At 62, my granddaughter asked me why Nanna always wears black. This is a letter about the sky-blue top that answered her
Six things this light, floaty tunic gets right that a drawer full of "slimming" black tops never did, from a Perth woman who had spent forty summers dressed for a funeral in 38 degrees.
Maggie Whitfield · 62 · Perth, WA · 5 min read
I'm 62, and it was a Sunday at Cottesloe when my granddaughter Ruby looked up from her chips and asked, quite seriously, "Nanna, why do you always wear black? Are you sad?" Everyone laughed, and so did I. But that night I opened my wardrobe and counted eleven black tops. Black, because somebody once told me black is slimming. Black, because it hides things. Black, in a city where February sits at 38 degrees and a black top in the sun feels like wearing an oven. I wasn't sad. I'd just stopped choosing. So this is not a review. It's a woman who finally answered her granddaughter's question, telling you what she wears now.
The top I'm writing about is the Joanne, a printed button tunic from Perth Boutique, a small Australian boutique that dresses women our age. Mine is the sky blue, covered in watercolour wildflowers in navy, peach and marigold. My friend Lorraine, who has been telling me to "get out of the black" since about 1998, sent me the link with a single line: "Do it for Ruby." When Perth Boutique later asked if they could share my letter, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
Here's what I worked out, standing in front of those eleven black tops. Black was never really about style. It was about not being looked at. It was a top that covered my tummy, my hips and the tops of my arms, and I'd decided that only black could do that job. It turns out that's not true at all. You just need the right shape.
I wasn't sad. I'd just stopped choosing. A seven-word question from Ruby was all it took to start again.
The Joanne is the first coloured top I've owned in years that does everything the black ones did, and having worn it to Thursday coffee, the Fremantle markets and Ruby's school assembly, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
A loose, floaty cut that skims instead of clings
This is what made me brave enough to try colour. The Joanne has a loose, relaxed fit that falls from the shoulders and floats away from the body, so it skims over the tummy instead of settling on it. On me it comes down past the hips, which is exactly where I want a top to stop. It doesn't need to be black to hide anything, because it isn't clinging to anything in the first place.
Thursday coffee with Lorraine. Two scones. Didn't pull my top down once. Lorraine just said, "Finally."
Light chiffon that breathes in a Perth summer
The fabric is a soft, lightweight chiffon, and after forty summers in heavy black jersey, the difference is ridiculous. It's airy, it moves with the breeze, and it doesn't hold the heat against you. Walking back from the car park at Cottesloe at midday, I felt cool instead of cooked. If you've ever stood at a bus stop in February wishing you could take your top off, you'll know what I mean.
36 degrees at the Fremantle markets. Two hours, a punnet of strawberries and a bag of Ray's favourite olives. Still fresh at the end of it.
A soft V-neck and buttons down the front
The neckline is a soft V. It isn't low, just open enough to let you breathe and to draw the eye up to your face instead of down. The buttons run down the front, so I can wear it done up as a top, or leave it open over a white singlet as a light cover-up when the sea breeze comes in. That's two tops for the price of one, which my late mother would have approved of.
Wore it open over a white singlet and white jeans. Ray looked up from the paper and said, "Where are we going?" Nowhere, love. It's Tuesday.
Sleeves that cover the tops of the arms
For me, this was the part I couldn't do without. The sleeves cover the tops of my arms, so I don't have to throw a cardigan over the top, which defeats the whole point of a summer top. They're loose too, so nothing grips and nothing rides up when you're reaching for the top shelf or waving across the playground at a grandchild.
Ruby spotted me from the stage and waved. Easy to spot, apparently, when you're not "the lady in black." I waved back with both arms.
A print that does the work for you
The sky blue is the colour of a Perth morning, and the wildflowers look painted on, like something from a watercolour sketchbook. It's cheerful without being loud, and a busy little print is wonderfully forgiving. It hides a drip of coffee, and it gives the eye plenty to look at besides your middle. It goes with white jeans, black leggings, linen trousers or a plain skirt, so I've been wearing it with things I already own.
Three people have asked where it's from. Nobody has ever asked where a black top was from. Not once in forty years.
Sizes S to 3XL, five colours, and an honest word on fit
The Joanne comes in sizes S up to 3XL, and in five colours: sky blue, grey, khaki, white and black. Yes, black. I did not order the black. Because the fit is loose and relaxed, I ordered my usual size and it was right. I'll be honest, because I promised I would: there isn't a measurement chart on the product page yet, so if you're between sizes, ask Perth Boutique's team before you order. They're happy to help.
Took four of the eleven black tops to the op shop. Ruby came with me and carried the bag. She said it was "a very good day for Nanna."
This top, against the black ones
Most of us don't buy black because we love it. We buy it because it feels safe. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
Heavy jersey that holds the heat
Clings, so you tug it down all day
Needs a cardigan to cover the arms
Disappears in every photo
"Nanna, are you sad?"
Light, breathable chiffon
A loose, floaty cut that skims
Sleeves that cover the tops of the arms
Sky blue with watercolour wildflowers
"Nanna, you look like summer."
About the price
The Joanne is $89.99 at the moment. The website says it's usually $199. I won't pretend I know what a top like this ought to cost, but I can tell you I've spent more than that over the years on black tops that only ever made me feel invisible.
You can split it with Afterpay, which works out at four payments of $22.50, and Zip is there too if that's what you use.
Shipping was free with Australia Post, tracked and insured, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if it isn't right. For a woman who hadn't bought a coloured top since the last century, that's what got me to press the button.
relaxed fit
to choose
Australia-wide
If you're 55, or 62, or 70, and there's a drawer in your house full of black tops you bought so nobody would look, this is the top I'd hand you myself, while your size is still there. Wear the blue. Let the grandkids spot you from the stage.
Maggie
Joanne · Printed Button Tunic Top
Afterpay: 4 payments of $22.50 · Zip available
- Loose, relaxed, floaty fit that skims the tummy
- Soft, lightweight, breathable chiffon
- Flattering V-neck with buttons down the front
- Wear it done up, or open as a light cover-up
- Pairs with jeans, leggings, linen trousers or a skirt
- Sizes S to 3XL · 5 colours
- FREE shipping Australia-wide & 30-day money-back guarantee
Spring sale on now, while stocks last.
About the writer. Maggie Whitfield is 62 and lives in Perth with her husband Ray, a lemon tree that produces more than they can eat, and a standing Thursday coffee with Lorraine. She worked as a dental receptionist for twenty-six years and is now, in her own words, "saying yes to things," including colour.
This page is an advertisement for Perth Boutique. Individual experiences may vary. Perth Boutique · Free shipping Australia-wide · 30-day money-back guarantee.