For years I believed bardot tops were a trap. A shoulder trick designed to fall down at the precise second you’re drinking something bubbly and chatting to someone you’re interested in. I told this confidently to my work friend Priya who simply nodded at me and replied “that’s because you always buy them wrong dear, Han. They’ve got no structure.” She was bloody right. Every disappointing bardot top I owned was a jersey number that had lost its elastic after about wear number two.
The good ones stay put. That is all you need to consider.
Put some stress on the neckline, flap your arms about like you’re teaching toddlers the days of the week, and if it doesn’t budge you’ve struck gold. A proper bardot top has either boning or a strong underlining, or at the very least a grosgrain trim working magic along the neckline. That is what elevates a top that can sit properly on your shoulders, versus one that you’re forever hoiking up. Which trust me is not a look, it’s a career.
Speaking of which, let’s talk outfits. Styling-wise this is your chance to shame your collarbones into submission silently. High waisted trousers or a skinny jean both work wonders to balance out all that bare skin, making it look intentional rather than lazy. And please, for the love of God, tuck it in. Not your guys’ half-assed three inch tuck that threatens to fall out the second you sit down. Wear a blazer over the top, worn open and doing that elegant thing where structure collides with free-spirit, and you’re golden. It’ll keep all day and means you can wear the same top from a lunch into an evening out with no changes necessary.
Wearing-wise I think of this as a dinner in warm weather top, drinks birthday top, “we’re going somewhere with actual dried up leaves telling us what to wear but I’m not wearing a dress” top. It is not, invites can be confusing these days, a ceremony top. Learned that lesson funnily enough at a christening in 2019 and had to spend the whole blessed service holding my shoulders down like I was saving them for jail. Evening occasions mostly. Daytime bardot is conversational territory I think we can all agree is FAR more fussy.
Top Picks
