Pattern Fantastique Phen Shirt (+ bonus Lucent Visor)

I bought this pattern mid 2024, and all of a sudden my feed was full of people wearing Phen shirts. Phen Phrends! I’ve been quite drawn to this pattern for a while – it’s a wonderfully original button up shirt remix, minus the gathering and fussiness a lot of variations-on-a-shirt seem to have (and which I struggle to pull off. I’m more an unfussy/sleek silhouette lover).

At the same time, this pattern challenged me. Not the sewing of it – that was most excellent and satisfying fun. It was predominantly psychological. There is a few parts to this so give me a moment to verbalise my thinking. To me a lot of the current 90s and early 2000’s aesthetic making a come back is about a new take on ‘intentional ugly’. I wrote those two words together, then I thought I’d google them. There are some fascinating articles on the topic expressing the movement far better than I can – this article by Lucy Mort on the Gen Z Aesthetic, and also this piece on High Snobriety (ugly aesthetics fashion culture) covering the many subversive themes that have emerged over the last 5 or so year, all circling around a soft grunge theme – intentionally ugly.

Do I think the Phen shirt is ugly? No. But as someone who grew up in the 90s – with the androgynous and dangerously skinny look being the key aesthetic – coupled with an awareness that my body did not align with this, “it wasn’t for me” – the era’s overwhelming focus on weight and size has left a number of indelible marks on me that I’ve only really been able to overcome once I hit my 30s. So the act of choosing a garment that takes up so much visual space via upping the proportions – demanding attention because it does sit outside what my eyes are used to seeing in myself – feels like an act of rebellion against the constraints I previously saw myself being restricted by.

Ooef, didn’t quite expect to go that deep.

Hot tip – diffuser on the scalp after a lunchtime round in the basement gym at work does wonders if you can’t be bothered washing your hair afterwards. Doesn’t get rid of the redness in ones face however. Should have taken photos before I did my HIIT instead of after, I guess. Today, we’re going back to the days before blogs were shiny art directed stories here and returning to grainy, out of focus selfies in the mirror at home. Its the only time I have for photos.

My measurements matched the 18 – so that is what I traced and cut, despite my inner sewing voice telling me I really should considering sizing down and doing a full bust adjustment. I typically tend to ignore that sewing voice, even though I know I really shouldn’t.

I did trawl Instagram to try and find someone else wearing this who were broad shouldered and busty, and it was a short order. I think I found one other person, and again that inner voice, sounding increasingly shrill, reminded me that yes, doing an FBA would be a really good idea. That voice got quickly squashed in favour of actually sewing (UGH, FITTING). There was some trepidation when slipping into this muslin for the first time, especially when it’s a pattern you really want to have work for you, but you’re quite sure the odds are not in your favour (yeah, I should have done that FBA. Shush). My initial impressions was that I liked it from the back and the side, but the front really challenged me. Am I saying we’re going ahead with intentionally ugly (hello, drag lines) because I couldn’t be bothered doing an FBA? Yes.

I also preferred it tucked in to untucked. I was more comfortable with the silhouette when it had some waist definition. But I have also worn it out and about with jeans and felt fabulous, so there is that. I’ve entered my comfortable-and-don’t-care era.

A few thoughts on boob drag lines. They’re far more eye-catching in photos than ever they are on a moving body in real life. But they still annoy the living daylights out of me – and the lines here are quite significant. Ultimately i think they indicate an FBA is required (no, I’m still not doing it) or adding to the dart that rolls into the pocket. I sewed pockets on my final version, and I think this hides the drag a little, but takes it’s payment in the form of making ones bewbage look pointy (at least, from my birds eye view down the front).

I also didn’t like that the sleeve had a small amount of ease across the sleeve cap, and vowed to extinguish the unnecessary excess for the final. A simple adjustment that I was well pleased with. The gathering required here to ease that extra in just looks wrong to me. Initially I thought I had accidentally traced out the pattern incorrectly – nope, the ease is real.

I first made this up in a truly-beautiful-to-work-with cotton shirting, purchased from Drapers Fabrics. Its the first time I’ve worked with a yarn dyed then woven fabric. The cotton kept it’s form after a hot wash and being thrown in the dryer, and folding it in half for cutting and having each one of the striped line up perfectly was an absolute revelatory joy to work with! It meant each piece cut was a true mirror of its twin.

Because I’m not sure I can possibly sew with a woven and not use some silk organza, I interfaced the collar, collar stand, button placket and cuffs with the stuff. I had to go digging for white silk organza in my stash – the usual ivory I work with would have turned this white fabric off colour. I also avoided doing a double back yoke for fear of the black lines misaligning and showing through.

I also sewed this on a long weekend of sewing with the Brisbane Spoolettes, up on the sunny coast. I borrowed my mum’s Bernina sewing machine for this, and holy moly, it kicked my ~$500 entry-level-and-more-than-a-decade-old-Janome to the kerb and then some. Top stitching has always made made me nervous because it never looked good, but with my mum’s machine, it was a breeze to do AND it actually looked good – the shock! I had to finish sewing the sleeves on my machine back at home and it was a sad experience in comparison. I think it really is time that I got a new sewing machine.