Most outfits are decided from the waist up. A plain trouser or a pair of jeans can carry almost anything, and the top is what sets the tone, whether that is a white tee on a Saturday or a satin cami on a Friday night.

 

I have grouped these by kind rather than by occasion, because the kind of top tells you more about how often you will wear it. There are tees and tanks, shirts and blouses, knits, corsets and bustiers, and a group for the evening. Each one has an easy pick and a more interesting one.

 

One rule before you scroll: check the shoulder seam on the model. If it sits where yours would, the rest of the fit usually follows.

The baby tee came back through stylists before it reached the shops. Éterne is a good example: stylist Chloé Bartoli started the Los Angeles label in 2020 because she could not find basics she liked for her clients, and many of its core shapes, like the 90's tank here, came from her own vintage collection. Leset, which Lili Chemla launched in 2019 and still makes in Los Angeles, carried its Margo tee over from her earlier label because people kept asking for it.

 

Next to those two are Favorite Daughter's organic cotton tee, Majestic Filatures's soft jersey tee, The Line by K's Francine and Flore Flore's Jill baby tee, all the plain ones I would buy in twos. Toteme's Sablé tank is the polished version, and Citizens of Humanity's waffle long sleeve is the one for under a jacket. For something less expected, Rohe's twisted tee and The Garment's bow tee change the neckline, Cotton Citizen's Verona comes in a deep eggplant, and Des Phemmes trims its tee with feathers.

 

Hold a tee up to the light. If you can read through it, it will cling and twist after a few washes.

 

What I would skip: a tee so cropped that it only works with one pair of trousers.

The Frankie Shop started as a single store on New York's Lower East Side, opened by former journalist Gaëlle Drevet, and made its name on oversized, easy tailoring. Its Peri shirt in silk-blend chiffon is the softer side of that idea: a shirt you can wear open over a tank or buttoned with a long skirt.

 

The poplins are the backbone. Comme Si's La Classica in red, The Anteros's Lief in yellow, Éterne's Lucien in blue, Perfectwhitetee's navy stripe and Lioness's Manor stripe are the ones I would wear with jeans. TWP's Next Morning shirt in dark green and SNDYS's black Teigan are the darker options. For texture there is Yaitte's wave-patterned fil coupé, La Veste's silk La Isla in red, Aniye Records's Gaby and Eaves's draped-neck Saeunn blouse. Tibi's Soft Drape Hinged Button Down is the crisp ivory one, and Vince's draped cowl silk blouse, A.L.C.'s Nadine and With Jean's sheer ruffle Nadia are the softer, dressier blouses.

 

Try a shirt with your arms crossed in front of you. If it pulls across the back or the buttons gape, size up or choose a looser cut.

 

What I would skip: a stiff, very fitted shirt for daily wear. A little room is what makes a shirt look relaxed.

Toteme, which Elin Kling and Karl Lindman started in Stockholm in 2014, has built much of its reputation on knitwear that looks like a uniform in the best way. Its knit polo cardigan is a good example, a collar and a short placket doing the work that a pattern would elsewhere.

 

The rest of the group runs from fine to chunky. The Park's Marshall sweater in cashmere and silk and Soft Goat's turtleneck in mocha are the soft, quiet ones. Ulla Johnson's Lila is a wool knit in deep green, Helsa's Pamelia is a simple crew neck in taupe, and Cult Gaia's Deva is a relaxed sweater in a sandy tone. Matthew Bruch's striped mohair cardigan and Tularosa's plaid Bellair cardigan are the ones to throw over a slip dress.

 

Rub a knit between your fingers at the cuff. If fibres lift straight away, it will pill fast where your bag strap sits.

 

What I would skip: a heavy knit you plan to wear under a fitted coat. It will bunch at the shoulders.

The corset top has stayed around because it gives structure without a jacket. Simkhai, the New York label Jonathan Simkhai started in 2010, is known for exactly this kind of lingerie-informed tailoring, and both of its pieces here, the cotton lace Surie bustier and the Aya bustier, are easy ways in.

 

Ulla Johnson's Heleen is a satin sweetheart bustier in green, Mara Hoffman's Liya is in organic cotton jacquard, and Ila's Aline is hand-beaded for a big night. Guizio's satin lace-up corset in pale yellow and its ruched-cup bustier in black are the playful pair, and Mother of All's Nemesis is the grey one I would wear with a long cardigan over it.

 

The test for a corset is to sit down in it. If the boning digs at the hip or the top edge stands away from your chest, it is the wrong size or the wrong shape for your torso.

 

What I would skip: a rigid corset for a long dinner. A softer bustier wears much better.

A good evening top is the reason a pair of dark jeans can go to dinner. The satin cami has done this since the slip dress took over the 1990s, and Leset's Barb satin tank, from the same Los Angeles label behind the Margo tee, is the plainest version here.

 

Paris Georgia's Paloma satin singlet in green and Damson Madder's satin and lace cami in navy keep it simple. Cinq à Sept's Esme mixes satin and lace in black and gardenia. Third Form's Visions top is a strapless lace piece in buttercream, Tove's Eden is draped silk in gold, and Misha's draped jersey top has a soft sheen. Marlies Grace's Flora top in pink organza is the one that will get comments. Paris Georgia's back wrap velvet top and Sold Out NYC's strapless Soire in black are the two I would pair with a plain skirt, Reformation's Iris is a red off-shoulder knit, and Fleur du Mal's navy tartan cami has a lace trim.

 

Bias-cut satin shows every seam beneath it, so try a cami over the underwear you would actually wear with it, and in daylight.

 

What I would skip: a top with both sequins and ruffles. One detail is plenty when the fabric already catches the light.

If I were starting from nothing, I would take one from each group: a white tee, a striped poplin shirt, a fine knit, a soft bustier and a satin cami. That is enough to dress almost every day of the week with the trousers and jeans you already own.

 

After that, add the more interesting pieces one at a time, and only when you know what you would wear them with. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Silk Tops For Evening and Leather Shirts And Elevated Tops.