Eloise™ | Elegant Summer Blouse

A still life needs a floor to stand on, so the hem has to stay where it was put.

This print is a scene with a vertical composition: the vase sits on the lower half, the daisies rise above it, the cats stand either side. Scenes like that only read properly if the garment hangs where it was drafted to hang, and on a fuller body most shirts don't. A hem cut level runs short at the front, because the cloth has further to travel over the bust and stomach than it does down your back — so as the day goes on the front rides up, the bottom of the vase disappears into your waistband and the picture loses its base. Add the ordinary button-front fault, where the widest point of your bust lands between two buttons and the placket pulls open, and the whole front is working against the artwork.

Eloise is cut to keep the composition standing. The hem is curved — shorter at the sides, dipping longer at the centre front and back — so there is length in reserve exactly where a level hem runs out. The body is boxy and loose, so the placket is never carrying tension across the chest, which is what opens a button gap. The shoulder is deliberately dropped, so a size chosen for your bust still hangs straight rather than tipping the scene sideways.

Why it works

• Curved high-low hem: longer at the centre front and back, so the base of the scene stays visible instead of riding into your waistband.
• Boxy cut through chest and waist: the front hangs loose instead of being held across you, which is the actual cause of a gaping placket.
• Dropped shoulder seams: meant to sit out on the arm, so the artwork hangs level rather than tipping.
• High-contrast drawing on a soft ground: the black cats and blue-and-white vase read clearly, so ordinary folds don't break the picture up.
• Patch pocket set into the print: placed within the artwork rather than cutting across the vase.
• Roomy sleeves: wide enough at the upper arm to turn back and leave turned back.

Fit note

Boxy and generous — take your usual size. The sage ground is a fine weave and lets some light through at the hem; a cami underneath if you'd rather it weren't see-through. The sleeves are meant to be turned back. One colourway. Sizes M to 4XL.