tops Archives

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #21 – A Printed Sleeveless Top

August 2, 2021

The weather here in Chicago is great for sleeveless - some days! Other days, we're wearing cardigans and long pants... One never knows, right!

When you're starting to get really quite tired of your summer wardrobe, having a "suit-like ensemble" in a neutral color can be really handy. You've got a perfect system in place to treat yourself to a new top, and maybe an accessory or two!

Maybe you can test-drive an accent color that you've never worn before?

Any color can be worn with black... and are you ready for a new pair of sandals? I managed to cut my foot CATASTROPHICALLY (I swear I could see my Achilles tendon!) and I've been wearing the only pair of sandals that work for weeks... sigh...

If ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #20 – A Sleeveless Top

July 26, 2021

Is it swelteringly hot where you are? Chicago has finally settled into an extended stretch of hot weather, so sleeveless tops are timely!

Originally, I had thought that this top HAD to be in a light neutral, but I'm now in a more flexible mindset - anything that's cool, and that works well with your existing wardrobe, is what we need! Printed tops will be added soon...

For those of us who wear tank tops frequently, it's worth considering looking for things with some sort of lace, or other decorative trim. This might be just the touch of detail that your outfit needs...

I couldn't resist keeping the same "suit" and scarf from last week, and then picking a completely different accent color; this is the kind ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #14 – a sleeveless top

June 14, 2021

No, you do NOT have to show your bare arms! But I often find that the most useful garment in my suitcase might be a simple tank top - it can replace a sweaty pajama top, or serve as a layer under something that has too much "show through," or it can bring a sliver of color to an outfit - I've even worn one over a button-front shirt as a vest!

In all modesty, my arms are still pretty glossy, but that doesn't mean that I want to share them with the world...

And sleeveless does not necessarily equal tank top!

I have 2 sleeveless button-front tops that I've had for years - black and white dotted, and black and white striped... I wear them under a light black cardigan and they're just right...

If you want to ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #10 – short-sleeved textured top

May 17, 2021

I know that I describe this top as "textured" in order to be consistent with the way that I described things like cabled sweaters... What I'm looking for here is a warm-weather top with some visual interest - something more than just a tee shirt...

A print makes perfect sense for spring and summer, so don't be terribly bound by the idea of texture!

A simple pleated top in a pretty color can change the look of anything with which you wear it!

I actually saw a man on the street the other day in a seersucker suit, white shirt, pink madras tie and pink pocket square. Pink socks and white bucks.... He looked amazing!

Even if you're wearing shorts, a sweater can be about a million times more ... View the Post

Weekly Timeless Wardrobe #9 – short-sleeved print or patterned top

May 10, 2021

I still believe that the weather will warm up. I believe...

Alert to everyone who follows along with this series - I've made a change to the garment list! A small one: I took the word "neutral" out of the description of this week's top. So long as the top looks really GOOD with your neutrals, it can be any mix of colors that you want!

I don't know why I ever thought thought that it needed to be a neutral. Maybe back when absolutely everything revolved around work wardrobes?

This is the top that I've chosen to be the "representative" of this week's garments. The poster child? The spokesperson?

I'm not quite sure what to call it, but it looks really great with a navy skirt!

I own this next skirt ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 49: Print or Textured Warm-weather top

July 6, 2020

I know, I was saying that this top would be "textured," but I was just trying to be consistent with how I described other tops at this point in each quarter. My thought, at the time that I wrote the original list, was about cabled sweaters, seed-stitched knits, and other lovely fabrics that have some depth...

BUT... these aren't easy to find in warm weather, nor are they going to be particularly comfortable! So what makes the most sense at this point in these wardrobes is to just find a blouse, tee shirt or other top that you love, and that goes with your neutrals....

Not a lot of guidance necessary here - you should love this item!

Even though our chances of wearing a silk scarf (in the Northern Hemisphere, ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 48: Neutral print or patterned top

June 29, 2020

Today's my 60th birthday!!!! The entire weekend has been a series of carefully choreographed get-togethers with friends and family...

And I feel EVERY SECOND of my age right now!

But let's look at getting our summer wardrobes sorted to our satisfaction, eh?

First up, this beautiful little top would be perfect for most of us who are using white or khaki as our summer wardrobe neutral:

I always have a few thoughts to share - mostly I'm always a big supporter of doing what you most want to do, and not buying and pretending to wear things that you don't love...

Speaking of accent colors - this kind of tee shirt is perfect for introducing something out of your comfort zone (in this case, orange). There's ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 47: Neutral lightweight top

June 22, 2020

Ah, this is finally looking exactly like the weather!

There are no wardrobe rules. None. I might make suggestions, and offer guidelines, but you should make your own choices! It's your style...

I absolutely would mix patterns with these shorts - anything that looks as if it might be one of the prints in the patchwork is a reasonable choice:

If you've got cool earrings, let them be the statement part of your outfit. Simple, classic clothes are a perfect background for accessories:

Let's mix some brown and black, eh?

A print that includes your 2 neutrals is a perfect choice. This heroine could swap out for navy shorts, or a white skirt, or navy pants....

And talking about annoying color ... View the Post

Revisiting the Triple Top Secret

June 9, 2020

Watching lots of people wandering about with backpacks, this last weekend, I was wondering what everybody was carrying! I know, water bottles, spare phone batteries etc. but I wondered if they had any clothes with them...

And that got me to thinking about what you want to have handy if you're going to be out for a LONG day. Say you start out with breakfast and sight seeing early in the morning. You're going into areas that are air conditioned, and the weather might turn flat-out cool later in the evening. What to do?

This is something that I've tried to remember to do, when packing, for years - make certain that I've got at least 3 tops with me that can ALL be worn together, or in any various combination of 2, or ... View the Post

Rescuing a Forgotten Garment: Print Sleeveless Tunic

June 4, 2020

Today's interesting warning - if you're wearing a mask frequently, be ABSOLUTELY sure that you're washing both the mask(s) and your face every 5 minutes or so. I currently have a really painful broken-out face from mask irritation. It's both ugly and sore...

But let's look at helping one of our friends get some good use from a beautiful garment, eh?

This isn't the exact tunic, of course, but it's sleeveless, and includes the colors royal blue, black and white, just like our friend's tunic. So I'm hopeful that any advice I can think of will be useful!

With a little bit of thought, this top could be worn for most of the year - I know it's odd to think of wearing sleeveless things in cooler weather, but stick with ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 43: A Sleeveless Print or Accent Top

May 25, 2020

I'm still ready for warm weather, and the weather in Chicago is still not ready for me... But I can plan - when it finally gets warm, I'm going to be ALL SET!

As I try to do most weeks, here are some tops that will look good with wardrobes based on these scarves. When one is building a wardrobe around the colors in a scarf, it's difficult (but important) to remember that every single garment won't be worn WITH the scarf - especially in hot weather! So you needn't be worried about how you might arrange the scarf with these various necklines...

Tying a scarf to your bag is always the easiest option! Or tying it around your ponytail, or worn as a headband, or even a mask! Has anybody gone full-on silk scarf mask yet? ... View the Post

The Weekly Timeless Wardrobe, Week 41: A Dark Neutral, Sleeveless Top

May 11, 2020

Well, a dear friend of mine is currently moving her plants indoors, because the weekend is supposed to bring freezing temperatures, and I'm writing about summer clothes! (I'm writing this on Friday afternoon May 8th)

Getting the best clothes often requires planning ahead; you can't imagine how often I will see something that I think is perfect to share with you, only to find that there are only 2 sizes still available...

So let's plunge into the possibilities of a simple, dark tank top or other sleeveless top!

For those who are following along with the "6 Scarves, 12 Months" series of posts, these are the tops that I would suggest for a wardrobe based on each of the scarves:

As always, I've got ... View the Post