Loxley™ | Elegant Summer Blouse

A check printed big enough to survive a wide panel.

Two things go wrong here, and neither is your fault. The first is the check itself: a grid drawn at a scale that suits a size 8 gets printed onto a much wider panel, so the squares crowd across the fullest part and open out at the sides, and the pattern ends up looking like two different fabrics on one garment. The second is the popover construction. There is only one opening and it stops halfway down the chest, so the body has to clear your bust with the buttons fastened — and when the armhole is cut tight on top of that, reaching up lifts the whole shirt off your waistband and leaves it there.

Loxley is drawn to avoid both. The check is printed large, in broad horizontal and vertical bands rather than a fine grid, so the rhythm stays the same however wide the panel gets. The body is cut genuinely oversized with the armhole dropped deep towards the waist, so it goes over your head without a struggle and reaching raises the sleeve instead of the hem. The sleeves are roomy at the upper arm and finished with a grey contrast cuff made to be turned back.

Why it works

• Large-scale check in broad bands: the pattern keeps its rhythm across a wider panel instead of crowding at the fullest point.
• Wide body with a deep dropped armhole: it goes on over your head easily — the step where most popovers fail.
• Batwing sleeve: you reach and the sleeve moves, not the hem.
• Roomy sleeves with a contrast turn-back cuff: wide enough at the upper arm to roll and stay rolled.
• Curved high-low hem: longer at the centre front and back, shorter at the sides.
• Half placket with a soft pointed collar and a patch chest pocket: wear it open at the throat with nothing pulling.

Fit note

Generous through the body and the shoulder; the shoulder seam is meant to sit out on the arm. Take your usual size. The weave is thin and lets light through at the hem, so a cami underneath if you'd rather it weren't see-through. Two colourways: Orange (orange, pink, green, blue and yellow) and Green (green, pink and blue). Sizes M to 4XL.