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Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.
It used to be really hard to find anything but your basic silk button-front blouse, but it feels like great silk blouses for work are EVERYWHERE right now, so I thought we'd do a little roundup! If you're a fan of silk blouses, do you prefer button-fronts, pullover styles like T-shirts, or something else?
(We actually have an entire roundup of JUST silk button-front blouses, so this post is expanding that to talk about silk blouses in general.)
Do you have any great silk knits (or silk-blend knits)? What are your top tips for care for them, whether it's washable silk or the instructions say “dry clean“?
{related: the best 100% cotton sweaters for work}
Table of Contents
- The Best Silk Button-front Blouse: Everlane (read our thoughts / buy)
- Best Silk Popover Blouse: Kobi Halperin (read our thoughts / buy)
- The Best Silk Blouses for Work for Plus Sizes: Vince (read our thoughts / buy)
- The Best Silk Blouse for Work to Splurge On: Bruno Cucinelli (read our thoughts / buy)
- The Best Short-Sleeve Silk Blouse: Amour Vert (read our thoughts / buy)
- The Best Basic Silk Tee: Quince (read our thoughts / buy)
- The Best Knit Silk Tee: J.Crew (read our thoughts / buy)
- The Best Sleeveless Silk Top: Elie Tahari (read our thoughts / buy)
- The Best Fancy Silk Blouses: M.M.Lafleur (read our thoughts / buy)
- The Best Silk Camisole: Quince (read our thoughts / buy)
10 Great Silk Blouses for Work
The Best Silk Button-front Blouse: Everlane
Silk button-front blouses are a classic for a reason — they're effortlessly stylish and timeless. They also make great layering pieces underneath sweaters, cardigans, and blazers.
Our top pick here is Everlane — they've had great options for washable, eco-conscious silk for a long while now. The Clean Silk Relaxed Shirt currently comes in seven colors in sizes 00-16 for $150.
Other great options here for button-fronts include include Boden, M.M.LaFleur, Club Monaco, L'Agence, Equipment, and Vince.
On the more affordable side, there are a few direct-to-consumer brands that specialize in silk that will come up a few times throughout this piece; they all have options for your basic silk button-front blouse as well: Quince, Grana, and Lilysilk.
{related: DIY options to fix a gaping blouse}
The Best Silk Popover Blouse: Kobi Halperin
Readers love a good popover blouse — no buttons, but all the polish. But there aren't a ton of silk popovers around right now! This one from Kobi Halperin at Nordstrom looks great and comes in a sleeveless version, too. I like that the blouse is stretch silk, also.
One reviewer noted that it's a nice quality, drapes well, and is elegant and casual — but it may run on the smaller size.
The long-sleeve blouse currently comes in five colors, for $298.
The Best Plus-Size Silk Blouses: Vince
Hooboy, there are NOT a lot of options here! Vince consistently has both classic and trendy silk blouses for work available in regular AND plus sizes, so great job, Vince!
Other options: Eileen Fisher has a ton of silk basics for work, although the stock is somewhat patchy in plus sizes right now, and Spanx just came out with a “low maintenance” silk button-front that goes up to size 3X. Kind of off the beaten path, but super affordable: Etsy seller OlivaOceana makes customized silk blouses that look gorgeous, and she works up to size 5X. Speaking of customizable options, eShakti has a ton of silk options — you can buy up to size 6X off the rack, or give them custom measurements.
The Best Silk Blouse for Work to Splurge On: Bruno Cuccinelli
Bruno Cucinelli's blouses don't just have interesting patterns — they often have additional details like the shoulder detailing on this $2,495 stunner. Expensive? For sure, but it's hard to find anything quite like it that's more affordable.
Other brands who regularly carry drool-worthy silk blouses include Akris, Lafayette 148 New York, and Etro (Etro also has absolutely gorgeous silk knits right now!).
The Best Short-Sleeve Silk Blouse: Amour Vert
Amour Vert's washable silk blouses have been reader favorites for a while, and they're also one of the most reliable places to look if you like a colorful print. They're $148 at Amour Vert, currently available in 10+ colors, sizes XXS-XL.
Another place to look for a lot of slightly interesting, generally short-sleeved silk blouses: Premium Outlets seems to have a ton of options online.
The Best Basic Silk Tee: Quince
For $49, this silk tee is hard to beat. I like that it's a little bit loose, and I like the detail of the keyhole at the back of the neck. It comes in 12 colors, sizes XS-XL, for $49.90.
This is one of the easiest styles to find elsewhere — you can check out Cuyana, Brooks Brothers, Grana, LilySilk, Ravella, M.M.LaFleur, and more (but $49 is one of the most affordable prices we've seen).
The Best Silk Knit Tee: J.Crew
J.Crew has a silk-cashmere blend cropped T-shirt that is among its bestsellers right now. IMHO, a silk/cashmere or silk/cotton blend is the Holy Grail for tees — they wear like sweaters, are easy to care for (no ironing usually needed), but they're breathable and look a bit more polished than your regular sweater tee.
The J.Crew one is $98 full price but is currently marked to $54.50; it's available in 10 colors in sizes XXS-3X. Lilysilk also has a ribbed silk knit tee at the moment.
Not a tee, but worth mentioning: Brooks Brothers‘ silk/cashmere shawl collar sweater has been a reader favorite for YEARS — it's a great on its own or as a layering piece under sweaters.
The Best Sleeveless Silk Top: Elie Tahari
The Judith blouse has been around for years, and it's always been among our favorite sleeveless tops for work. The contour necklnine and soft shoulder pleat are great details, and in all it makes for a polished outfit, whether by itself or layered under a cardigan, sweater jacket, or blazer.
The top is $198, but currently marked to $148, at Elie Tahari.
You can find much simpler tanks at all of the same places that have basic silk tees, as well
The Best Fancy Silk Blouses: M.M.LaFleur
M.M.LaFleur has a NUMBER of really cute silk blouses right now, from the cowl-neck pictured above to a bunch of other fun prints and styles, from basic ones to more interesting ones. (They even have a big selection of silk jersey, huzzah!)
Club Monaco also has a surprising number of silk items right now that are more interesting than the usual fare, but a lot of them are low stock at the moment. Elie Tahari is another great spot with interesting silk blouses.
Best Silk Camisole: Quince
Know your office before wearing a silk camisole without another layer on top to work — those skinny spaghetti straps are great for date night, but in years past have been widely thought to be unprofessional.
But if you're on the hunt, my pick would be Quince's $39 camisole — it comes in a ton of colors, is washable and stretchy, and would make a great underlayer (like a proper camisole) or a cute going-out top. Grana also has a nice selection.
Looking for something more splurgey? This Cinq à Sept one comes in a bunch of colors and has great reviews.
What are your favorite silk blouses for work in 2024?
Like this feature? Check out other recent installments!
Stock photo via Deposit Photos / belchonock.
In-House in Houston
I’m thinking about a trip to Martha’s Vineyard; when is the best time to go when it’s not too crowded. Also, best place to fly into and drive? Any tips, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
CapHillAnon
How fun! MV is packed late June through early August. In my experience, around July 4 is the most crowded of the summer weeks, but honestly it is just generally crowded through about the second week of August. Early September is a *dream* there, still warm and everything is open, but ofc it’s hard to swing if you’re tied to school schedules.
Anom
What about petites????
Anon
We don’t exist! Just ask clothing manufacturers and stores who are oblivious to the reality that the mean height for a woman in the US is 5’4”.
Anom
I’ve noticed. I’m 5’1” and narrow hips. My office clothes are all so old bc I just can’t find anywhere to shop. I’m sized out.
Anon
5’4″ and a size 16. So many retailers have moved larger sizes to online only. It’s frustrating.
Kat G
We linked to an Etsy seller who customizes blouses to your measurements (under Best Plus Blouse) — eShakti also has a ton of silk blouses that are customizable.
Anon
I really love that mm lafleur blouse. I wish my current work lifestyle justified the purchase! (It doesn’t)