Another packing note from my recent travels: in the past, I never tried bringing along anything silk, because I figured it would just wrinkle horribly in the suitcase. But I have a couple of silk Maria Cornejo tops that lately I’m very attached to, and I felt like they needed to come along. And here’s the thing I learned: silk does indeed wrinkle horribly, but all you have to do is hang the item in question up for a few hours—preferably in the bathroom, after a shower—and it’s good as new. I’m also just liking in general how effortlessly polished silk blouses are, and how they elevate a pair of jeans and some clogs. And I am digging the python print on this Anine Bing blouse.
I like the big pockets and wide-ish lapel here.
This oversized option seems destined for my closet.
This has a wrap silhouette in the front and a shirttail in the back, which is clever.
Such a retroishly fun squiggle print.
This boxy short-sleeved top comes in a ton of colors, but I’m really liking this bold magenta.
Just a very streamlined and sophisticated, rather perfect button-down option.
This boatneck is feminine without being the least bit prissy.
A very solid under $100 option.
This has a quite flattering shape and a sweet, spring-y print.
The shirred details at the shoulder make this one hang especially nicely.
That squiggle print is speaking to me, and I normally don’t go for such things. I have a few of the Everlane oversized silk blouses and I love them.
yes, i love the squiggle too
Kim,
Have you seen the Equipment silk shirt with stars on it? I just got it in black and I LOOOOOVE it. I love the way their shirts fit and I always feel great in them. Thought of you and your love for stars!
Thank you both for your feedback! I’ve read numerous times that 100 percent polyester shirts should be avoided at all costs but in my time, I’ve found a few that fit amazingly well and are stress-free.
Hi. What do you mean by stress-free?
Some of my silk shirts stained easily. Also, they’re generally more expensive and given my current lifestyle (lots of cleaning and cooking), I worry about wear and tear.
Before I had kids, I loved silk blouses. Now I have little ones and I really appreciate a good polyester blouse that looks like silk. I can just thrown them in the washer and dryer and they still look great, year after year. I still like silk blouses for special occasions, and I agree that the squiggle print is awesome.
Amour Vert does silk tops in dozens of cuts and this season’s pop art prints are pretty great. I took two of last year’s more tropical print sleeveless silk tops with me to the islands last month and they were great even in humidity. Felt polished at dinner, wore them with cardis on the plane. These past few years I haven’t felt like paying dressy-blouse-prices to put a cheap plastic polyester shirt on my body, anyway.
oooh, I just went and looked! you’re right, gorgeous tops. Those are some great prints.
Love a silk top. I have both of these Everlane options (in different colors that what you’ve shown) and can vouch for their fit, quality and wearability. The long-sleeve option also works unbuttoned as an overshirt to a tee or tank. That Annie Bing python tho….!!!
Am I the only one that feels like I sweat to death in silk? I love it, but it makes me so hot
No! I think the same thing every time the subject gets raised. To me, it’s something about the feel of the fiber though, not that the fabric makes me too warm. (Except in pajamas, and sometimes that’s good.) The area under my shoulders (ahem) will somehow instantly feel sort of dampish, even if it wasn’t before. Maybe I imagine this.
I love the way it looks though, and the colors! And I like that you can (usually? always?) handwash bc I hate going to the dry cleaner, even though the dry cleaner woman is super pleasant. (Larchmont!)
So I mostly just look.
With these … well granted I am not really a blouse person anyway. I won’t do boob pockets. I am very picky about collars. Still … they do look nice. What to do? A fashion dilemma.
Opposite. I’m very cold in thin, drapey blouses of silk or polyester. It’s basically like wearing nothing at all!
A camisole just complicates things (another thing to pack/wash/shop for), and still isn’t warm enough. In the Pacific Northwest, it’s cool much of the year, so the 3 silky shirts I have just sit there.
Some of my silk shirts stained easily. Also, they’re generally more expensive and given my current lifestyle (lots of cleaning and cooking), I worry about wear and tear.
I’m too cold as well and usually wear blouses in the fall and spring.
I love silk blouses! I tend not to wear them every day as I’m trying to preserve them, not worry about stains. Maybe they’re not as fragile as I think? Dare I ask what everyone thinks of 100 percent polyester blouses? They’re awfully easy to throw on and not fret about!
Buying polyester shirts online (where I buy almost everything) is tricky. Some feel silky, look and wear wonderfully. Others are yucky to the touch and look cheap. You’d think cost might be a clue, i.e. more expensive shirts should be better quality, but that isn’t always the case. I’ve been loving a polyester copy of a Prada shirt from Zara for five years. Kimberly sweats in silk. I find polyester can be sticky when it’s hot. On the plus side, the polyester shirts I own that have passed the touch test wash well. Does anyone successfully wash silk shirts?
I’m with Mimi. I have a couple of polyester tops from Maria Cornejo that look and feel EXACTLY like silk, and breathe nicely. Synthetics are not the enemy, but you really have to take them on a case-by-case basis.
uh-oh. We can’t handwash these? See that’s kind of a dealbreaker. I know they all say “dry clean only” but I thought that was for CYA purposes. Hmm.
Yet, they really do look very nice. I guess for people who live right near a cleaner, it would be worth it.
I always hand wash my silk blouses and I have never had a problem. Eucalan is a nice, gentle detergent.
You’re much braver than me! I have one and I don’t wear it bc of the errand afterward. Maybe one of these days.
Do your tops have collars? bc I wonder if the interfacing is part of the reason the mfrs don’t want us to hand-wash. And do you iron them? (If my questions are too nosy, just ignore them.)
I don’t iron them but I do use a steamer on them if they are too wrinkly. Some have collars.
I think the type of silk fabric is a factor too, bc my tank that is made out of “raw” silk – I think so, anyhow – that one I feel fine about handwashing. It’s always a little bit wrinkly and somehow that just seems like a feature. (I don’t really iron things anymore. I mostly wear knits.)
I am away from my Home Comforts book or I might look in there. I bet it is all explained.
HOme Comforts! i love that book!
Kim, how are you cleaning them? Do you dry clean every time?
Not even close to every time. I steam them and hang them back in the closet.
Yes, Rachel. I’m also wondering, you all that love and wear silky shirts, do you really go to the drycleaner or handwash on a weekly basis?
If I had to count the number of silk Equipment shirts I have I might be committed. They are like a drug & you just keep buying them. And yes, they dress jeans up like no other. Theory has some great ones too.
Love silk blouses, and find that Everlane’s are very well-made for the price! However, don’t love that (on me at least) silk must be dry-cleaned after every wearing, which makes it impractical for extended travel. (Each time I’ve nervously taken a chance and hand-washed a silk piece, it’s shrunk two full sizes, and had to be donated.) So for longer trips, I usually stick to T’s, cashmere, linen, and the occasional good-quality poly blouse — which, as someone noted above, is totally stress-free, as it never wrinkles, and can be washed easily in a sink!
So many nice tops, and of course I am loving the Equipment one!!