a short, boxy jacket with a lot of rhythm. Open, the stripes fall straight and the tee shows between them.

The stripe is in the cloth, not printed on it, so it has the texture of a weave: the white lines sit slightly raised, the black is matte. The cloth is a polyester weave with a dry hand, chosen because it keeps a crisp stripe without creasing into it. It comes in two grounds, black and white, and the photograph shows the black.

The cut is a relaxed open kimono cardigan with a flat edge down both fronts. Over a white tee, the stripes frame the white and the buttons sit like punctuation. Over black, the cardigan goes darker and only the pale stripes remain, which is a good look in the evening.

Wear it with plain black or white trousers. Stripes this wide want a quiet companion, and they get on badly with denim that has any wash to it. It is the piece for someone who wants a kimono shape with the character of workwear, and it is one of the few in the range you can button against a breeze.

The name, Shimagara, simply means striped pattern, and it is the plainest name in the collection because the piece needs no other story. Stripes like these are the pattern of noren curtains, of summer cotton, of the cloth that hangs in the doorway of every small restaurant in Japan. They have been in daily use for centuries, and they still look like the most modern thing on the rail.

Sizes run from M to 5XL. It is cut to Asian sizing and runs small, so take one size up from your usual. Between two sizes, take the larger.