Although I’m generally disappointed with the current assortment of Spring and Summer blouses, Nordstrom recently brought in some new stock that looks much better. I saw all of these styles over the weekend, fitted them on a body or two, and we have some winners. In some cases the photo doesn’t do the blouse justice, so it’s best to see them in person. And be sure to look at all the colour options.

1. Bellatrix Silk Shirt: Clean, crisp, silky and sweet. A versatile silhouette that takes on multiple personalities depending on how it’s styled. Think of pairing it with anything from dressy trousers, jeans, and a pencil skirt to short shorts, cargo capris or tuck it into a flared skirt. I bought the silver, which looks delicious with white and gold. It’s not roomy around the bust so you might need to size up.
2. Hinge Handkerchief Hem Silk Shirt: It’s an exciting style if you like to wear voluminous blouses like I do.  I can’t adequately describe the arty integrity of this style with words so you’ll just have to try it on to feel its magic. It looks interesting from all angles. Soft, drapey and different (and also available in peach). Don’t be scared of the cropped front. Try it on!
3. Collective Concepts Tie Neck Silk Top: Romantic, pretty and very breezy, yet the cut is covered in all the right places. This blouse would be hanging in my closet if I lived in a warm climate. It’s simply gorgeous with white bottoms. It’s also available in this vintage inspired print and stocks are running out fast.
4. Bellatrix Pleated Silk Blouse: This style is particularly good for a fuller bust. It also comfortably glides over extra midriff bits. Read the raving reviews.
5. Free People Polka Dot Voile Tie Blouse: Here, bohemian style shakes hands with Kate Spade. Because this blouse is made of voile, it drapes in a more structured way. Cool! And the crisscross back ribbon detail is great. I especially love the flattering fit of the sleeves. Casual yet pulled together. A clever design.
6. Daniel Rainn Darcy Top: The vintage integrity of this blouse is appealing. I can see it dressed up for business casual with trousers or a pencil skirt. Or dressed down with jeans. It’s quite low in front so a camisole is essential.
7. Sandra Ingrish Ruffled Polka Dot Blouse: This is for you if you live in a hot climate because it’s made of cotton and does not require a camisole. It’s also machine washable and roomy on the bust.
8. Casual Studio Sheer Pleated Blouse: Fresh and tropical. Make sure you wear one colour both on the top and bottom because it’s ultra-sheer. Adore the pintucks.
9. Casual Studio Soutache Trim Blouse: Who says you can’t wear Autumn colours in the Spring. Wear it with olive bottoms and soften the vibe of skinny cargos – I love that contrast. Good on a full bust.
10. AK Anne Klein Sleeveless Abstract Print Blouse: If you like ruffles, give this blouse a bash. It works without a camisole and is machine washable. Great for business travel and perfect under a blazer. Nice with a pair of casual bottoms too. It’s  also available in ink blue and a very dainty animal print.

Sure, you’ll find stunning blouses for over $350, but that’s not budget-friendly, but these are beautiful blouses at fairly mainstream prices.

This post contains affiliate links.

This is the third in a series of 4 posts brought to you by Nordstrom.com: Think Less Buttoned-Up—it’s a New 9 to 5.

It’s harder to pull together a professional outfit when commuting on foot because you have to account for the elements and make sure those pretty little feet are happy. But with a little extra forethought, there are always solutions. The goals are to feel comfortable while you commute, and look polished upon arrival.

The outfits below illustrate a commuter-friendly business casual week day option and a casual Friday alternative. We’ll leave variables like snow and very heavy rain out of the equation because those elements require more specialized items.

Weekday Business Casual

• Bottoms:  No one is stopping you from wearing skirts and dresses, but most of my clients prefer the practical trouser option when commuting on foot. The Anne Olivia stripe trousers pants from the Loft are great (also available in tall and petite). Pinstripes are a chic classic, and to my eye a little more interesting than a pair of solid black pants.
• Top: Fine gauge sweaters, blouses or button down shirts are comfortable layers under a jacket or trench coat. Finding tops that are fairly crease-resistant and don’t show marks left by perspiration are an added bonus. Ann Taylor’s drape wrap top is elegant and comfortable. Pop a pretty camisole or tank top underneath and leave it un-tucked over trousers.
• Jewelry:  Brighten up black with a necklace or/and bracelet. Long pendant necklaces are trending, which makes the coin pendant necklace from Kenneth Jay very fab.
• Topper:  Your choice of topper depends on the weather. If it’s fairly chilly, Calvin Klein’s belted poplin trench is versatile (also available in tan and black). It double duties equally well over jeans for weekend wear and makes a super addition to your traveling wardrobe capsule.
• Comfy shoes: Pumps with low stable heels and soft footbeds, like Bella Vita’s Wow pump, are a good compromise between foot comfort and dressy styling. When wearing black from head to toe, adding texture to the ensemble creates depth and interest. Patent footwear is one way of creating texture. Remember that you can doctor shoes for comfort with extra soft insoles, arch supporting inserts, foot petals and knee highs. If all else fails, commute in footwear that keeps your feet smiling and switch out your shoes at work.
• Comfy Handbag: You have several handbag options. Some like to travel with a large flat shoulder bag like the B. Makowsky lizard embossed leather tote. Others prefer to carry a small handbag and briefcase.
• Extras: Commuting with a mini fold up umbrella in case it drizzles is wise. Wear a dressy scarf simply for insulation while on foot, taking it off once you get to the office. Or, leave it on making it part of your indoor outfit. Donna Karan’s Tex stripe silk Georgette scarf packs a pretty Spring punch.

I’ve chosen a black and grey colour palette, but you could have chosen a navy or earth toned palette, and added more colour. It’s also clever to carry a little emergency kit in your handbag so that you can freshen up at work. Items like a hair brush, make-up bag and lint brush can come in handy.

Casual Friday

Wearing relaxed professional clothing on Fridays is becoming the norm. The trick is to create the same amount of professional polish with more casual ensemble pieces. Enter smart casual dressing, which more often than not works like a charm.

• Bottoms: Flared leg jeans, like Cookie Johnson’s Prosper stretch trouser jeans, are all the rage this season. If these look too dramatic, opt for a slimmer denim trouser silhouette, or a pair of dark wash bootcut jeans.
• Tops: A blouse like Calvin Klein’s lace front top with fun roll-tab sleeves provides a relaxed look in a dressy way. Tailored sweaters, structured knit tops and button down shirts are other options.
• Jewelry: Wear earrings like simple white gold hoops from Macy’s instead of a necklace.
• Topper: Because commuting on foot often requires a warmer layer, keep out the draft with Kenneth Cole New York’s sateen walking coat (also available in sand and black). Again, a Spring coat like this looks equally fabulous worn with a knit top and casual footwear over the weekend. Love those items that do double duty!
• Comfy Shoes: Change things up with a low heeled bootie like the E325’s from Fidji. Wear them with trouser socks that stay up and I can almost guarantee happy commuting feet. No need to wear pumps all the time.
• Comfy Handbag: A structured handbag always looks professional, but a semi-structured bag will do just as nicely. Halogen’s double pocket leather tote zips up securely, while its cargo pockets provide easy access to a phone, lipbalm, tissues and keys.
• Extras: Scarf and mini fold up umbrella are optional, as are a pair of sunglasses.

You might need to tweak these guidelines for your climate, and because the prerequisites for comfortable and polished commuting can differ from person to person. At the very least, these formulas will provide a starting point. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below. My job involves a lot of commuting on foot, so I’m all ears for extra tips.

In this poll I’m asking you to pick your team based on which one you find easier to shop for.

I’m on Team Bottoms. I find shopping for bottoms much easier than shopping for tops and here’s why. I prefer to wear woven blouses, button down shirts and sweaters (pullovers and turtlenecks) as opposed to knit tops, T’s and cardigans – so that already rules out quite a lot. I also adore wearing high necklines – another tall order in a retail world full of V-necks and scoop necks. I wear a small size but have long arms, which makes long sleeved items a tricky business. My dainty shoulder line is hard to fit and petite sized clothing does not work for my height. So there you go. I am Team Bottom all the way. I can find 10 beautifully fitting pairs of pants or skirts in one day, but it could take me a year to find 10 killer tops.

Over to you. Are you on Team Tops or Team Bottoms? Tell us why it’s easier to shop for either tops or bottoms. Sorry ladies, no batting for teams.

I had high hopes for Spring and Summer 2011 after getting a glimpse of what was in store for us at Fashion Week. But so far I’m a little disappointed. We’re halfway through the season, and although shopping with clients has been great, I’ve had to look harder than usual to help them find suitable wardrobe items. Updating my own wardrobe has been tricky too.

I’m not sure whether that’s because I become even fussier with my purchases each season, or if my expectations were too high. Maybe it’s because the dominant trends aren’t catering to my recent style epiphany, or because it’s still too early for the trends that I loved at Fashion Week to filter down to affordable retail stores.

Here are my main rants:

1. Lack of blouse variety: It’s a blouse season and there are definitely more woven blouses in store right now than I’ve seen in years. However, many of them are pastel, floral, billowing and bohemian, or overly ruffled, which is great if that’s your style (some of my clients are having a ball with these silhouettes), but it’s not so fab when you prefer a strong, simple and clean look. I love, love, love roomy soft blouses in luscious fabrications, but prefer them solid or geometrically patterned, and sans ruffles. I’m also seeing far too many neutrally toned blouses and wish that there was more colour. For now, the only way that I can get what I want is to stick to blouses in classic cuts.
2. Lack of sleeve length variety: Oh goodness. I am absolutely sick of the oversupply of cap sleeves, grown-on sleeves and frumpy short sleeves. Sleeveless garments are fine, but a gal wants a decently sleeved garment too, both on dresses and tops. Please can we see a larger variety of sleeve lengths that cover part of the top arm. Please bring back the forever flattering elbow length sleeve. PLEASE.
3. Necklines: I prefer high necklines and shirt collars so it’s seldom a great neckline season for me. But even if you prefer scooped necklines and V-necks, many of them are cut too low. Wearing a camisole is one solution, but who wants to wear a camisole in sweltering heat. A little more cleavage coverage would be welcome.
4. Hemlines are still so short: This is my biggest gripe. I tried on 8 dresses last week, each of them too short to wear on their own. I’m regular height at 5ft 6 so tall gals have my sympathy. We’re supposed to see midi skirts make a comeback. Where are the affordable midi skirts — a price point below $500 would be nice.  I guess we’ll have to wait until the trend filters down to mainstream stores. Hurry up!
5. Flared skirts are scarce: I love pencil skirts, but enjoy a roomy skirt just as much. There has been a severe shortage of flared skirts for several seasons and this must change.
6. Cardigan overkill: 2010 was all about the cardigan and this year is the same. Granted, I’m on Team Pullover, and not overly fond of cardigans to begin with. My clients are all on Team Cardigan though, so I’m thankful that we’ve had a great variety. But I’d also like to see a good assortment of Spring weight jackets and trench coats, both in colours and neutrals – keeping it light on the soul-sucking beige.

I must also give credit where it’s due: jeans, casual pants, dressy trousers, shorts, button down shirts, cardigans, knit tops, sheath dresses, layering T’s, formal suits, bangles, belts and handbags generally look good at the moment. Although soaring heel heights still reign supreme, lower heel heights are available. Stock up if these items tickle your fancy.

There are still a couple of months left, so I’m not writing off the season just yet.  Also, these rants are based on what I have experienced in the US retail market, so things might be different in your neck of the woods. Over to you. There’s nothing like a good rant to get the energy flowing on a Monday morning.