I hear you, Suz! We wear very similar tops! I am all for high necklines and unstructured structure.

Sooooooooo opt for wovens with some sort of shirt collar. Tuxedo shirt at J.Crew with the butterfly collar gets my top vote. I LOVE IT!!!. Sleeveless shirts are a great way to go for when it's hot.

Crew necks with banded bottoms - NOT loosey goosey . That's been the big problem here. I vote the "Tippi" sweaters at J.Crew. They come in wool, cashmere and linen knits - to cover all seasons. I have all fabrications and love them throughout the year.

The Nordies sleeveless blouse that Isis linked to is another goodie. Is has a structured V-neck and shoulder line.

Silk tees. I will be after those next, as soon as it is warm enough to wear them.

Oooh, Tanya, the Equipment one almost looks like my beloved trapeze tops the way it fits the model. I wonder. Is the VS one similar? (Or maybe it hasn't arrived yet?) I think washable silk would work for me just fine. In the past I have loved wearing it.

I loved those BR tops. But in Canada you could only get them in two colours, neither flattering to me. I'm going to hunt for similar things, for sure. Or maybe do my shopping in early July in New York! Sales should be on by then...

Hi Suz,

We posted at the same time. HAHAHAHA!!!

Angie, thank you for weighing in. That J. Crew tux shirt is gorgeous. Pricey, but it sounds worth it. And I will try the Tippi while I am at it. One problem is we have no J. Crew in Kingston and I'm not sure on sizing. Should I go with 0 or 2 in these tops? (My Ann Taylor shirt is a 0; I usually wear a petite 2 in the fitted shirt at BR. My Brooks Brothers shirt is a regular tailored fit 2).

Peri, you are an IT and can be proud of it!! I personally think a strong shoulder line is a fine thing in a woman! (Well, I pretty much have to say that, don't it?)

Hmmmm. Not sure. I take an XS in the Tippis and they are roomy. I have the tux shirt in a 0, and it's roomy. I wear the BB non-iron tailored shirt in a 0 and it's also quite roomy in the waist, but fitted on the shoulder and chest. Petites do not work in length for me AT ALL.

Soooooooooooo, how about the Tippi is an XS, and a 0 in the tux shirt?

Suz, I just wanted to chime back in to encourage you to try ordering from J Crew if you haven't tried them yet. I've always had a good experience and their personal shoppers really can be helpful at sorting out sizes. My order usually arrives within a week or so and returns are dead easy. I've found that my BR and J Crew sizes are usually the same, but, like any company, specific items can fit large or small.

And I second Angie's recommendation for the Tippi sweaters in linen and cashmere. They are some of my favorite workhorses. You might also be interested in the feather-weight cashmere--super light and soft for summer, but they do have a tendency to pill. I use a sweater comb on them, though, so its not really a problem for me.

BTW, I bought the indigo screen print linen top earlier this spring. I wash it in the machine and hang it to dry. It fits well and is really versatile.

I think that's probably right, Angie. I might need a bit bigger in shirts than one would think due to my shoulders.

Thanks for the help on this!

If it helps Suz, my broad shoulders require me to size up one in the Tippi sweaters (which I adore; I wear a M in that cut and a 4 in most of their button-ups). Sizing up gives it fabulous drape for me, at least!

Suz, the VS shirts have just arrived and I took the photo of the cream one in XS for you ( got the black as well). It is a bit sheer but nothing I can not deal with it. The label says "dry clean" but in the past I have washed their other silk ones and they were fine. There was a bit of change in the texture, but I personally did not mind considering the hassle dry cleaning would be. And, btw, the clearance section has the same shirt in fuchsia
http://www.victoriassecret.com.....34&Ca

I hear you on the BR shirts. However, if you try them on and know your size, but you can not find right color in Canada, I am sure many of us from this side of the border would not mind shipping you some shirts.

Tanya, you are so sweet! Thank you! I like the shirt a lot! And fuchsia....wow. I must check that one out! I agree with you about washing. I always wash my silk tops in the hand wash cycle and cold and nothing has been ruined yet.

Also, very sweet of you to mention ordering for BR. If it comes to that, I might give a shout. But I do get down there now and again, so I should be okay!

Aida, thank you - that sizing info is super helpful!

Gaylene - guess what? They don't have my size in the indigo print top. Boo!! It is so gorgeous! But it's helpful to know you find their sizing similar to BR. I think I can wear a 0 regular at BR .

Please, I need a tutorial to help me link! How about an entirely mesh sweater (body and arms) with a cami or tank underneath? I, too, feel too exposed in tanks. I just bought a Michael Kors mesh sweater from Nordies (sold in petites and regular). Actually, I ordered a 2nd because I wanted to see if sizing up looks sloppy or merely oversized. The mesh keeps it cool but modest.

Donna, that's a really good idea. In addition to everything else, I love the look of these. Totally worth looking for. I might even check out H&M for a cheap version to try it first. That's where I got my linen sweater last year and it works surprisingly well.

Linking is a cinch with Greg's new icons! See the little greyed list of icons on the left top where you are typing? The one on the right that looks like specs is actually a chain. Highlight the area of text you would like to become a link. Then click on the chain. A box will come up. Cut and paste your link. You have to make sure it doesn't include the http part twice or it won't work. And voila!

Quick drive-by post - the top Isis linked to, the Vince Camuto one Angie recommended, is available in white or ivory or something like that at The Bay.
http://www.thebay.com/eng/wome.....bay/302015

What about this? Is the neckline too open/sleeves too wide? The colour is eally pretty IRL. It's a saturated vibrant pink, somewhere between fuschia and hot pink.
http://www.clubmonaco.ca/produ.....1.16295926

I can't wait to check out all the links in this thread when I have more time.

I.S.W.Y.M. about the pictured items not being just right for you.
I can picture you in something more structured- like sleeveless shirts with collars- these can be looser fitting and left untucked for volume but still would suit your frame and style better.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/mi.....ltback=342 <= Did that work? This is the all-mesh sweater I mentioned. I ordered my regular size, and a size up will arrive on Wednesday. I have to figure out whether this will stretch out (heeding Shannon's warnings on this type of sweater), and whether a larger size will make ME look oversized per one of the reviews. I just know it is cool and breezy and doesn't make me feel like *I* am on display as body con is not my style.

Reitmans has done some mesh sweaters this year, one style is quite similar to the one just above with hi-lo hem, another has shorter sleeves but comes in a taupe and a lighter neutral. I am assuming they have Reitmans in Ktown

Suz, would something like this work for you?

http://www.garnethill.com/aime.....7?defattri

I second the J. Crew suggestions. My straight figure likes their slim fits, high necklines and collars. For spring I really like the silk Blythe and silk popover shirts that I think were mentioned here already. With the sleeves rolled these can be quite breezy and the drape of the silk helps me to not feel swallowed up in the oversized fits.

For very warm summer days I have a couple of their silk, high-neck sleeveless shirts that I love from past seasons. I haven't seen any great ones yet this year (the Sera top was really wide) but I would keep an eye out to see if they get any in this summer.

Hmm. My first thought was "poet blouse", although a google search on the term doesn't really turn up what I had in mind. I was thinking banded, blousey sleeves and not a collar, but a placket neckline... if that term can be used that way. Kind of like the pics below.