The Magda Butrym Knotted Top, Explained

If you have seen one Magda Butrym piece on a stranger, it was probably the knotted top. A plain jersey body, a twist gathered at the front, and a neckline that sits exactly where a neckline should. It is the least decorated thing the house makes and the piece it sells over and over.

It is also, at $810 to $2,230 depending on which one you take, the sensible way into a label whose gowns run past $6,000.

What the knotted top actually is

The construction is one idea repeated across weights. A fine stretch jersey is cut close through the body, then gathered into a knot at the centre front, which does two things at once. It draws the eye to the narrowest part of the torso and it creates a soft vertical of gathered fabric that breaks up a plain front. Nothing is appliquéd on. The decoration is the seam.

That is why it works under tailoring. There is no bulk at the shoulder and no hardware at the neckline, so a blazer closes cleanly over it.

The family, and what separates them

Three weights, and the difference between them is more about occasion than season.

• The knotted tank, $810 to $910. Sleeveless, the lightest of the three, and the one to buy first. Available in black, navy and red.
• The knotted longsleeve jersey blouse, $1,010 to $1,170. The same idea with a long sleeve, which makes it a winter piece and a work piece. It comes in brown, cream, grey, navy and red.
• The knotted longsleeve in knit, $2,230. The brown knitted version is the dressed-up one, heavier in the hand and warmer, and it reads as a considered piece rather than a base layer.

How to wear it

The knotted top is a base, and it is at its best when the rest of the outfit is doing something. Three that work.

• Under a blazer, for work. The black tank under the cotton blazer with rose peplum, with straight trousers. The knot sits above the blazer’s closure, so the detail still reads when the jacket is done up.
• With denim, for the weekend. The cream longsleeve with a straight leg and a flat shoe. This is the outfit the piece was designed for.
• Alone, for evening. The red tank with a full skirt and a bare shoulder. The colour does the work and the knot keeps the front from looking plain.

The one thing to avoid is layering it under something equally fitted. The knot needs a little air above it to register.

Sizing

The jersey pieces are cut close and the brand describes them as true to size. The stretch is generous, so your usual size will hold the intended line. If you are between two sizes, take the larger for the longsleeve styles, where the sleeve length matters more than the body. Our Magda Butrym size guide has the full EU to UK conversion.

Is it worth it?

For a jersey top, $810 is a real number, and it is fair to ask. The argument for it is wear count. This is a piece that goes under tailoring in February and out alone in July, in a colour palette that does not date, from a house that has kept making it season after season rather than retiring it. Cost per wear settles quickly on something you reach for weekly.

The argument against is that it is, structurally, a plain top. If you want the piece that announces the label across a room, the rose pieces do that and the knotted top does not.

Frequently asked questions

Shop all designer tops and the full Magda Butrym collection at Coveti, and see how to style Magda Butrym for more outfits.