A good blouse is the most useful thing in my wardrobe and the hardest thing to buy online, because the fit lives entirely in the shoulder and the sleeve. Get those right and a $200 cotton blouse will read better than a $2000 silk one that pulls across the back.

Three fabrics do almost all the work. Silk and satin for anything that needs to look considered, cotton and poplin for everything else, and then the sheer, lace and embellished pieces you buy for a specific evening. I have built the page that way.

What I check before buying: whether the shoulder seam sits on the actual edge of my shoulder, whether the cuff closes on a real button rather than a token one, and whether the front is cut to stay closed when I move. That last one eliminates about half of what is sold as a silk blouse.

Prices here run $130 to $2650. Below, the ones that do the most work, starting with the label I buy from most.

DÔEN is where I go for the cotton blouse that looks like it was inherited. Everything sits between $200 and $350, which for the amount of hand detailing is very hard to argue with. The nera broderie anglaise organic cotton blouse at $250 is the one I would buy first and wear for years. The bernadette lace trimmed pintucked organic cotton voile blouse and the hettie lace trimmed embroidered organic cotton voile blouse are the dressier versions of the same idea. The theo gathered checked organic cotton voile top and the amalia floral print cotton voile top are the everyday pieces, and the loure lace trimmed silk satin top and viviane lace trimmed silk satin top are the two silk options.

Silk is what I wear when the outfit needs to look finished without looking formal. Dries Van Noten's floral jacquard silk cloque blouse at $655 is the best value here by a distance, because cloque holds its shape and does not need pressing. Donde Esteban's magdalena printed silk blend satin shirt at $605 is the print I would pick. Khaite's poppi satin blouse is the cleanest line, and Calvin Klein Collection's sophie satin shirt is the sharpest. Chloé's georgette silk blouse and Gucci's floral place printed silk twill blouse are the two investment pieces, and the Aflalo safira silk satin halterneck top at $650 is the evening option.

Cotton is the fabric I actually reach for on a weekday, and this grid is the most useful on the page. Toteme's cotton shirt at $460 is the one to own if you buy a single white shirt in your life. The Polo Ralph Lauren logo embroidered striped cotton shirt at $170 is the value pick and the stripe is a good one. Sea does two lovely pieces here, the alina embroidered cotton and linen blend blouse and the gracelyn broderie anglaise cotton blouse, both under $500. Marant Étoile's lorna ruffled embroidered cotton blouse is the bohemian option, and Chloé's bow detailed ruffled floral print cotton poplin top is the most decorative.

This is the evening grid. Farm Rio's lemon bouquet embroidered linen blend blouse at $130 is the surprise of the page and I have worn it more than anything three times the price. STAUD's maeva ruffled printed silk blend voile top at $395 is the easiest to wear. Acne Studios' bow embellished cut out lyocell blouse is the most architectural. Chloé does the two most romantic pieces, the cropped lace trimmed silk satin blouse and the off the shoulder ruffled floral print silk charmeuse blouse. TOM FORD's draped silk georgette blouse and Alaïa's cropped ruffled striped cotton poplin blouse close it out.

Eight more across every fabric, from the Max Mara mxavesuvio pleated organza blouse at $525 to The Row's lula silk taffeta shirt at $1890. The Vivienne Westwood sunday asymmetric striped cotton poplin blouse is the one I would buy for the cut alone.

The care instruction that matters most: wash cotton blouses cool and hang them damp rather than ironing them dry. Broderie anglaise and pintucking both lose their definition under a hot iron, and no amount of pressing brings it back.

Silk I hand wash in cool water with a tiny amount of shampoo, which sounds odd and works better than detergent. Dry cleaning silk repeatedly dulls it, so save that for the pieces with structure or lining.

One last thing. If a blouse is very slightly too big in the body but perfect in the shoulder, buy it. A tailor can take in a side seam for very little. Nobody can fix a tight shoulder.

Phoebe