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One Shirt, Three Ways
With not much else on my plate right now, I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about my chaplaincy internship, set to start later in the month.
Tradlands reached out a couple months ago to ask if I’d like to review an item from their spring collection, and almost without thinking about its practicality, I selected the 101 Margot Button-up in Indigo Stripe. But, of course, it is really practical for the stage of life I find myself in.
In case you haven’t heard me talk about it, I typically don’t like button-up blouses. I almost always find them constricting in the shoulders, and that makes me feel anxious. But what I like about this Tradlands top is that it’s made ever-so-slightly oversized with plenty of rotation room in the shoulder.
It’s a linen/cotton blend, which makes it breathable and less stiff than a typical cotton shirt.
I decided to style it in three ways:
- Casual, for school or a lunch date (above)
- Business Casual, for my internship
- Business, for interviews and more formal events
Style Notes: I love how warm rust and yellow tones offset blue. I feel like I’m channeling Audrey Hepburn in this outfit.
Style Notes: This secondhand blazer has a light blue stripe running through the pattern, and I like the way the subtle stripe of the Margot blouse complements it.
In other news, I’m growing out my hair. I mean, I don’t have much choice, but it seems like a good opportunity to assert agency in letting it grow out. All the cute hair accessory trends are inaccessible to those of us with pixie cuts!
The Tradlands 101 Margot shirt is currently on sale for $137. I’m wearing a Medium with a 34″ bust, 29″ waist, and 40″ hips. I recommend carefully checking the size chart. I normally have to size up at Tradlands.
Leah Wise is the founder of StyleWise Blog. She has been writing, speaking, and consulting on sustainable fashion, the fair trade and secondhand supply chain, and digital marketing for over ten years. An Episcopal priest, Leah holds a B.A. in Religion from Florida State University and an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School. When not working, you can find her looking for treasures at the thrift store.
Jennifer
Friday 8th of May 2020
I've looked at Tradlands online but I struggle to find anything that I'm willing to pay their prices for - except maybe the t shirts (and I always end up buying t shirts somewhere else). What's special about them that would justify putting $150-160 on a button up shirt? (They make me anxious as well.)
Leah Wise
Friday 8th of May 2020
Understandable! I am the same way, and tend to only purchase when at least some discount is available. The main differentiator with Tradlands is that they add extra buttons so there's no gapping, use menswear-quality, high end fabric, and incorporate really high level finishings. If this is a style of shirt you wear frequently, then I think it's really one of the best options in womenswear. If it's more of a fashion piece or a one-off, you might not want to invest.