"The Long Wait" : The Nicole Camp Shirt
Foreword
Nicole R. and I have never done anything without a little delusion and a whole lot of uncertainty. We met at a fashion show, turned our lunches into a podcast, and when that chapter closed, kept circling back to the same quiet obsession: clothing and style as a language for things we couldn't fully verbalize. She learned to construct garments. I made things with my hands. We found a pattern. So one afternoon, over lunch, as one does, the idea simply surfaced. What can I say? Sometimes delusion over lunch is a very good place to start.
- Nicole H.
What follows is Nicole Reynold's story in her own words. On February 24, 2026, Nicole H. met Nicole R at her home for the first time for brunch. Nicole R. cooked, Nicole H. brought Chinese takeout, and somewhere between the two they finalized the details and photographed the following still images:
Lunch on February 24, 2026
In May 2025, Nicole and I met for brunch and, as has become custom for us, we briefly exchanged updates on the more mundane aspects of our lives before settling into discussion of more consuming matters – style and recent fashion. We found ourselves (once again) examining the areas where our personal styles and tastes overlap and where they diverge. Nicole tends toward practicality, nostalgia, and heritage silhouettes; whereas, I lean toward whimsy, flights of fancy, and a touch of the unexpected. But we each appreciate quality materials, craftsmanship, and thoughtful design. As we chatted about the shapes and designs we were vibing with at the time, there began to coalesce between us two specific pieces with foundations we both desired, but borrowing from each of our perspectives. One was this shirt. The timeless shape and button-up style are squarely within Nicole’s camp (forgive me), but combining a traditional shirting stripe with a buoyant floral afforded me some much needed fun. We envisioned it worn with a sailor-style pant as a set for spring.
Almost a year later it is finally finished.
What can I say? Sometimes life gets in the way.
I never forgot about it. It percolated in the back of my mind.
I have learned some hardwon lessons in my sewing journey and none more valuable than the wellworn adage - true for so many things - that you get out what you put in. A little extra attention and effort at every stage of production will yield better results down the line. Naturally, this takes time. Despite not being a professional sewist, I can recognize the difference between a seam sewn with careful attention and a seam undertaken for efficiency. Even the precision with which the pattern pieces are cut can have downstream consequences. Selection of the fabric - content and weight - together with selection of the appropriate needle and thread, impacts not just the experience of constructing a garment, but the drape and longevity of the piece once worn. These are details that wholly escaped my attention before I began to sew, but combined they equal craft rather than construction. When I sew now, I try to approach each step with an eye toward improving what I can where I can. My goal is not perfection, but elevation.
Nicole and I don’t live so near to each other that a casual drop-in is feasible, so seeing each other in person once a month is the most frequent cadence we have managed. However, at crucial points, I invited her to weigh in from a distance on my choices and approach. She was on board with the fabric choices for this shirt. She agreed with my inclination to use the floral “pop” for the pocket and outer collar (a suggestion, but not an affront). I made the executive decision to layer a strip of selvedge along the underside of the back yoke, for the simple reason that it didn’t seem sporting to situate all the fun in the front. You want the people in the back to have something to look at too (provided they’re paying attention). She offered the keen-eyed suggestion that an oversized sleeve might be worth considering, so I mocked up two different options in muslin for us to consider. We both preferred the oversized version which made it an easy choice.
I think the result of our early concept is something that represents both of us well. It’s something I think we would each wear, albeit styled differently to suit our own points of view. More than anything, this shirt is physical evidence of the dedication that two Nicoles can bring to examining style and fashion trends and distilling them through the filters of their own perspectives. This shirt exists because eventually all our chats had to end up somewhere. We hope you enjoy wearing it as much as we enjoyed conceiving it for you.
- Nicole Reynolds
Please note: Originally envisioned as a set, but brought to you now piecemeal in the dawning realization that the timeline of our ambition has escaped our grasp. The matching sailor pant will launch in a few more weeks.
The Nicole Camp Shirt
Now Available on Gushi Studio
For inquiries, please direct them to shopsgushistudio@gmail.com or IG @shopgushi.