Please help me find ‘nice tops’!

[BlueEyedBogWitch]

All I want is nice tops to wear with jeans, but I have searched and searched and I hate everything I’ve seen.

This is my list of things I need to avoid and my reasons why:

1. Puff sleeves (broad shoulders)
2. Cropped (long torso, c-section pouch, mum tum)
3. Backless (51)
4. Polyester (just because it’s foul, also sweaty)
5. Cold shoulder (yuk)
6. Sleeveless (51)
7. Tunics (because of my long torso they make my legs look stunted)

I have lots of nice casual T-shirts, but I just want something a little bit fancier to wear with jeans when I go out for dinner etc. I have a couple of silk shirts, but I was hoping for something summery.

Please help!

@Britpopbaby thank you - I’ve ordered the red asymmetric top to try.

You’ve all been really helpful, thank you so much. I have a few options on their way now!

Personally I don't want my back on display- its not as smooth and mole free as it was in my younger days .
Some people don't like showing their arms, although I don't mind.

How about a 100 Stars kimono to lively up your jeans and t-shirts? https://onehundredstars.co.uk/collections/short-kimonos/products/kimono-stork-pea-green

I feel your pain OP. I’ve decided that jeans and a nice top doesn’t work for me any more. Instead I go for a long skirt (I have terrible knees but if yours are good you could go for a short one) and a plain t-shirt - either fitted or loose and tucked in a bit at the top. Uniqlo t-shirts are excellent for this.

I just can’t get on with skirts. I love them on other people, but I have a smallish waist and curvy hips, and end up looking like a lampshade, or something that covers toilet rolls. I like bias cut ones, but in winter when I can wear a chunky jumper to hide the dreaded tum.

Shirt dresses make me look matronly.

Overly feminine pretty dresses look a bit incongruous on me, as I have a really short pixie cut.

I think the truth of it is, I need to lose a stone in order to feel nice in my going-out clothes. But I’ve been saying that for a long, long time, and I truly detest and disagree with dieting.

I like Reiss and find their asymmetric cuts flattering.
https://www.reiss.com/style/su541017/aw4153#aw4153
or if a cap sleeve is enough for you:
https://www.reiss.com/style/su688947/f97728#f97728

I find tops really difficult. All the pretty ones are either high necked, have stupid big sleeves, are in nasty fabric or all of the above. I have a couple of broderie anglaise ones from Zara and Fatface but I find it really hard to find anything nice that isn’t black or white.

Exactly. Or ruffles.

The other problem is that they look nice on the first wear, but they have some kind of feature that makes them impossible to iron, or they go limp and crap-looking.

Those Reiss ones are nice. Quite similar to the Baukjen and &Other Stories ones I’ve ordered.

I’m thinking that ‘slightly elevated t-shirt’ might be the answer.

True about ironing - M and S cotton - I’m looking at you!

At this time of year I like very fine linen mix jumpers and t shirts. Pure linen always hands like a dishrag on me but a linen knit seems okay.

i bought

https://www.zara.com/uk/en/fine-knit-sweater-p00506005.html

which is viscose mix and it is nice and very thin, they also had plain colours in store but the website is difficult to navigate.

Look for silk front tops this sort of thing. Looks good with a necklace or two over the top.

A couple of ideas from La redoute

https://www.laredoute.co.uk/ppdp/prod-351009316.aspx broderie]]

viscose silky look

I suggest a trawl through La redoute, H&M and John Lewis. All these sites let you filter by fabric so you can eliminate the polyester.

These elevated T shirt type tops often seem to be described as blouses even though to me a blouse is something with buttons and probably a collar

Yes! Often when sorting things get lost because they've been poorly identified. Even "available for delivery" filters don't seem to work which is so frustrating!

https://www.sezane.com/en/product/annabelle-blouse/contrasted-embroidery-ecru-vintage-blue#size-6 www.sezane.com/en/product/annabelle-blouse/contrasted-embroidery-ecru-vintage-blue#size-6]]]]

https://www.sezane.com/en/product/pierro-shirt/almeria-print#size-6 www.sezane.com/en/product/pierro-shirt/almeria-print#size-6]]]]

Fair enough, it just makes me sad when women are down on themselves or feel the need to hide, and makes me wonder who has insulted you before. I’ve never felt more confident as I do now I’m older and wish you felt the same. Hope it comes back for you ♥️

I have this and found it snug and wished I’d sized up, but kept it as it went out of stock in the black. It’s lovely though.

Thank you, that’s kind.

Nobody’s insulted me - I do it all myself. I’m trying to stop though!

I have that exact tab open on my phone! You’ve inspired me to pull the trigger.

I bought a sewing machine for the cost of a few tops and am sewing easy things from the internet. Soon I'll be ready to try simple clothes. You could master a couple of easy patterns and then you'd have endless choices, if you wanted. Just a thought. :)

I’m confident, and no one has ever insulted me, but I always like to keep shoulders and upper chest covered. I just prefer to be modest.
randomly, after weeks of looking, I found some nice tops in M&Co! Not my usual at all but Boden and FatFace have let me down this year.

Yeah I’m struggling to find decent tops too. Jigsaw used to be my go to, but feeling uninspired atm. So many seem to have very high necklines atm which don’t really work if you have boobs. Also seeing lots of polyester at high prices!

I found the Jigsaw website very uninspiring. Looks awful.

Thank you all so much - I’ve got about nine tops on the way for me to try on. I’ll report back if there are any corkers.