shirts

How to Keep White Blouses White

by Kat on 06/02/2011 · 67 comments

How DO you keep your white blouses and tees white? Reader L wonders, and as summer’s heat is upon us I think now is a great time to discuss this…

Currently, I’m living in hot and sunny south Florida. Not to be overly gross, but my whites just do not stay as white as they should simply because of all the sweating that I do here! I know that I could go see a dermatologist or I can try a new deodorant, but that’s not my question/issue. My question is: other than bleach, what do you do to keep your whites fresh and white? It’s my opinion that Florida living prevents white clothing from ever looking totally clean, and that’s a total damper on a DC girl who lives an ill-fitting black/gray/blue suit and a white button-up. What do you do?

We actually have talked about the best deodorants for the working woman — but as you note, this is a different question. (Pictured: Stretch Poplin Blouse, on sale at Saks as part of their new designer markdowns (up to 40%!) – was $395, now $237.) The tips that I know of for keeping whites white:

a) Think about your undergarments. A white blouse frequently needs a camisole anyway (I’m a fan of the nude-for-you bra paired with a white camisole, but that’s me) and so look for one that has high arm-holes — the cotton camisole will help “catch” the sweat (yes, eww, but still).

When you’re laundering it,

b) Avoid the dryer at all costs. Even if the shirt says “tumble dry low,” most of the yellowing comes from the dryer — so hang your white blouses, or lay them flat to dry. If the tag says “dry clean only” or even “dry clean” (the latter of which usually means it can be washed), I’d be inclined to get the shirt dry-cleaned if you really like it.

c) Before you wash it, pretreat areas that are likely to be dirty. My husband always sprays the collars, underarms, and cuffs of his button-down shirts with Spray n’ Wash before we do the laundry. I’ve read about a number of other solutions for cleaning whites — peroxide mixes, baking soda mixes, etc, but I’ve never tried them myself – readers, please weigh in!

d) If all of this still doesn’t help, look into underarm shields. I only know about this product because a friend wanted to invent it — alas for her, a lot of companies beat her to the punch, including the folks behind Hollywood Fashion Tape (Dress Shields Behind The Seams Garment Protectors by Hollywood Fashion Tape), but this is great news for white blouse wearers.

Finally: keep in mind that while the white blouse is classic, it is by no means the only thing you can wear to look professional — check out the Corporette Guide to the Best Tops For Under Suits!

Readers, what are your tips for keeping your whites sparkling white?

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Calling All Tuckers…

by Kat on 04/22/2010 · 110 comments

in Fashion, Fashion Gaffes, Wear to Work

Are you a tucker? If so, this reader has a question for you on how you keep your shirts tucked neatly…

Do you know of any device that will help a woman keep her shirt neatly tucked in? I envision something along the lines of suspender types of things that might function something like the shirt bodysuits they sell at Victoria’s Secret. For example, they could be made of a stretchy fabric and could clip (or be sewn?) onto the front and back of the shirt on each side, and would run between the legs along the bikini line. Am I just crazy? I’ve done some internet searching, but all I can find is some horrible military things that clip from the bottom of one’s shirt to the top of one’s socks. Not exactly useful if a woman is wearing a skirt. Has anyone had a tailor install such things on shirts to keep them in place? Any other good tricks?

We must admit, this is a fascinating question. We’re not much of a tucker, but obviously there are some women out there who swear by it. (We’re a little curious as to whether there will be any “it’s a little embarrassing but it works” tricks, like tucking shirttails into underpants — come forward, ladies, you’re in a safe place.) The most we can say is that we continually see bodysuits from retailers, such as the Wolford turtleneck pictured above (Colorado String Bodysuit, available at Saks.com for $245) and of course the button-front bodysuits they sell at Victoria’s Secret (pictured at right, Essential bodysuit in solids, available for $32.50). Readers, what are your tips and tricks for keeping shirts and blouses neatly tucked? Are there any “rules” you have for when a shirt should absolutely be tucked (e.g., do shirttails matter)? To be honest, we’ve just gone by the gut here — if it looked good with pants untucked, we wore it like that. For our $.02, we can think of very few examples when a shaped shirt cannot be worn untucked.

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Thursday’s TPS Report: Banana Republic’s Fitted Non-Iron Shirt

by C on 06/04/2009 · 12 comments

in Fashion, The Personal Shopper (TPS)

Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. We begin the week in splurge mode, with our most expensive suggestions, and wind our way to Friday, where a less expensive item of clothing might be just what you need to make it to the weekend.

Today’s TPS report is written by City Girl, who writes about a variety of topics pertaining to city living as a professional woman, including beauty and fashion for the workplace.

This shirt is a winner – and this is coming from a complete skeptic when it comes to cotton no-iron shirts. In fact, even though it fit well, I initially bought just one to try it out. I wore it and washed it (delicates/cold cycle, for your reference) and hung it up. Then I sighed, as it had some wrinkles at that point. I figured I would at least have to iron the collar and the cuffs, which invariably happens with so-called no-iron shirts. But no – the next morning the shirt had no wrinkles, and the cuffs and collar had somehow stiffened up. I have no idea what the technology behind it is, but I am sold – I have already bought two more of those shirts and they have held up just as well so far. I also really like the fit, as it is fitted, but not overly so. I wore one of these shirts on an awful 90-degree-summer-hit-DC-way-too-early day, and the shirt was comfortable and still looked good at 8pm, despite not having been starched by the cleaners. Final note: this rave review for the fitted cotton no-iron shirt. I did not find the classic version to fit as well, and it had French cuffs, which require ironing to look good, no matter the material. The fitted version has very simple cuffs. $59 in a variety of colors at Banana Republic. Women: Fitted non-iron shirt – Light citrus

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Bargain Friday’s TPS Report: Martin + Osa’s Candy-Stripe Cuffed Shirt

by C on 04/24/2009 · 5 comments

in Fashion, The Personal Shopper (TPS)

We like this lovely basic fitted shirt from Martin + Osa, which generally specializes in casual clothes — we like the darts below the bust, the wide cuffs, and the overall look of the stripes. We especially like that it’s on sale for $29.95 (was $69.95) and still available in two colors and lots of sizes. Martin + Osa’s Candy-Stripe Cuffed Shirt

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Thursday’s TPS Report: Bratique Helene’s 3/4 Sleeve Wrap Shirt

by C on 03/26/2009 · 5 comments

in Fashion, The Personal Shopper (TPS)

Today’s TPS report is written by City Girl — you can read her full experience with Carisssa here!

Thanks so much for inviting me to guest review on Corporette! I love my shirts from Bratique Helene — their creator, Carissa Brown, gifted me with a couple of their shirts, and they have quickly become wardrobe staples. The blue wrap shirt is just beautiful. The design is genius — there is just enough extra material to give room on the bust-line, but it is darted in such a way as to be very flattering and fitted. I really love the wrap design as it provides plenty of coverage to be work-appropriate (and my law firm is as conservative as they get), yet is great to wear on weekends or out to dinner. The blue color is even more gorgeous in person than on the picture, and the material is great quality. I was impressed at how well it holds up after drycleaning — the quality of the material and the tailoring is very apparent in that after a couple of dry cleanings, it has retained its structure and shape. Finally, I also wanted to mention that Carissa is a master at sizing — I am between sizes, and based on my measurements she recommended different sizes for different shirt styles and everything fit perfectly. Overall, it’s been a great experience, and I look forward to shopping at Bratique Helene many more times.

The 3/4 Sleeve Wrap Shirt is $80, and available at Bratique Helene.

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10 Things to Know About: Wearing Button-Down Shirts

by C on 06/18/2008 · 52 comments

in 10 Things, Basics, Fashion, Layering Pieces, Top Post, Wear to Work

(Welcome! If you’re new here, please consider signing up for our email list, or checking out our Top Posts since 2008.)

Someone was telling us recently that they didn’t wear button-down shirts, didn’t even know how to wear ‘em. So, here ya go…

1. If you’re going for the crisp cotton look, go for non-iron. Brooks Brothers makes a great fitted non-iron shirt. Thomas Pink (very high end, typically thought of as a man’s store) makes amazing button-down shirts for women, also, with interesting prints and a lovely fit.

2. Collars should stay on the inside of the jacket, not splayed open on the outside.

3. If you have a white shirt, try not to put it in the dryer in order to avoid yellowing. Actually, in our experience the iron-free shirts look best when hung dry. (Just pull them taut, a bit, when they’re wet and you’re hanging on the hanger — it always seems to help the fabric figure out where to go.)

4. If you’ve got a French cuff shirt, do not bother with those tiny knots you can buy at places for $10 — you’re wasting your money and time, because they take forever to put in. Instead, make an investment in a good pair of cufflinks — Thomas Pink has great ones; Vivre also has some beautiful ones right now

5. Tucking: If you’re wearing a fitted, button-down shirt (such as the ones from Pink) you can experiment with how it looks untucked. The key is that it can’t be too long — it should hit mid-hip, and no matter what should not be longer than your suit jacket. Silky shirts should always be tucked.

6. If you want a very clean look, there are some stores that make leotard-like button-down shirts. See, for example, Victoria’s Secret.

7. Non-traditional style idea: Wear a short-sleeved button-down shirt beneath a vest or even a t-shirt. (We’ve given up trying to wear anything but silky button-downs beneath full-sleeve sweaters — the static cling gets us every time.)

8. Non-traditional style idea, Part 2: Wear a camisole/tank top underneath the button-down shirt, tuck in the shirt, and only button it up halfway, so people can see the camisole beneath. See Allison Janey in West Wing.

9. Gaping: If your shirt is gaping, this could mean a few things. A) You need a larger size, and should take it to a tailor to get it to fit you the way you want it to. B) You need to wear a camisole beneath it, so when you turn to the side people don’t get a view of your bra. C) You can experiment with Hollywood Tape and so forth to keep it from gaping — we’ve found the camisole is just easier.

10. Beneath the white shirt: Wear a bra that matches your skin tone, and a white camisole, no matter how convinced you are that no one can see through it. We’ve tried the nude camisole, and trust is: white just looks better.

Check out some of these tailored shirts, below…

tailored shirt