The Platonic Closet: My favourite Blouses in my Closet

OK, so I wrote this post about my FAVOURITE piece in each category, but I couldn’t let it sit like that.

It has been haunting me, the choices I made.

See, I have too many favourites that I change from day to day, that I thought I’d list my top 3 favourite pieces in each sub-category and why.

(What has really helped me see all of this, is having finally listed out all my items, piece by piece, down to each piece of jewellery in the StyleBook app.)

BANANA REPUBLIC WHITE TUXEDO TOP

Discontinued but similar here, here and here.

I. Love. This. Top.

There is something so chic about a tuxedo top but it is not a standard one, and has a nice black piped style in the front to give it a little trompe l’oeil.

It can be formal or not!

I wear it with everything, from a pair of distressed jeans..

(Sold out jeans but similar distressed jeans are here, here and here.)

…to a floral pencil skirt with a belt that acts like a cummerbund of sorts:

(Skirt is discontinued, but similar here, here and here. The double-belt is from my Burberry trench but a similar style is here, here and here, and the magenta silk top was DIY’d from a blouse, but similar here, here and here.)

I also wore it with a navy obi belt like a cummerbund rather than black.

(Navy leather cummerbund is from Etsy ages ago, but she has since shut down her shop. Similar here.)

CARVEN PLEATED MAP TOP

Discontinued print, try eBay for “Carven map” or other resale sites / shops. It is a hard print to track down now.

I saw this map print on Net-a-Porter when it first came out and I was OBSESSED WITH IT but refused to pay hundreds of dollars for it, but then kicked myself later because I kept obsessing over the print.

I love maps. I love map prints, wanderlust anything, and anything to do with traveling or hinting of it.

So, this top? HAD to make it into my wardrobe when I found it on eBay. It just had this weird pleat on the left side and a strange sleeve, but once I had it tailored and chopped off to give it a stronger look, I love it now.

(Thrifted long ivory wrap similar here, here and this LUSCIOUSLY expensive version here, the pants are also discontinued from Banana Republic but similar here, here and here and my exact map necklace is here.)

…and I also belt it with my favourite Burberry trench coat waist belt, and wore it with wideleg pants for a casual look:

(The double-belt is from my Burberry trench but a similar style is here, here and here, and the wideleg pants are sold out from Paloma’s Nice Things but similar ones are here, here and here and I love this plus-sized version here.)

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG KALEY LILY MAGENTA TOP

This blouse is from DvF and is discontinued, but this Etro version is on sale or this 3.1 Philip Lim version for about the same price I paid for this one in silk, in almost the exact same design & shade, but here is a cheaper option here.

This is a gorgeous top because not only did I score it on sale, it is 100% silk, and the pleat in front gives it something different.

It’s also one of my signature colours, along with cobalt blue. I wear this top often, and it looks fantastic against all sorts of colours, and gives black a sort of chic colour pop without being too in-your-face.

It’s also sleeveless but not too revealing, so I can wear it as-is in summer with a skirt or some pants.

Can’t go wrong with it.

What are your favourite blouses & why?