The 8 Best Blouses Everyone Needs in Their Closet
We love a good button-down shirt — and if it’s made from a sheer fabric like silk or satin, the versatile silhouette can go from day to night. For a professional event, you can tuck it into high-waisted pants in a slinky non-silk material, such as wool or heavy cotton twill. And at night, wear it with a few undone buttons and lots of necklaces with flares or slim cigarette pants.
Despite silk’s delicate appearance and reputation, it is an incredibly useful fabric: Silk is naturally breathable, temperature-regulating, and moisture-wicking. And it’s actually long-lasting, able to stand the test of time when properly cared for.
Top choice
This timeless button-down blouse is made from stretchy and breathable silk and features premium details like mother-of-pearl buttons. The cut is slim and fitted, and this shirt runs a little tight – we suggest going up a size or two.
If you’re spending nearly $250 on a shirt, you want to be sure it’s going to be worth the investment. Theory Fitted Shirt in Silk Georgette delivers: This long-sleeved button-up, beautifully crafted from high-quality silk georgette, has a sophisticated, simple design and a flattering fit that will never go out of style.
It has a minimalist look that is easy to style. The Fitted Shirt is a sleek, sophisticated button-down with the most essential elements. It has a placket that keeps the front row of buttons hidden and a simple one-button sleeve. It can be easily paired with everything from formal pants to classic jeans to statement skirts.
“I could easily see myself wearing this five years from now,” commented one reviewer. “It’s proof of a trend.” Style editor Ingela Ratledge Amundson has been testing this blouse since August 2025. “I’m amazed at how much wear I’ve gotten out of it — I get it over and over again,” she says. “For fall and winter, I love the way it looks and feels fully buttoned under a sweater, and it’s a great piece to wear alone with fuller pants.
Premium materials turn this foundation into something special. This blouse is made of 100% pure silk fabric, with a matte finish. (Warning: The finish makes oily stains “pop,” and they’re hard to spot.) It’s light without being dull, and the material has surprising integrity. Because of the structure and the drape, if you get a crease it “falls” easily, so it looks better during the day.
“I was shocked when I first touched the cloth,” said one inspector. “It’s heavier than I thought, but in a luxurious way, not in a hot way. It’s actually very breathable.” Mother of pearl buttons on the front and cuffs are a nice finishing touch.
Better size up. In addition to having a slim, form-fitting cut, this button-up works small — like, really small. Many testers had to return their larger size samples.
Our 5-foot-6 tester, who wears a bra size 36H/J, tried this blouse on in XXL, the largest size available, and complained, “I couldn’t get this off my bum. It was too tight on the shoulders, arms, and waist, too.”
My regular size, S, didn’t come close to buttoning up over my 38C chest and was tight in the arms as well. The L size almost fit but bulged in the bust, so I settled on the XL size to fit my torso – but the sleeves were too long for my 5-foot-3 frame.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- This shirt is very small; go up at least one size from your normal, maybe more if you have a larger bust.
- It’s expensive.
- The matte finish of silk makes blemishes easily visible, especially oily blemishes.
- The care label emphatically states that this shirt is dry only. Ignore that warning at your own risk. One reviewer was machine washing (gentle cycle) and air-drying, and reported that it shrunk by about half the size as a result, although it looked great.
Important details
Sizes: P to XXL
Important: 100% silk
Colors: six
Top choice
This reasonably priced, machine washable silk blouse contains 10% spandex, making it comfortable and easy to get into. It has a small fit, and fits a small size. Also, its notched collar is not for everyone.
Silk blouses have a bad rap for being expensive and difficult to care for. Quince’s Washable Stretch Silk Notch Collar Blouse addresses both concerns: It’s well under $100, and it can withstand a toss in the home laundry. This V-neck button-down, made of 90% silk and 10% spandex, has a long, slim fit; even with extended content, we recommend that you moderate.
It has a little stretch. This midweight blouse is made from a blend of 90% mulberry silk and 10% spandex. That stretch allows the shirt to move with you and pull comfortably without tugging or tugging. The spandex fibers also give the material more structure than a 100% silk blouse, and help the fabric to release wrinkles and creases.
You can throw it in the wash. Unlike other silk shirts, including our dry clean only selection at Theory, this one is machine washable. Quince recommends washing it in cold water on a soft towel and hanging it to dry. A Wirecutter employee who has had this blouse since 2021 says her shirt has stood up for years after being picked up, though it has lost its original luster and turned very matte.
The notched collar gives it a retro feel. Testers had mixed feelings about the collar of this shirt, which has a bold design (like a bowling shirt) set in a splayed opening. I liked the mock collar, and was drawn to the open V-line it created, but one reviewer wasn’t a fan: “The shirt is good quality, but I felt that the cut of the collar combined with the sheen made me look like a waitress.
If you’re not into collars, but like the sound of washable silk, you might want to check out other tops from Quince in similar materials, which we didn’t test.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Although this shirt is available in several colors, we found many shades to be unattractive. We think neutrals, like navy and black, are the best bet.
Important information
Sizes: XS to XL, 1X to 3X
Important: 90% silk 10% spandex
Colors: eight
