Some simple summer tops

In the momentum of quarantine’s social media pressure to Marie Kondo my apartment, I thought it was a fabulous idea to clean out and organize my closet. I now have about 5 trash bags filled with clothes to donate that we then squeezed into the top of my closet. A really genius idea when space is limited in city living…Chris was really jazzed about it.

I cleansed my closet of quite a bit of things I really no longer wore. The truth is, we all play favorites with our clothes- some of us may buy more, but we often end up in the same dress on repeat because it’s what we feel our best in.

I really love jeans- I have like 30 pairs of jeans in a New York City closet- and I love sweaters. Which makes dressing for the colder seasons much more mindless. But when we get to summer, I am pretty basic.

I have to admit- I kind of have an unintentional summer uniform. I think a lot of us do this seasonally, where we just kind of fall into a comfort zone with what we wear on a day-to-day basis, and just create variations of that. It’s all well and good, especially right now when most of us are at home, but sometimes, I just have the desire to spice things up a bit.

Speaking for myself, my summer uniform is denim cutoff shorts and some sort of t-shirt. One of the easiest ways to make that summer uniform a bit more fashion-forward is to swap out a t-shirt with a blouse.

My outfit choices say a lot about my mood. If I look good, I feel better- there’s no science other than taking a moment to put back some time into yourself (and if you don’t want to, sweats are cool right now, too). A blouse says- I thought about what I am wearing, and I feel great about it and myself.

Don’t fret- my picks for summer blouses don’t take that thinking too seriously- they are simple, and can easily be dressed up with a skirt or pants for your imaginary office life, or popped on with a pair of denim shorts, or jeans as we go into fall. I love a crisp white top to keep things classic, or a floral flare (v. into this at the moment), a green to bring out my eyes, or a hot pink to really spice things up.

Here are 12 simple summer tops for under $100. If I’m going to buy a trendy top, I don’t need it to be something that lasts and lasts. Right now, I love poof sleeve and smocked top.

Sometimes, I just want to go beyond the t-shirt, and put on something a bit festive to feel things are fun again. Quarantine really put a lot of us into an emotional rut, and sometimes, it’s tricky to find ways to break the monotonous routine, or remember what it was like to step outside of our comfort zones, especially with limited social interaction. At least this has been my own experience.

I really stand by my motto- look good, feel good. Find ways to incorporate subtle shifts back into your life right now. Personally, I am not sure I’m ready to dine outdoors, or go anywhere with a large crowd, even outdoors (I get pretty anxious in crowds in normal circumstances, so I don’t think right now is the time).

So maybe it seems silly to buy a blouse to wear right now, or to bank on that lifting your mood. For me, clothes are part of my self-expression- always have be, and I imagine always will be. So put on a party blouse, and break out of boring.