The average working woman already has enough going on in her everyday life that it’s doubtful she wants to spend any more time getting dressed in the morning than absolutely necessary. It’s why I’ve taken the approach of streamlining my closet as much as possible so getting ready is as easy at it possibly can be since a morning person I am most definitely not. Before streamlining my closet, I had probably 20-25 blouses (!) of which none really fit well and none really made me feel or look all that professional. When I worked with a stylist a couple of years ago, she had me pretty throw out my entire closet and start from scratch building a wardrobe of quality pieces that could go from boardroom to weekend events whilst still looking like I was put together and the visual representation of the grown up, refined woman that I am.
Here are the 4 blouses that I promise will take you from the boardroom to the weekend with ease.
The first blouse is a Vince Silk Raglan blouse. This blouse above is the lilac version and I also own it in black, navy and cream. It’s flattering, great to tuck into pants and has a great deep v-neckline that can be buttoned up or down depending on the social setting. In the office, I tuck it into trousers and throw a blazer on top, and I like to wear it untucked on the weekend when running errands over skinny jeans and ankle booties. I’d strongly recommend that bustier girls (like myself) invest in some thin tank tops to go underneath as the buttons aren’t all that close together and you could give a co-worker more than a wink when reaching for that report. Why do you need it? It’s the workhorse that will go with all of your suits & trousers and still make it out to the concert on Saturday night.
The second blouse is a Joie Marru blouse. I own this bad boy in royal blue and white and it is definitely a workhorse in my closet. While hard to tell from this photo, the bottom of the blouse is actually elasticized. Before you start thinking I’m crazy, this is great for several reasons: you can wear it with pants without defined waists and it will not look like you’re tucking in a blouse awkwardly, you can wear it with a pencil skirt and the elastic waist just magically seems to find the smallest part of your waist to emphasize how tiny you are and you’ll never have to spend several minutes every time you go to the restroom trying to retake your shirt perfectly into your pants. I’m all about the little things. On the weekends, I’ve worn this with a pair of looser linen pants since the elastic tucks in and makes the outfit look tailored. Added bonus? It camouflages a few extra pounds in your mid-section. Why do you need it? It’s the blouse that can pair perfectly with your pencil skirts and slim fitting pants while adding a finished look to looser weekend favourites.
The next blouse in my arsenal is definitely the most casual, and also from Joie (can you tell I heart them?) it’s a plain silk t-shirt from Joie, very similar to the current Marcher style. I love this because it’s basically a t-shirt… Made of silk. Making a basic with luxury material is definitely living la vie en luxe, no? I pair this with trousers and a cardigan if I’ve got a day I don’t need to be dressed to the nines in the office or for casual Fridays to not look like a schlub. (Side note: there is nothing more that I hate than people who think casual Fridays are an excuse to literally wear the most casual clothes they own to the office. Casual Fridays mean dressy denim instead of trousers, that’s it. And even if your office is different? Dress for the job you want to have, not the one you’re currently doing). Why do you need it? It’s about investing in the basics in luxe fabrics – living everyday with luxury. Pair it with trousers and a cardigan or on the weekend with jeans to still look like you’re the most put together woman there is.
And lastly, but certainly not least, is the blouse I’d save in the event of a fire. It’s my favourite shirt on the face of the whole planet, the Theory Rolleena Curlicue. While it’s seemingly only still available at Theory Japan and in a cream color, I may or may not have debated getting on an airplane to get one. The back and sides of this shirt are made of silk while the front, much like the name, are made of a seemingly knit material that is not too warm but not too chilly either. The thicker material on the front means you can get away without wearing a tank top underneath and the back isn’t see-through. I wear this with practically everything I own. I’ve worn it with jeans, I’ve worn it with trousers. I’ve worn it with skirts, I’ve worn it with leather pants. It’s in a versatile black but it can still pair with other blacks without looking too goth as it has some texture as well. Why you need it? It can be worn everywhere. Everywhere. Plus, it’s unique and it’s my favourite!
What are your work wardrobe basics? I’d love to know!
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[…] It’s made my life easier. I even narrowed down things as seemingly mindless as the blouses I wore to work everyday. I wear silk blouses exclusively in colors that complement the rest of my […]