What style is this top and where can I find it?

April 18, 2012 1:03 PM

Women's clothes: What style is this top and where can I find it?

I really like this style of top the girl in this picture is wearing but I really haven't seen it in stores or anywhere--maybe I am looking in the wrong places. A better example, even, may be this dress (on the right)--I specifically like the 'wrap' element of it (I think that's what's going on in the picture with the top too, but it's easier to see here on the dress). So:

1. Do you know what this sleeveless/very-slightly-cap-sleeved, wrap-style top or dress is called (if anything other than 'wrap'),

2. Is this style indicative of a particular time in fashion history (e.g. 70's) (just curious), and

3. Do you know where I would be able to find something like this? Bonus points if it's white. :)

Thanks in advance...

posted by lovableiago to clothing, beauty, & fashion (10 answers total)

As far as I know, it's just a wrap. I'd search for a white wrap top, either short sleeved or sleeveless. I looked on shopstyle and found these two tops on the first two pages of results, then stopped looking.
posted by insectosaurus at 1:14 PM on April 18, 2012

The top is definitely a wrap top. I'm not seeing a lot of cap sleeves this season, which may be why you're not finding anything exactly like it.

The style originated with Claire McCardell in the late 1940s/early 1950s, then came back in the mid-70s and has never really been gone since. I think that searching for "cap-sleeve wrap blouse" and "cap-sleeve wrap dress" are going to be your best bets.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:15 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

Diane Von Furstenberg made the wrap dress famous in the 70s. In my memory, the last time wrap styles had a resurgence was in the early 00s. I'd call the blouse you linked wrap-look, because it may not be a true wrap style, which fastens on the side.
posted by jocelmeow at 1:15 PM on April 18, 2012

I searched using "wrap top cap sleeve" (but without the quotes) and found this dress on Etsy.

On preview, what Sidhedevil says.
posted by jabes at 1:24 PM on April 18, 2012

my link should go here
posted by jabes at 1:24 PM on April 18, 2012

I have bought a few tops similar to this and they were called "wrap tank" or "surplice tank". You could also try "shell" for "tank" because a shell is usually sleeveless, but always covers shoulders unlike a tank which is often shoulder straps.

I found:
*faux-wrap tee at Garnet Hill which comes in white (and is on sale)
*Jones New York Signature Sleeveless Faux-Wrap Top
*Ann Taylor Cotton Sleeveless Wrap Front Shirt which comes in white
*Ann Taylor Cotton Print Sleeveless Wrap Front Shirt in a very light blue
posted by flex at 1:26 PM on April 18, 2012

I'd call it a "surplice top" - a quick search brought me this high-end and this low-end version among others
posted by Mchelly at 1:44 PM on April 18, 2012

This is cute, but the sleeves and the bow might make it too much for you. They also have a puffed-sleeve wrap blouse.

This is gorgeous, but may be more of an evening look.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:46 PM on April 18, 2012

Hey, I found it! It's actually a dress, the Carven Detailed Two Tone Sleeveless dress. You can buy it here for $195.

(If you're just looking for a similar blouse, I was about to say that faux-wrap is a good search term, too. Banana Republic a flutter-sleeve version, and here's one by Robert Rodriguez (though not in white). Here's another option from Nordstrom.

Also, my first thought was the blouse (see third pic) that Grace Kelly wore under the green suit in "Rear Window.")
posted by argonauta at 2:10 PM on April 18, 2012 [2 favorites]

Yup, "surplice" is when it has one overlap in front there, and wrap is when there is a tail you have to stick through somewhere.
posted by rmless at 2:44 PM on April 18, 2012 [1 favorite]