We’ve been tearing through tops recently in EA Anthropologie reviews! More in this set before we turn our attention to dresses next.
Note: My sizing is currently floating — I started a muscle-toning exercise regimen back in June and kicked off a new nutrition plan in December! For reference I am currently sitting at 34-29-38, size 6/M in sweaters, 6 in dresses and 29/30 in pants, 34D. I am 5’8″.
My best friend and I were recently lamenting the shortness of tops these days. Last year, like a flower bloom gone all too soon, we were delighted to find that long shirts were ‘on-trend’ with plenty of options in stores ranging from the most decadent luxury store to your basic H&M or American Apparel. I don’t even mean tunics — I mean regular-length shirts that hit in the perfect spot on my body. This year those long tops are barely anywhere to be found, replaced by lots and lots and lots of tops that look strange on any gal over 5’2″.
This isn’t to say that shorter tops don’t have a place. They’re great with skirts. And sometimes for proportion’s sake I do want a top that ends right at my waist. BUT. The vast majority of my tops need to be long to be of any use for me, either for wearing them on their own or as layering pieces.
Which brings me to Postmark’s adorable but cropped Atelier Mock Turtleneck ($58). This adorable Parisian chic top is more rectangular than past Postmark shirts have been — and this is a good thing! It’s not so square and boxy as recent Postmark tops have been. It has a cute mock turtleneck and perfect-length short sleeves and it’s rendered in the imprint’s typical thicker textured cotton-poly. There’s a short zipper in the back at the neckline but if you’re like me you won’t need to use it. The neck is wide enough to put on without touching the zip.
I tried on a medium which is the size I usually take in tops, but like most Postmark shirts this one runs large. I had plenty of extra room across the bust, through the shoulders and in the back. I would buy this top in a small — one size down. In the photos above I am wearing a dark grey layering tank. Where that tank ends on me is where I wish this top ended! A good 3 inches longer. Then it would be perfect under a blazer, or peeking out from below a sweater, or on its own with a good pair of skinny jeans.
As short as this top is it ends up making me look shorter. I’m a girl who’s proud of my tall stature so this simply won’t work. Although very cute this top is a pass for me due to its length.
Maeve’s Fluttered Maya Blouse ($88) comes in 4 patterns or 2 solid colors. Although this fluttery sleeve style isn’t my normal fare when I spotted it in-store I thought perhaps this would be a good vacation top for my next trip to Hawaii coming up in June. The Rockefeller Center flagship (NYC) only had a couple of patterns to choose from so I grabbed this neutral motif to try on.
The top is ‘lightweight woven rayon’ that feels silklike. Very airy and floaty and fun! Better still there are tuxedo pleats down the front and back that keep some shape in this blouse so it’s not just a box on my body. The sleeves are split but held together by 5 buttons running down my shoulder. That’s a cool little detail I enjoy immensely!
This blouse is made to be loose but with that said my typical size 6 felt too loose. I’d want to size down to a 4 to buy it assuming the 4 wasn’t too short. This top is fine in front and back for length with considerably higher sides that I’m not a fan of. The sleeves are also pretty long in front — it’s no wonder most of the product photos on Anthro’s site show the models from a 3/4 view that is much more flattering that seeing the top straight-on. So all you have to do is walk on a diagonal all day and you’ll be set! The wide v-neckline does show plenty of neck and upper chest but is low-risk for exposure which I appreciate.
I would wear this top with a pair of cute shorts, perhaps denim or a complementing pattern. Not a full-price buy for me but wishlisted for reconsideration come sale time!
The Caela Blouse ($98) is a sheer mesh top with a darker ombre effect on the lower half. On the product model the ombre part somehow starts right at the waist which is such a wonderful idea! On me however the ombre starts much higher, right at the crook of my elbow and the effect is much less mesmerizing.
It’s funny because this top seems very old-lady on the hanger but it has some serious downtown personality to it once it’s on! I would love to wear this top under a leather jacket with black jeans and maybe even booties. I’m in a small for these photos above which is one size down from my usual medium. The small fits great though my arms just barely made it in, so beware if your upper arms are especially muscly or if sleeve width is an issue for you. The length is alright; it’s shorter than my layering tank of perfection but still manages to brush the top of my hips. I can deal with that. I have the sleeves pushed up slightly into my elbow for these shots; they are actually bracelet length.
Meadow Rue is killing it right now — a top I’d consider on sale that’s on my wishlist for now!
Meadow Rue’s Anja Blouse ($98) didn’t photograph all that well for me so perhaps you’ll take my word that it’s cuter in person? I adore the design of this top — swiss dot lace up top and a triangle-pleated cotton print below. Of course the top is not meant to be layered over anything dark, i.e. the tank I was wearing, but I don’t carry around 7 bras in different colors when I do reviews so we’ll just have to make do!
This super-soft top is nice and long, has sleeves that end right at the elbow and a wide scoop neckline. It’s slightly wider at the bottom (great for hourglasses and pears!) and is loose across the middle without making me look pregnant. There’s a nice yet easy shape to this top. I love how Anthro chose to style it over white and I’d likely do the same.
I’m in a small here because Meadow Rue often runs large, but I wish I’d tried on my usual medium instead. The sleeves of the small were too tight on me and the bottom wasn’t sitting quite right. Still, I can tell how cute this top is!
This is one I might invest in at full price. It’s between this and the Winterbloom Pullover ($88) I think. Any thoughts community? Wishlisted for now!
Anthropologie does a fantastic job selecting tops, sweaters and jackets from Dolan in my opinion. Their latest winner is the Textured Cowl Pullover (now $40) which is a steal at $40 and might even get a 2nd cut in the next set of clothing markdowns (which probably won’t be for a couple of weeks). This cowlneck looks totally different on me than it does on Anthro’s product model and yet I think it works superbly on both of us! Always nice to find a top that works on a variety of body shapes.
I realize the texture may not be very visible in these photos — it’s somewhat easier to see on the black version below. Like a coiled accordion or a closed roman shade, this top has layers of raised cotton texture connected to a simple, soft tee-shirt-like base. It’s very 3D in real life. It also has a sizeable cowl which I chose to wear off my shoulders but you can copy Anthropologie’s model and wear it down your front instead. There’s a myriad of options. The long sleeves came down below my wrists. I love how long the top is too! It hit as the same spot as my layering tank — a match made in heaven!
I tried on my usual size medium in both the grey and the black and they fit great. I do like this kind of top to be oversized so I’m actually planning to size up and buy this top in a large.
Below is a shot of the black, which was a little shorter than the grey on me. You can see the nude tee-shirt material peeking through below the raised black texture…
I totally dig this top. I am waiting to see if it gets a 2nd cut so I can get both colors, but if it isn’t cut again in the next round of sale I’ll buy just the black for now.
Are you Alexa Chung? Do you want to be? Or at least dress like her? The Chambray Swing Top ($118) is part of Ms. Chung’s collaboration with AG Jeans and the pieces predictably reflect her mod-cum-modern sensibilities. I appreciate her style from a distance because most of it is stuff I could never wear. Up close and personal it’s good for a laugh I guess!
This top is so short, with a very high detail seam, a huge peplum and ginormous sleeves. Part of me can see how one with the right attitude and either statuesque height/tiny body or petite frame/slim shape could pull this off magnificently. For everyone in between I’m dubious.
Made from cotton chambray the top is beautifully soft and I like the color a lot (the middle shot above captured it best, it can look washed out under intense direct potlights goodgodAnthropleasefixthe5thAvefittingroomlighting!!). I’m in my usual 6 here and it’s HUGE. Size down, at least one size and maybe even two. Yeah I get that it’s supposed to be swingy and oversized. Not this much though!
Regrettably, my years-long love affair with AG Jeans has been slowly dying the last year or two. First they killed their Premiere Jeans, the only mid-rise straight leg I could find with a rise long enough for me. Then their rises overall just keep getting shorter and shorter. I bought two new pairs of their Legging Jeans, once a stalwart for me, in their Christmas sale on final sale and neither pair works for me — they are both way too big around my waist and slide down into muffin top territory even though they are loose on me. Likewise the Stilts have been getting lower too, sitting in a spot on my back that does not flatter. I still love the brand so I’m not ready to give up on them yet but I do have to admit that at the moment, their newest releases aren’t working all that great for me. I’ll try them again later this year.
It might be that my body changes have made AG not the slam dunk it once was for me, so I’m hunting for a new brand of jeans to make my own. Any suggestions community? I like Paige jeans a lot but their legs are often too tapered for me…Hudson is alright though I don’t know a ton about them…??
Anyway, this top is a pass for me. Can’t win them all I guess! Have you tried on any of these tops? What pieces would you like me to review next? More reviews coming up tomorrow unless Anthro throws some kind of surprise at us. (No that’s not a hint.)
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