Madeline Breton top, £45, Iris & Ink by The Outnet
I’ve got a bit of a thing about breton tops – a bad thing – I had one that I wore all the time with grey skinny jeans and Converse after I had Kitty and it became a sort of totem of, I don’t know, miserable postpartum frumpiness.
So for a long time I didn’t have one, even though they are one of the cornerstones of a wardrobe, let’s face it. You just mustn’t wear it like every single fucking day, with the grey skinnies and the leaky Converse.
But now can I find a good Breton? No, I cannot. They are all too wide at the neck, which doesn’t work on me as my shoulders are weirdly uneven and one side will slop off one shoulder and make me look a mess – and also expose a bra strap: grim. All the others have mad modernising detail, laces, embellishments or other strangeness.
I did in fact get a good plain one from Zara, and it was happy days until it shrank dramatically in the wash and is now only good for layering under a longer top.
Then I came across this one from Iris & Ink, which if you don’t know, is The Outnet’s original clothing line. Iris & Ink is very good; the clothes are plain and inexpensive – they will give you a completely palatable version of whatever mad main trend is, so right now a wearable ruffle blouse, a wearable twist-front dress and so on.
And then this completely standard-issue, stretch cotton Breton in a good colour, nice thick fabric with decent stretch and a generous length, so wearable for me with my long back disease. It’s also only £45. Now to see how it holds up in the wash…
yes and the much touted Boden ones are shit. Thin fabric and no good if you have boobs and/or a long back.
I’m wearing a new Topshop Breton today (navy with a white stripe rather than the other way round). It’s very soft and only cost £20 but I haven’t washed it yet. Also not massively long so maybe not for long backs but perfect for fellow sufferers of short-arse disease.
Lots of people raving about the H&M one http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0372100003.html too
yes that looks nice
I love a good striped top. I have several of the Me&Em ones which are very flattering around the torso because of the gathering at the sides (sounds foul and frilly, but it works). No need to iron either – just wash, stick on a hanger and dry. The fabric is thin, but they are long in the body.
http://www.meandem.com/breton-top-white-blue
When I wear my navy pea-ish coat with my skinny jeans and Converse trainers I fantasise I look like Inès de La Fressange. Then I go out and realise I look like every other haggard middle-class middle-aged woman running errands. Helen x
Helen I love this
Oooh those look lovely!
I had a t shirt from Zara last year that shrank after one wash, so they’re dead to me now. Until I forget and buy something else from there. It doesn’t take much to sell me a stripe, will be checking out all these suggestions!
My best ever one was from an Army Navy store just off Broadway in New York, where you had to wade through shoulder high mounds of broken boxes spilling out random uniform items. It was an actual Russian submariners top (complete with the cyrillic care label inside) and cost $US15. Not too gapey on top and it was washed and washed and washed for years and still looked fab. Sadly, it’s dying now, and I seem to be a magnet for the Joules ones – I’ve far too many of them and can’t seem to stop buying more.
Just remembered the name of the store, should any of you be headed to NYC, it’s Kaufmans and it’s so worth a visit. http://www.kaufmansarmynavy.com
wow great knowledge! thanks xxx
I have a White Company one I got recently (their clothes are terrific quality if you can bear the price) which is great as it is a bit thicker but still ok with a denim shirt underneath as well as on its own. And its white with very dark navy stripes. Although I might have to buy the Me&Em one too now!