Buying Women’s Tops

Buying tops for women can be a tricky business. There are so many types of tops, from casual shirts to dressy blouses, so many price ranges from cheap to expensive, and even worse, you have to find a top to flatter your body type. Knowing the right textures and weights of fabric can help eliminate that problem.

Women's Tops

Casual Tops

A casual top can be a basic t-shirt, or a simple button-up top. These can usually be found in a range of colors as varied as the rainbow, with stripes, flowers, or various other prints. A good, classic tee can be bought almost anywhere. Why spend $40 or more on a basic shirt when you can find great, simple tops for $10-$15 dollars at your local store? A good word of advice for any woman, purchasing tops with horizontal stripes can create width where usually you do not want it. For very slender women, this can be a plus, but for many women with curves, this creates a larger silhouette. Vertical stripes create length, hence creating a much more slender appearance. Also, when purchasing basic tee shirts, beware of the material the shirt may be made of. Some shirts have stretch put into them, which can be comfortable, but if purchased a size too small, can create a suctioned-to-the-skin effect, which may or may not be what you desire. Buy your tops based on the season. Get a lightweight cotton for spring and summer, or a heavyweight material for fall or winter. Nothing is worse than having the wrong type of material for the season. Casual tops can be paired with anything from denim jeans, to shorts or Capri pants, khaki pants or skirts – they are very versatile. Casual tops can always be dressed up with accessories such as a lovely purse or necklace. Check out our choosing women’s casual shirts and blouses for more help.

Casual Tops

Semi-Dressy to Dressy Tops

Semi-dressy tops can be those you may wear to work, such as a polo, or a nicer top for work or a date. Polo shirts are always classic, they create a nice silhouette on almost all women, and typically clean up one’s appearance. These can be picked up for around $20. Slightly dressier tops, such as a nice, basic button-up top with a stripe including a slight shimmer in the type of thread can take a nice office outfit to a night out.

Dressy Tops

Body Type Does Matter When Buying Tops

When purchasing a shirt, you definitely want to make sure you are flattering your body type. Women with a smaller bust can benefit from a shirt with a loose, draped type of neckline, creating extra volume over the bust line. But women with a larger bust need to stay away from excess volume over their bosom, such as pockets and ruffles, where as smaller busts can benefit from this. If you have a little bit of extra weight around your midsection, you might want to steer clear from tops that are extra tight around this area, where as women who are very slender can look nice in this type of shirt. An empire waist can flatter almost any body type, if purchased correctly. These tops typically have a tighter band directly under the bosom, highlighting the smallest area of the body, and drawing attention to that instead of a tummy. These bands always need to be below the bosom, sometimes women purchase these that have large chests and this causes the band to ride up. Always make sure the band stays below the bosom, this ensures a correct fit. These tops typically can hide imperfections, and look nice on all types of women. Low-cut tops can be flattering on all women, but in most situations, one might not want to expose too much cleavage, so a simple camisole or tank top under these lower cut shirts can create some coverage, while still exposing your neck. Higher cut tops, such as a crew neck shirt aren’t very flattering for many women because they create the illusion of very little neck. Typically, a scoop neck, v-neck, or low cut top create the illusion of a longer neckline and a longer silhouette.

Low-Cut Tops

Buying Buttoned Tops

Purchasing a buttoned top can be tricky, especially if you have a larger chest. Typically, women with smaller chests do not have a problem with buttoned tops having gaps between the buttons and embarrassing pulling of the material over their bosoms, but if you do have this problem, no matter the bosom size, please go up a shirt size, this will accommodate any gapping. If going up a size or two happens to leave the shirt too large over your midsection or arms, take the top to a tailor. Some higher-end department stores may have a tailor on the premises and they can make alterations to the top, to accommodate what you need, and take in where there is too much material. Purchasing tops can be tricky, but if you know what flatters your body type, your price range, and what you are looking for, it can be an enjoyable experience.