Wardrobe | Home

Oh they are so cute and funny, the t-shirts with messages like "Sing With the Mermaids" or "Lipstick, Heels & Late Nights," but you don't need to wear them, mkay cupcakes? Let the college girls have them.

Dinky little pockets ruin t-shirts because they give you a saggy side boob. Avoid, please.

Only buy tops that don't have chest pockets, like the one I'm wearing on the left, that gives you a clean line and keeps everything proportional. This top is from Nordstrom Rack, and I've included my fave tops for Vault Insiders in May's issue.

Here's an example of the kind of summer top or blouse with pockets you can wear: a camp shirt (top). See how the pockets are buttoned down and not all floppy and messy and one-sided? The chest pocket on the blouse in the bottom pic? Droopy boob syndrome, no thank you.

I love a good sailor stripe top for summer with white jeans or a white denim skirt. But wide, bold horizontal stripes like these create a very wide berth across your chest and stomach. Stick to narrow stripes. There's a great one in the May Style Vault!

One more no: Avoid these hip wings on fuller tops. Because why add weight and volume to your hips?

From left to right, the ideal hourglass, rectangle, pear and inverted triangle. We can create an hourglass by the clothes we put on you. Image source, Arne Hendriks.

A v-neck top draws the eye to the center of the body and creates a long, vertical line. As opposed to a high crew neck which creates a wide, horizontal plane. Pretty colorful v-neck tees in the May Style Vault, under $15!

Another great top for any shape, but especially for buxom women or women with a tummy, is a wrap top with a draped neckline. The drapes obscure a chesty bustline and a wrap camouflages the mid-section. I found this top at TJMaxx. I've included my favorite wrap top in the May Style Notes of the May Style Vault.

This faux-wrap white blouse by Lafayette from Gus Mayer does what wrap tops do best. It creates a waistline and it will stay closed without your having to worry about it (sometimes wrap tops can gape open unexpectedly). Check May Style Notes for a similar wrap top you can purchase.

With all the skinny pants and jeans everyone is wearing, you need a fuller top to balance the slim silhouette on your bottom half. But be careful with long tops or you will end up in a sheet with no shape and look ridiculous. You'll feel so cozy and shielded from the world, but you'll look ridiculous. So opt for a fuller top that has 3/4 sleeves and a little shape at the sides. Find a great one in the May Style Vault, Style Notes section.

I have grown to love a one-shoulder piece. Very party-ready for summer, even just with white shorts and wedges, don't you think? This one was hanging around at TJMaxx. Vault Insiders, check May Style Notes for a great one-shoulder option I picked just for you.

I'm showing you the back side here of this top, to show you the ruching at the sides. So many women think ruching adds weight. No. It creates a waist, and the gathering at the mid-section created by the ruching hides the tummy. Trust me. They work. Kind of like magic because wrap tops are as good for rectangle shapes who want definition, and curvy women who want shape.

If you don't like to show your arms in the summer, but you get hot, here's your solution. Sleeveless tops with a lightweight sweater on top, like this lacy jacket. I bought one this Spring and it is so useful. I added it to the May Style Notes for you Vault Insiders. And it's on sale! You can also wear light wraps/pashminas. 

The pattern on top is an animal print, easy on the eyes. The pattern on bottom is dizzying, confusing and altogether too much to think about for summer.

I think we're done here.