Thank you for the kind and therapeutic words. If it had not been pouring when we came out, we would have gone someplace else after the event. But we had walked there, and had to get home in the rain! I guess I'll have to find another excuse this summer to wear the outfit.
I am completely in love with A line tops and trapeze tops, and always have been. I don't give a hoot about the waist surrender. I guess they are not conventionally flattering (esp. from the side view) but do I care? Nope.
Greyscale, curious about what makes them hard for you -- I would think they'd work really well for your frame also. But you do need the right bottoms, and I will say, they are a bit tough sometimes to layer over.
I think these tops work more easily with a slim bottom; this one works here because it's higher at the waist and curved.
Sveta, that's so interesting about your not liking the skirt; I think you have worn yours a whole lot more than I wear mine, despite your feelings! But that comes down to different lifestyles...you wear yours to work, right? I probably wouldn't, even if I worked in an office -- to me it feels dressy, so to make it work for my lifestyle, I like to pair it with items (like a denim jacket) that offer a bit of a juxtaposition. Mostly I have worn it with pullovers -- one fitted (dressy outfit), and one slouchy (less dressy, more trendy). This is the first time wearing it in warmer temperatures with a tank.
Lisa, I think the tank does show an inch or two of my back when I move. But the piece is layered. There is a solid layer front and back like a crop top that goes below my bra band in back. I do have to wear a bra clip to make sure my straps don't show due to the cut of the arm/ shoulder. But that's an easy fix. Anyway -- the cropped tank beneath is covered in the back by a sem-sheer linen layer that is more or less open or closed depending on how you move. If you are wearing a high waisted skirt/ pant and your torso is on the shorter side, there is only an inch or two of back that is potentially visible, and only if you move a certain way. It is quite alluring, I think.