Reviews: Sweet William Blouse


I will just come out and say it: I love the menswear as women’s wear trend. I think it can be very sexy and I love the way menswear fabrics are reinterpreted for feminine use. (I also get a kick out of the skirts on men trend. Maybe I’m weird.)

The Sweet William Blouse ($128) takes a masculine broadcloth-style dress shirt print and reimagines it as a decidedly feminine blouse. Princess seams? Check. Frilly sleeveless finish? Check. Rosettes a’plenty? Check. And let me tell you, I love this shirt.

Like many of Anthropologie’s spring items, the shirt is slightly sheer. Seriously Anthro, what up with that? I am sick of having to wear camis under my spring/summer clothing. More layers + warm weather = bad! But it’s my only qualm with the shirt.


I found the Sweet William Blouse to be true to size (6 for me). The poplin material was soft to the touch and sat down nicely. The princess seams on the front and back of the blouse lend a structured feel that accented my long torso nicely. This shirt hit me comfortably mid-hip.

The rosette details and well-sewn. The stitching did not waver and was not frayed anywhere on the shirt I tried on. In other words it was of excellent quality. But the detail itself is something you either love or hate. My guy said the rosettes resembled “cupcake foils opened up.” Ha! I found that detail kind of endearing and, well, yummy. But I don’t think he meant it as a compliment.

Another question is how long this style will hold up. We have two trends here: menswear as women’s wear and embellishment. Personally I see this as an investment piece. I would buy it and wear it as long as it is in-style, then pack it up to be worn again in 10 years when the style comes back (the fashion cycles seem to be compacting these days!). Then again, it’s a bit of a risk because these two styles together may never come back. I think it is worth the risk and the Sweet William Blouse is wishlist approved!

1 Comment

  1. January 28, 2009 / 6:52 pm

    I'd definitely classify menswear as a timeless style for women- look at Katherine Hepburn, look at Dianne Keaton.For me, if I can envision someone wearing something fairly similar for the last several decades, it seems less difficult to peg to a certain year, making it worth the investment in my book.


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