Replacing the 'perfect' travel blouse

Maybe take it to a tailor at home and see if they can re-create it.

Have you checked the Lucky Brand site to see if there is something similar? https://www.luckybrand.com/women/clothing/shirts

Excellent ideas, I will ask a tailor, just looking at Lucky Brand site. It’s tough giving ups something that’s been washed so many times and is so cozy…

Anyone that sews well should be able to duplicate it. I've done that for many of my clothes. In fact, I have an old Gudrun Sjödén top right now that I'm in the process of remaking.

Now that I think about it, have you ever checked out her clothes? She's based in Sweden, but has a shop in NYC and an outlet in Minneapolis. And I forgot that you live in Sweden for part of the year, so I'm sure there are many shops there. She ships to the US for free and her clothes are absolutely wonderful. Made of natural organic fibers and SO comfortable to wear, with easy care. I have been buying from her for years and just love her clothes. https://www.gudrunsjoden.com/en-us

I love the travel blouses I have bought at Costco, lightweight, comfortable and wrinkle fall out. I have short sleeve and long sleeve.

Gosh, great ideas, thanks! Have decided I need to do all of the above & actually have more than one nice travel blouse. HA. Time for a serious travel outfit upgrade. Will look at Costco & getting my fav shirt remade, ordered 2 new shirts at Lucky Brand (maybe not perfect but they both look nice) and ordering this shirt here in Sweden - https://www.gudrunsjoden.com/sv-se/klader/toppar-trojor/top-ylfa-i-lyocell-elastan-veronagron-l.

Thanks Mardee, I've not heard of this brand before, will check in a few stores to see if it's carried here locally too.

Sandancisco, I love that top! I really do like her clothes. They are so comfortable and easy to care for. I met her (the owner, Gudrun) once when she came to speak at an exhibit of her clothing at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Very nice woman.

As suggested by someone on this forum, I tried and like, the Carve Dylan gauze shirts. (can't remember the name of the enabler, lol)

They come in lots of pretty fabrics, and travel well. They are very lightweight and wash well without ironing and are functional either layered or by themselves. They have newer fabric choices on their site, however Amazon frequently carries the last season styles greatly reduced.

Mardee, thanks, I LOVED the Swedish society in Minneapolis, what a great resource!
Lizuza, Hey great enabling, HA. Carve Dylan Gauze shirts look great, nothing in my size & colors I can find, but have them on my list, thank you!

I see J Crew Slim Perfect Fit T's for Women have longer sleeves and look like they're good quality, going to try a few to wear under a loose fitting top for planes.

I am so curious as to what the beloved Lucky Brand perfect shirt is/was like before its demise !! I hope you can find someone to recreate it.

Haha, Kim I wonder how much of my adoration is based upon how comfy it is, like old PJ's that have been washed many times.... Maybe TMI but the fabric with a camisole hides all those lumps, so LMK if you have other ideas!

I've been thinking more lately about upgrading my travel wardrobe. I tend to stick to solid color shirts that are quick dry, but the idea of a pattern to hide stains makes so much sense and just looking at some of these suggestions makes me realize just how frumpy some of my purchases up until now have been. I like the idea of a pretty gauzy shirt I can put over a plain tshirt. It will be good for layering without bulkiness, shouldn't take up much space (always important) in my carryon, should dry quickly and will look pretty as well. Guess I have more shopping to do today.... :)

KRS, I was thinking the same thing. I've been following Travel Fashion Girl on Facebook recently and seeing how some women combine comfort with style has got me thinking about my own utilitarian travel wardrobe. :-)

Not sure why I started reading this thread, as I don’t wear shirts or blouses at all, I just don’t like the way I look in them.
I only own one, and it was for dressing up as Mary Poppins a few years ago!

(Complete with carpet-bag). ;))
I prefer v-neck tops.

Anyway….I got to thinking that for travel, a thin button up shirt worn over a t-shirt or other top underneath would be a great way to keep the strap of a crossbody bag or sling hidden and a bit safer from theft, but still be accessible…kind of like a jacket.
So with one day left before my trip, I’m off to look for one, hopefully collarless or even sleeveless.

"KRS, I was thinking the same thing. I've been following Travel Fashion Girl on Facebook recently and seeing how some women combine comfort with style has got me thinking about my own utilitarian travel wardrobe. :-)"

That FB page has made me go down more than one rabbit hole lately, lol!! I'm the plain Tee shirt person with an overshirt. I am currently waiting for a washed out denim shirt from Lands End to arrive before I leave in a week and a half. I have one from Target, it's so worn it no longer comes clean at the collar and cuffs so decided new was needed. I ordered one from Target but it was medium denim and a heavier weight than I want. If this one doesn't work I'll go with my original plan of a quarter zip dri-fit.

That doesn't disguise the purse though and I'm going to take the ORI/Roka bag Mardee talked me in to months ago, hahaha!!

Have a great trip, Pam…Paris, is it?!

That doesn't disguise the purse though and I'm going to take the ORI/Roka bag Mardee talked me in to months ago, hahaha!!

You're the reason I'm back on the Travel Fashion Girl site, Pam!!! :-D I keep seeing those cute things people are wearing and want to buy them all!

@S J - yes Paris and some of France.

@Mardee - Well I am not as stylish as some of those women and good grief, the amount of clothing some of them take is slightly shocking to a COO gal! But I enjoy the community for now...fairly upbeat and no bullying. Plus some have some wonderful ideas/suggestions!

Pam, I'm not as stylish either by any means. And for all my talk, I probably never will be, lol! But it is fun to look!

Has anyone purchased clothing from Seasalt Cornwall, which says they ship to the US? They sell a "Larissa" button up shirt in several pretty prints. It is crinkly cotton and meant to be worn without ironing. This braind's clothes are not cheap, and I am unsure of the quality.

Haha, ladies very fun. It's really made me realize I need to go through ALL my travel clothing, sigh, and work on getting cleaner / newer / nicer versions.

Mardee & Pam, I was just going to mention the Fashion Girl's 2 week packing list for Europe, not that I could dress like this, those sandals would destroy my feet. Yeah, it's a fun channel, if for no other reason than to see what fashionable (younger) people are wearing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhglZV8ocrw&t=1408s

I've been thinking more lately about upgrading my travel wardrobe. I tend to stick to solid color shirts that are quick dry, but the idea of a pattern to hide stains makes so much sense and just looking at some of these suggestions makes me realize just how frumpy some of my purchases up until now have been. I like the idea of a pretty gauzy shirt I can put over a plain tshirt.
KRS, I completely agree.

SJ - Ut oh, we’ve enabled you to go shopping just before your trip, how did it go??

Pam, how great you’re heading to France! Lands End has a 40% - 50% off sale... there's a rabbit hole waiting for me....

Has anyone purchased clothing from Seasalt Cornwall, which says they ship to the US? They sell a "Larissa" button up shirt in several pretty prints. It is crinkly cotton and meant to be worn without ironing. This braind's clothes are not cheap, and I am unsure of the quality.

NYC Librarian, I was checking it out (cute clothes!) and according to their website, most of their natural fiber clothing is GOTS-certified organic, which makes me think the quality must be good. I sew a lot and whenever I buy any fabric that is GOTS-certified, the quality is so much better than just regular fabric. So even if a product of theirs is not cotton, it sounds like they care about using quality fabric. Now you've got me perusing through their website!

With Lands End if you sign up for emails you can almost always get 40% off!

My favorite tee shirts were from them and a cotton/modal combo. They stopped making them during Covid which has affected me replacing things. My last shirts from that line now all have tiny pin holes right over my belt buckle. Can’t decide if they will manage another trip or not. They were excellent for drying overnight after a sink wash!

Their 100% cotton tee shirts are nice but they take longer to dry.

I stopped in at our local thrift shop for a look yesterday and there on the first rack was a very thin 100% cotton blouse/shirt in perfect condition, in my size!
Very thin stripes in pale red and white….perfect! And $7. :)
I’ll never wear it again, but perfect for travel.
It’s in the wash now ready for tomorrow!
It was Travel Fashion Girl’s YouTube channel where I first saw rectangular packing cubes which are all I use now.
I’ll have a look at her fb page.

OH....S J....if you are leaving tomorrow I suggest NOT looking at the TFG FB page because you will be running out to big box stores, etc this afternoon, hahaha! Congrats on the find!

S J, she also has a private FB groups page and that is where I find a lot of fun ideas. https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelfashiongirl

I’m pretty much packed…..but I’ll still have a look! ;)j

Pam, My last shirts from that line now all have tiny pin holes right over my belt buckle. Can’t decide if they will manage another trip or not. That sounds just like me, but I'm working on "No Holes Allowed".

SJ, Great find and have a wonderful trip to Italy, hopefully that strike doesn't impact you too much.

Mardee, I’m adding GOTS-certified organic to my wish list when shopping. I'm so impressed you sew, then again don't you make your own hand cream?

A GF is coming to visit from Paris this weekend, no way I will be that fashionable. At least I'm biking downtown to meet her so that’s my excuse to wear jeans & a long sleeved T, with a Chicos cashmere throw to at least have a semblance of style....

Sandancisco, I learned to sew when I was 7, so my mom probably deserves most of the credit. :-) And yes, I make my own lotion bars that are SO easy to make, and they're the only things I use for dryness. I like using natural items as much as possible.

"That sounds just like me, but I'm working on "No Holes Allowed"."

Hahahahaha!! Well, it's a pivotal point of my capsule wardrobe. For some bizarre reason it matches exactly with an aqua jacket from Coolibar. I SHOULDA/WOULDA/COULDA bought a shirt from Coolibar that matched when I got the jacket. The aqua jacket is still in the "iffy" category as it might be too light/bright for FALL in France.

Janice on the The Vivienne Files once said something like when you find matching colors you should buy all the pieces you can. Siigh...good advice and I should have taken it!

I have had a few garments over the years that I dearly loved and due to various things happening to them realized that it's not always easy to find a suitable replacement...then it occurred to me to check eBay or Poshmark and thus I have been able to replace several favorites. Often the garments are new with tags--as we all know, people buy a lot of things they never wear and brand new items from a few years ago are listed regularly.

OMG Christa....I am not an ebay buyer but might have just found that shirt. I'm getting it so will see if it is the correct color when it arrives. Thanks for the lead!

Pam--always glad to share helpful tips--here's hoping you're on the right track with the shirt!

Wow, another great idea.... I'm going to look for Lucky Brand blouses on Ebay, thanks crista!

Poshmark, as christa mentioned, is another good avenue for finding good clothes. I've found some real deals on expensive designer good there. There are others as well, like Thredup.

I just found a few Lucky Brand tops at TJ Maxx. Of course that's hit or miss and you can't shop for them online.

I've never shopped on Poshmark, Mardee so that's another great idea & thanks for TJMaxx reminder, CWS. I will check it out when I'm back in California next week. This morning it got down to freezing here in Sweden, so I wore my CA winter jacket, gloves & hat out for a walk!

I just found a few Lucky Brand tops at TJ Maxx. Of course that's hit or miss and you can't shop for them online.

Well, you can but it just takes a bit more work as you cannot search for it. Lucky Brand is one of the designers that are "hidden" on the TJ Maxx website. To get around it, just scroll through and find pieces you like, then click on the words "Reveal Designer," and the designer's name will appear. I found a Lucky Brand top that way, as well as a number of other designers.

ETA: I just figured out a way to make the search go faster. Change the search option to sort by "Brand-A to Z" then scroll down to the L's and click on the "Reveal Designer" in that alphabetical area. If there are any, they will be in their correct alphabet area (i.e., L for Lucky Brand). Even though it's hidden, it's still sorted as if it were listed (if that makes sense). :-) I found quite a few Lucky Brand tops using this method.

Hey thanks Mardee! I was thinking about dropping by TJMaxx but this is much easier, will do some more searching. Who knew replacing a blouse would be this much work, next time I find something I like maybe I should buy 2?

Good idea! Unfortunately, I've now been sucked into the TJ Maxx online black hole and haven't been able to get out. But I found a pair of my favorite Oboz shoes on clearance, so I guess the time wasn't wasted, lol!