The Japanese are known for taking two (or more) disparate elements, bring them together and somehow the sum is a sensible whole. No matter how unrelated the components of a shirt are, for example, the finished product will still look like a shirt, wearable to boot. That’s their mastery.

Take this seemingly commonplace shirt, something an insouciant urbanite would pick.  It’s from Ganryu, designed by Fumito Ganryu, part of the Comme des Garçons stable of designers. From afar, it looks like a chemise given the colour-block treatment, now so scarily common. But upon closer inspection—and you will look it over—the shirt is also a wannabe anorak! The cotton body is in micro-check and the sleeve in gingham, and across the chest is a solid-colour nylon pocket with invisible zipper. Athletic wear details do crop up in shirts, but weather wear elements are as unusual as a solar storm.

It’s geek-chic, no doubt, and with a touch of norm-core, but it’s a regular more guys should adopt.

The Ganryu micro gingham poly BD shirt, SGD390, is available at Club21B, Forum Galeria