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At 62, my granddaughter drew our family and coloured me in navy. This is a letter about the blouse that changed her crayon
Six things this spring garden blouse gets right that a drawer of plain navy, black and white "basics" never did, from a Perth nanna who had quietly faded into the background of her own family.
Maggie Whitfield · 62 · Perth, WA · 5 min read
I'm 62, and a few months ago my granddaughter Ruby, who is seven, drew a picture of our whole family at the beach. Her mum was in pink, her dad in green, Pop in his red footy jersey, the dog in yellow for reasons best known to Ruby. And there I was, at the end of the row, coloured in entirely in navy. I asked her why. She said, "Because that's what you wear, Nanna." She wasn't being unkind. She was just being accurate. So this is not a review. It's a woman who went home and looked at her wardrobe, telling you what happened next.
What happened next was the Clara, a spring garden blouse from the Sylvie June collection at Perth Boutique, a small Australian boutique that dresses women our age. It's covered in a painted spring garden, tulips, irises and daffodils on a soft pink, and the first time I saw it I thought, that's a top Ruby would colour in with every crayon she owns. My friend Lorraine, who never lets me get away with anything, said, "Buy it before you talk yourself out of it, Mags." 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 fifteen years of "basics" taught me. Somewhere after fifty, a lot of us decide prints are for other people. Too loud, too young, makes you look bigger, draws attention. So we buy navy, black and white, and tell ourselves it's classic. And it is classic. It's also how you end up at the end of every row in every family photo, and coloured in navy by a seven-year-old.
I thought plain tops made me look tidy. What they actually made me look was finished.
The Clara is the first patterned top I've bought in over a decade, and having worn it for a month, to coffee, to the shops, round the garden and to Ruby's school assembly, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
It's a garden you can wear
The print is genuinely artistic, tulips, irises, daffodils and little sprigs of blossom on a soft pink, painted as though someone did it by hand with a brush, and it's cheerful in a way that makes other people cheerful. That's the bit I hadn't expected. Strangers smile at it. The woman at the chemist asked me to turn around so she could see the back. It turns out that when you wear something happy, people are happy to talk to you, and at 62 I'd forgotten what that felt like.
Three compliments at the shops. Three. In fifteen years of navy, I'd had none, unless you count "is that new?" from Ray, which was always about the haircut.
A relaxed fit that drapes, never clings
The fit is relaxed and easy, so it drapes over the tummy rather than finding it, and I can move freely without it riding up or pulling across the back. My worry with prints was always that they'd make me look bigger. This doesn't, because nothing is tight anywhere. It just falls, and the print does the rest.
Reached up to the top shelf at Woolies for the good tea. Nothing rode up. Small victory, noted.
Soft against the skin, even in the heat
The fabric is soft and comfortable against the skin, which matters a great deal in Perth, when it's 33 degrees by ten o'clock. Nothing scratchy at the neck, nothing that sticks. I've worn it straight through a hot day in the garden and out to dinner in the evening, and it felt as comfortable at nine at night as it did at breakfast.
Gardening in the morning, lunch in Subiaco, grandkids in the afternoon. Same blouse, still comfy at bedtime.
Jeans, trousers or a skirt, it just works
I wear it with jeans most days, but it's just as good with my cream trousers for lunch out, and with a denim skirt when I'm feeling brave. Because the print does all the talking, everything else can be as simple as you like. For a woman who used to spend twenty minutes deciding which navy top went with which navy trousers, that's quite a liberation.
Ruby's school assembly. Jeans, the Clara, white sneakers. Ruby waved from the stage and pointed me out to her friend. That has never happened before.
On its own in summer, under a cardigan in winter
It's lovely on its own on a warm day, and on a cooler Perth morning, or in July when it's all of 8 degrees at dawn, it sits beautifully under a plain cardigan with the print peeking out. So it isn't a summer-only top that lives in the cupboard half the year. It's out all year round, which is how a top earns its keep.
Fresh morning, 14 degrees. Cardigan on, print peeking out. Fish and chips by the water. Didn't feel like a navy day at all.
Twenty designs, sizes up to 5XL, one price
The Clara is one of twenty designs in the Sylvie June collection, every one a different print: gardens, patchwork, bees, a peacock, even a cheerful hen. They all come in sizes S all the way to 5XL, and they're all the same price. Because the fit is relaxed, I ordered my usual size and it was right. I'll admit I didn't stop at one. There's a blue garden one and a soft pastel check now living in my wardrobe too, and the navy tops have been moved to the back.
Lorraine has bought the bee one. We've agreed never to wear our prints on the same Thursday. We'll see how long that lasts.
This blouse, against the navy "basics"
Most of us didn't choose plain tops. We just stopped trusting prints somewhere around fifty. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
Tidy, and completely forgettable
Fitted, so it finds every lump
Same as the last five you bought
Nobody ever says a word about it
Coloured in navy by your grandchild
An artistic, cheerful garden print
Relaxed fit that drapes, never clings
Soft against the skin all day
Strangers stop you to ask about it
Coloured in with every crayon in the box
About the price
The Clara is $69.95 at the moment, and so is every other design in the collection. The website says they're usually $214. I won't pretend I know what a blouse like this ought to cost, but I can tell you I've spent more than that on navy tops I can't tell apart.
Perth Boutique also take a bit off if you buy more than one: 10% for two, 15% for three and 20% for four, and it comes off automatically at the checkout. With twenty designs, that's very easy to justify, which is exactly how I ended up with three. You can split it with Afterpay too, which works out at about $17.50 a fortnight for one.
Shipping was free with Australia Post, tracked and insured, and there's a money-back guarantee if it isn't right. That's what got me to press the button, because I was half convinced I'd lose my nerve the minute it arrived. I didn't.
easy fit
one price
Australia-wide
Last week Ruby drew our family at the beach again. Same beach, same family. Nanna is in pink now, with flowers all over, and she used every crayon in the box to do it. It's on our fridge, and it's staying there.
If you're 55, or 62, or 70, and the people who love you would colour you in navy, this is the blouse I'd hand you myself, while your design and size are still there. Let them reach for a different crayon.
Maggie
Clara · Spring Garden Blouse
Buy 2 save 10% · Buy 3 save 15% · Afterpay available
- Painted spring garden print: tulips, irises and daffodils on soft pink
- Relaxed, easy fit that drapes without clinging
- Soft, comfortable fabric against the skin
- With jeans, trousers or a spring skirt
- On its own, or layered under a cardigan
- Sizes S to 5XL · 20 designs, all $69.95
- FREE shipping Australia-wide & 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."
This page is an advertisement for Perth Boutique. Individual experiences may vary. Perth Boutique · Free shipping Australia-wide · Money-back guarantee.