Wax London has built a following on the idea that interesting fabric is more than decoration. The Porto shirt tests whether an open-knit crochet construction, made in Portugal, can hold up to that promise at $225.
The Verdict
A warm-weather shirt that earns its place on texture alone, though the doodle pattern and open knit make it a deliberate buy rather than a reflexive one. Worth the price if you know what you're getting into; a miss if you were hoping it would disappear into the back of a wardrobe.
The Make
The Porto is 100% cotton, knitted in Portugal, and the ecru-and-navy doodle pattern is worked directly into the crochet structure rather than printed or applied afterward. That distinction matters. When a pattern is embedded in the knit, it has a physical presence — a slight relief, a consistency across the fabric — that printing can't replicate. The open-knit weave is genuinely breathable, which is the whole point of crochet for warm-weather wear. The button-through closure is clean and straightforward.
Care instructions aren't published on the product page, which is a minor frustration. Given the cotton crochet construction, machine wash cold and lay flat to dry is the safe assumption, but you should check the garment label before anything else.
The Fit
The cut is relaxed. Not oversized in the current fashion-forward sense, but with enough room through the chest and shoulders that it sits away from the body, which works with the open-knit structure. Sizing runs true, and the S-to-XXL range covers most men without issue. Worth noting: a looser shirt in an open weave will show more skin than a standard woven, so the fit reads differently depending on what's underneath.
The Context
At $225, this is a considered purchase for a specific kind of occasion. Think a long weekend somewhere warm, a dinner where you want texture rather than print, a summer event where a standard linen shirt feels too safe. It sits alongside Wax London's broader warm-weather offering, which leans heavily on fabric interest as its point of difference. Comparable crochet or open-knit shirts from Portuguese-made labels at this price are harder to find; most competitors either go cheaper with lower-grade construction or push into luxury territory and charge for the name. The founder's ratings across the board sit at the midpoint, which is an honest read: this is a good shirt with a narrow use case, not a workhorse.
The Personal Note
I haven't owned this one. The research is solid, and the construction approach is consistent with what Wax London does well, but I'd want to see the knit density in person before committing. The doodle pattern is either exactly your thing or entirely not, and that's not a decision a photograph resolves.
