The Secrets to finding (and wearing) a Tailored Blouse

Tailored blouses can be tricky. They always look so nice when you leave the house in the morning but by the time you get to the office a few things happen: 1. the blouse is so wrinkled it looks like you slept in it, 2. finding a great fitting tailored blouse is hard so you are either swimming in it or it is so tight all day you feel a little self conscious raising your arms because of the funny way you have to contort your body to get them above your shoulders, 3. you are constantly fidgeting with the collar, the cuffs, and the sleeves that you end up giving up on the collar and rolling up the sleeves, 4. a combo of the above plus you hate ironing and have a stack of blouses in the “to be ironed” pile


Blouses with stretch wrinkle less and fit better.
I’m going to touch on points 1, 2, and 4 with the same tip – find a blouse that has stretch in it. I would advise keeping the other 1+ natural fibers for a nicer hand and a better wear/look to the blouse. Our light weight stretch fabric is 68% cotton, 28% nylon, and 4% spandex and has a great hand (soft not polyester feeling), comes in amazing colors (nylon holds dye the best of all fabrications), and best of all can be laundered at home in your washing machine and line dried with minimal wrinkling. Fabric that has stretch has give and is far more comfortable even if it’s worn a little tight to the body and wrinkles less then anything that is 100% fiber.


There is no standard sizing in women’s apparel.
Unfortunately, we are all aware of this statement. When you are a size 6 in one designer, you could be a size 2 in a mass merchant, and a size 10 in a high end European designer. It’s difficult to get this right let alone have to remember what you are in each brand you shop. Although there is no standardization, there is a method the fitting madness. First, when you try on blouses, fit to the widest part of your upper body which is typically the problem area. For example, if your shoulders are normally too wide for most blouses, choose a blouse that is a perfect fit on your shoulders but too big elsewhere. Second, find a good tailor in your home town. I know that this can get expensive but if you have better fitting quality clothing, you won’t need as much of it because you will want to wear your clothing over and over again.


Fidget less and look better!
Classic collars, cuffs, and sleeves can be somewhat restrictive if you want to do something that interferes with them such as wear your hair down, wear chunky jewelry, or wear a watch. Look for blouses that have a more open neckline such as a portrait collar, ¾ sleeves, and flexible or multi purposed cuffs that are intended to be worn multiple ways.


Here are a few of my favorites that are coming soon to Kateboggiano.com!

 

Evie Blouse

 

Violet Tunic



Kate Blouse