Wearing gicipi's signature knit sew for your body type. A convenient staple for autumn and winter, whether worn alone or layered.

When it comes to stress-free knitwear for winter, cotton knits are the way to go. While they may not be as warm as typical winter knitwear, they don't itch the way wool can, and you can wear them with more peace of mind than cashmere, without having to worry too much about washing. Many don't pill easily, either, making them low-maintenance.

From now through the season, cotton knit sew pieces are handy—whether worn alone or as a layering inner. "Knit sew" generally refers to garments cut and sewn from knit fabric, and thin knit sew pieces work excellently as inner layers. High necks and turtlenecks in particular don't feel scratchy, so many people wear them under wool sweaters.

This time, among the many cut-and-sew brands out there, we're introducing two types of knit sew from gicipi. Precisely because the construction is so simple, how the silhouette falls is worth paying attention to. Our staff members, each with a different body type, tried on the pieces so we could show you which shapes suit which body type—please use this as a reference.

About gicipi

gicipi has maintained an integrated manufacturing process since its founding—from knitting the fabric to sewing and shipping—offering products that combine low prices with high quality. It's an underwear factory that has long operated in Padova, Italy, an area crowded with subcontracting factories for luxury maison brands. Despite producing in small batches at a small-scale factory in order to maintain quality, its commitment to craftsmanship has won it a devoted following in Japan. As a result, it remains a brand known mostly to those in the know, rarely distributed outside Italy.

Many customers at ZUTTO come back for more or buy multiple pieces of gicipi's knit sew, and its appeal can be summed up in three main points.

◇Fabric: An addictively soft feel against the skin

No chemical fibers are used—only natural fibers that are gentle on both the earth and the wearer. The brand has championed sustainable, earth-friendly manufacturing since its founding. The cut-and-sew and underwear pieces are all knitted in the same way as their knit fabrics, and everything is managed in-house at their own factory from start to finish.

◇Quality: Holds its shape even after washing

The fabric is put through repeated wash testing, with careful attention paid to preventing twisting after sewing. Through constant yarn research and repeated prototyping, they minimize skewing and shrinkage as much as possible.

◇Price: Easy to collect multiple pieces

Rather than simply cutting corners to keep costs down, gicipi manufactures everything in-house, which cuts out the costs incurred when outsourcing to other companies, allowing them to offer prices that are as accessible as possible.

Knowing your body type makes it easier to find shapes that suit you

Have you heard of "kokkaku shindan" (body type/frame diagnosis)? It's now frequently featured in books and magazines, so many of you may already be familiar with it. Broadly speaking, the characteristics are as follows.

Straight type:

A body with a fuller chest, three-dimensional and feminine, with well-defined curves

Clothes that fit true to size, both top and bottom, tend to suit this type

Wave type:

A slender, delicate body with soft, gentle curves

Has a long neck; tops that are fitted around the upper body tend to suit this type

Natural type:

Little visible muscle or fat, with prominent bones and joints

Relaxed clothing suits this type better than tightly fitted pieces

Reference: https://fashion.or.jp/stylecheck/

To find out your own body type, we encourage you to try one of the many "body type diagnosis" tools available online.

Staff members representing each body type tried on gicipi's standard knit sew

Based on the body type diagnosis, we had staff members classified into each category try on gicipi's standard cut-and-sew shapes. What they're wearing this time is knit sew from the "Cotone Soft" line (a gicipi coinage combining the Italian word "cotone," meaning cotton, with the English word "soft"). Its features include a softness against the skin that's hard to believe comes from 100% cotton, and seamless ribbing at the sleeves and hem that gives it an elegant look reminiscent of a wool sweater. Because the fabric undergoes a water-soaking and drying process during production, it doesn't shrink significantly in the wash the way ordinary cotton knits often do.

[Models who tried on the pieces this time]

• Straight type: 163cm (Her body type diagnosis showed an equal ratio of Straight and Natural, but she modeled here as a representative of the Straight type.)
• Wave type: 160cm
• Natural type: 162cm

Crew Neck L/S

A women's-sized crew neck knit. The crew neckline sits at just the right height and appears to suit just about any body type reasonably well. The body length is on the shorter side, making it a good choice for those with a higher waist position, or anyone who likes high-waisted pants. The sleeves are also true to size, which may make them feel slightly small on the Natural type, whose arms tend to be relatively long, giving a more compact appearance on that body type.

Turtleneck

Thick turtlenecks are often said to suit the Natural type best, but since this is a thin turtleneck, it suits a relatively wide range of people. In particular, many Wave types have a slender collarbone area, so it looks delicate and suits them very well. Since it's compact, those who are tall with broad shoulders are recommended to try the men's size.

This time we also tried on the men's size, which can be worn looser and larger.

Men's Crew Neck

All body types can generally wear this beautifully, but those under 160cm in height should be a bit careful. In particular, Straight and Wave types tend to suit just-fitting sizes well, so the women's size we've covered so far is basically recommended for them. If you prefer a somewhat roomier fit, it might work well to try tricks like tucking in the longer hem. Since Natural types look better when things aren't too fitted, the 162cm-tall Natural type model actually seems to suit the men's size better.

Men's Turtleneck

This is the men's size turtleneck. The Straight type model, whose bust position sits higher, looks like she has more room and suits the men's size well, perhaps partly due to her height. On the other hand, the Wave type's fabric ends up wrinkling because the size is too large, so the earlier women's size suited her better. Since many Natural types have solidly broad shoulders, the men's size lets them wear it in a more relaxed way.

In this way, it's surprising to see that even with models of a similar height of 160cm, the size that suits each of them best differs even for the same item.

In the case of this model, the results turned out as follows. ↓

• Straight type
• Crew neck: women's size, Turtleneck: men's size
• Wave type
• Crew neck and turtleneck: women's size
• Natural type
• Crew neck and turtleneck: men's size

A body type diagnosis is only meant as a general guideline, and it's not the case that nothing else will suit you. Please use it merely as a reference point from trying items on at the same height, and look for the size that works best for you.

gicipi's knit-sewn tops work well both on their own and layered

Crew Neck L S (MILLITARE)

Turtleneck (BIANCO)

This cotton crew neck knit-sewn top has an elegant look, like a high-gauge wool knit. With a moderate fit, the key point is that it doesn't bunch up even when layered. The basic, simple design works well in a wide range of coordinates with jackets, blousons, and cardigans. It's also recommended as an inner layer worn under a loosely draped cardigan. If you plan to layer it, the women's size, which fits just right, is recommended. This is an item many people collect in different colors and styles.

Merino Wool Cable Cardigan

Raccoon V-Neck Cardigan 20347 (GREY BROWN)

When it comes to washing...

You can wash it in the washing machine using a laundry net. It cannot be tumble-dried, but since it's a knit, it dries easily even when hung to dry indoors. Hanging it on a hanger can cause it to lose its shape, so we recommend drying it flat.

The cut-and-sew items made by gicipi, a maker that used to produce underwear, are all soft, have a standard shape, and come in fashionable colors. They're great to wear on their own, but perhaps it's this background that makes them so easy to use as an inner layer too. As a hybrid knit item somewhere between underwear and a sweater, it offers excellent cost performance thanks to gicipi's integrated manufacturing. Since it can be worn until early spring, it might be worth buying several at once.

▽The gicipi brand page featured this time