In Allison Bornstein’s Wear it Well book (highly recommend btw), she describes a category of clothes as “love to buy, hate to wear,” e.g. things you think you should like but actually don’t suit you. For me, that’s a classic white button-down shirt—I’ve bought many over the years, but they never look right on me, they rarely fit me well, and they just feel a little…boring. That said, I like the idea of a classic white shirt, but I finally figured out that for me, that looks a little different. Instead, I love a lacy white blouse. It’s like a classic white shirt with a little more personality. It’s softer, more feminine, more interesting. It has a free-spirited, ’70s vibe with a little bit of French girl thrown in. (For the record, my Three Words are Classic, French, Rock-and-Roll). I own quite a few lacy white tops and tend to buy at least one new one every spring; at this point, they can hardly be considered a trend, but this is my trend guide and I’ll call it what I want! Read on for deets on my latest purchase.
As I noted in my newsletter earlier this spring, Gap is looking really good lately, and they are particularly doing the boho thing well this season. I am super happy with this blouse, which sadly is no longer available in white but the black is now an extra 40% off, which is quite tempting. Anyway, it’s giving Isabel Marant, who happens to be my favorite designer (more on that later), and the quality is there: the fabric is really soft and lightweight (although I should note it’s a bit sheer), the lace insets are subtle, the sleeves are dramatic but not overdone, and perhaps most importantly, the buttons do not gape, which is one of the reasons I tend to avoid button-down shirts (why oh why can clothing brands never get this right?!). I am wearing a size small here; I’d say if you’re between sizes, go down (I fluctuate between a small and medium at Gap, depending on the fit of the garment). To me, this is about as perfect a white button-down shirt as I can get, trendy or not, but read on for more of my favorites this season.
