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Call it plaid, flannel or a lumberjack, whichever way you look at it the 90s classic has returned. The origins of its rebirth can be traced back rather exactly to the spring/summer 2023 Bottega Veneta show, in which Kate Moss wore a flannel shirt with baggy jeans and a white tank top. The look was masterminded by the brand’s then creative director Matthieu Blazy, who went on to helm Chanel where he gave the utilitarian style hero a more refined treatment. For his debut collection for the house, he reimagined flannel in tiny beads that were strung and woven together to create a large check on a shirt-like silhouette, worn with a knee-length skirt. Blazy demonstrated that the lumberjack has range. It’s outdoorsy, and fits neatly within the countrycore realm, but is also cross-cultural and grungy. There is a version of the lumberjack for every woman; it’s all in the styling. Here, we round up our favourites.
When it comes to travel, the flannel shirt is a true ally. A GREAT LAYERING PIECE, wear it to the airport over a vest or T-shirt and a pair of slouchy trousers, and then switch to faded jeans on arrival for a 90s-GRUNGE ENERGY. It also looks good wrapped around your waist like a mid-00s Olsen twin or over a roll-neck. To DRESS IT UP, contrast textures, and layer under a leather or faux fur jacket. A pair of earrings, dash of lipstick and a choice pair of loafers will ensure your check shirt looks less hiking, more haute. Not many items deliver this level of PARED-DOWN COOL alongside cosiness.
While luxury versions of the flannel shirt are abundant (see Matteau, Miu Miu, Celine and Isabel Marant), you don’t have to spend much money to bag a great one. Uniqlo and M&S do budget-friendly options, but I’d recommend your nearest second-hand store for authentic styles that you’ll keep forever. Don’t be afraid of shopping in the menswear department either (many of the picks I’ve found here are borrowed from the boys) – the flannel shirt lends itself to being oversized.
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Lead image: With Nothing Underneath
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
