Shop with mother
Two generations, one problem solved: this week, the changeover to spring blouses
harlie owansglinton, 31
Mum will say that I suit shirts, but anything with buttons makes me feel blousey. Even when I size up (which usually means the shoulders are too big), the buttons are always sewn too far apart over the bust and end up gaping, so I feel like Barbara Windsor dressed as a candy striper.
I’m also not one for cleavage and, controversially, I think a high collar can be very flattering with a bust (I’m a D cup), though nothing that gathers or pleats across the front, as that will add bulk. A slightly puffed shoulder or sleeve is also great for balancing you out, especially if you’re relatively narrowshouldered, like me. This season’s scarf necks are perfect for event dressing – I’ve got a white silk Layeur blouse with a loose polo neck that looks great with wideleg trousers or full skirts.
My mother likes to wear her shirts loose over 7/8ths trousers, but I always tuck my tops in (I even Frenchtuck my jumpers at the front), which dictates the fabrics that I look for. Cotton is too bulky to tuck and looks messy in minutes. I love silk, though I
always shop a few sizes up, as it can cling and reveal more than I’d like.
I like lightweight viscose or poly mixes, as they don’t look tired after a long day, don’t cling, tuck easily and layer well. Baum und Pferdgarten has a lovely lightweight yellow paisley blouse that I’ve been wearing under a navy blazer for the office, or just with a pair of black jeans for dinner with friends. And come payday I have my eye on this pretty Stine Goya blouse, which should prove just as handy – and not a pulling button in sight.
eri owans, 62
I’m looking for a new blouse, now that it’s time to pack away the cashmere. It is going to get warmer – isn’t it? Charlie and I both suit shirts, but so much of what’s on the high street is voluminous boyfriend shapes, and I’ve
been shrinking since I was 45! I enjoyed the Nineties in the Nineties, and now I’d like a lot less fabric, thanks.
I have a lovely navy spot shirt that I’ve been wearing since Engelbert Humperdinck was a boy. I love that it finishes crisply on the hip with a straight hem. The neck doesn’t expose cleavage and the sleeve skims right over my wrinkly elbows. I think I’ve always found cleavage unattractive, unless it looks incidental – you know, breasts that are sort of glimpsed, rather than “served up” with firm support scaffolding.
I’m flirting with this Paul Smith shirt (above). The length looks perfect and I do love spots. Paul Smith’s tailoring is always so flattering, and I’m a fan of the monochrome pattern mix. My ideal material is silk or cotton – something that breathes. Easy-care is a slippery slope after 50, whether it’s haircuts or fake grass. I’d rather iron for 10 minutes and spend the day in cotton.
I’m avoiding frills, lace, embroideries and ribbons at the neck, so I don’t end up channelling Bette Davis as Baby Jane when I pop out for a flat white. Shudder! I’ve never liked frills above the waist, although I have had some fabulous hemline frills. Skirts are easy. Why are blouses so hard? Perhaps I’ll try a smocked cheesecloth and swan about as if this were the tropics – the Seventies were great fun, after all!