Blouses/button-up tops with a defined waist

August 21, 2024 3:03 PM

Women's fashion has been boxy/cropped for years now, and it's not flattering to my shape (hourglass, size 12, busty.) Do you have recommendations for tops/brands that have at least somewhat of a defined waistline? I'm not looking for t-shirts or anything super clingy, this would be for work and dates. I keep waiting for the trend to change in general but all the Fall looks still have that square shape. I sometimes shop Etsy and other sites/stores for vintage, but it's hard to find the right size. But I would take vintage site recommendations as well.
posted by juniper to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

Would the wrap top style at Yevu suit you? I have a few (boxy, lol) pieces from Yevu and love them. Many fun colors and prints, and the clothes feel like they're made by people who make fair pay.

IM[busty]E their sizing charts are very accurate which is great because I'm sure AF not returning anything to the other side of the world.
posted by phunniemee at 3:20 PM on August 21

Not brands exactly, but I solve waist definition a couple of ways:

1. Wearing shirt dresses that I can belt to define my waistline (like this). Most brands have options - j crew, gap, Madewell, Sezane, loft, Banana Republic, etc. Old Navy has belt-able dresses but does not include the belt. If you belt the dresses, you should be able to buy clothing that fits your bust and belt it to cover any being-too-big-in-other-places issues.

2. Tucking in shirts to high-ish waisted pants, whether a full tuck or a millennial-style French/half tuck. Again, wearing a belt can help with the illusion but is less necessary.
posted by A Blue Moon at 4:59 PM on August 21

Look for rockabilly, swing, or Western clothing! You can still find blouses in that world that aren't boxy and acknowledge the existence of curves.
posted by limeonaire at 5:36 PM on August 21 [1 favorite]

Mme Lefleur?
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 5:57 PM on August 21

I haven't shopped in a while, but in the past, Dress Barn was more likely to have options like that. (You may, like me, also have the problem that clothes in our sizes somehow fit more frumpily than either smaller OR larger sizes due to how they size up and down from fit models. It's frustrating.)
posted by metasarah at 6:49 PM on August 21

If you aren't afraid of cottagecore style clothing, there are definitely some peplum style tops with waist shirring in that genre. I am not US based (I assume you are?) so can't make recommendations for local stores but googling peplum blouse should hopefully bring them up?
posted by BeeJiddy at 10:35 PM on August 21

Luxeire if you're really wanting to splurge

Is Venus your style?

Hawes and Curtis?

Macy has some.

Did you try googling 'fitted blouse'? You may have to wade through a lot of pics, but it gave me quite a few hits for sites that only carry one or two but may be what you're looking for.
posted by BlueHorse at 10:39 PM on August 21 [1 favorite]

If you run across a top you love, but it has a square fit, you could also take it to a tailor to get it fitted. Doesn't work for every top, but for blouses and button ups, this is usually a pretty reasonable job.
posted by advicepig at 9:53 AM on August 22 [2 favorites]

I bought some fitted dress shirts for work at Brooks Brothers last year that have a feminine shape. They have darts on the front and back panels so that the shirt gathers in at the waist. Sometimes the darting doesn't quite align with your waist/torso height, so I recommend trying on at a store, as I found the fit was quite different from one shirt style to the next. Another bonus with the fitted shirts is that they stay neatly tucked into your pants, if you like wearing them that way.
posted by amusebuche at 3:30 PM on August 24

Foxcroft was excellent for my similar shape a few years ago when I wasn’t a hermit. Nordstrom used to carry them but who knows now, their departments are so confusing. High quality. I do see them for sale on the resell sites so it’s worth looking at eBay and Poshmark if you find you like them.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 11:12 AM on August 25

I’m almost exactly your size and shape with the addition of a prominent belly. i’ve found that if I buy high-waisted trouser-type pants that hit my natural waist, those boxy tops actually look good on me if I tuck them in. I’ve also started seeing a lot of fitted tops that look like vests, though I haven’t tried any of them yet. I’ll definitely be following this thread for more ideas though!
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:56 AM on August 26