Vintage Tops & Blouses

Our vintage-style tops and blouses are designed in England to sit at the waist of a high-waisted skirt or pair of trousers, which is why so many are gathered, tied or cropped. You will find 1940s blouses with gathered shoulders, pinup wrap tops and tie tops, pussy bow blouses, boat-neck Bardot tops, sweater girl knits, bateau and keyhole sweaters and cardigans.

What are vintage tops?

Vintage tops, sometimes called retro tops, take their shape from earlier decades: boat and bateau necklines, sweetheart necklines, wrap and tie fronts, pussy bows, gathered shoulders and a short length that meets the waistband. A vintage style blouse gives you those 1940s and 1950s details in a modern, easy-care fabric. Ours are cut in soft viscose, stretch jersey and viscose-nylon knit.

What is a Bardot top?

A Bardot top has a wide neckline that sits across the collarbones and shoulders. It takes its name from the French actress Brigitte Bardot, who made the look famous in the 1950s and 1960s. Ours has a boat neckline and bracelet-length sleeves, in stretchy baby roma jersey with a touch of sheen, and it is cut to sit about three inches below the natural waist.

Vintage blouses, wrap tops and retro knits

• Blouses: the 1940s blouse is a short-sleeved shirt blouse with gathers at the shoulder and back yoke, buttons down the front and a neat open neckline. The Rizzo is a 1950s-style shirt in stretch cotton with a turn-back collar and clear buttons, and the pussy bow blouse has no buttons at all: it simply pulls on over your head.
• Wrap and tie tops: the pinup wrap top can be tied at the side, the front or the back, and the tie top has a gathered sweetheart neckline, dainty ties and flutter sleeves.
• Knits: sweater girl tops, bateau sweaters in navy, red and blue stripes, keyhole sweaters and cardigans with pearlescent buttons, all cropped to sit with high waists.

How to wear them

Tuck a blouse into a pair of high-waisted trousers or a circle or pencil skirt, or layer a cardigan over one of our dresses. A bateau sweater with capri pants makes an easy weekend outfit, and the striped styles also sit in our nautical edit. Our blouses come in UK sizes 8 to 18 (see the size guide), while the knits, jersey and tie tops come in S to XL, so check the sizing tab on the product page.