I was scrolling through Ann Taylor a couple of weeks ago trying to find a Mother's Day gift for my mom. She's petite, so that brand fits her really well.

The funny thing is, I went in looking for one specific top and ended up with a tab open of about fifteen things I wanted for myself 😅

I used to shop at Ann Taylor SO much... and then just... forgot they existed LOL.

But anyway, I was reminded of how cute their spring and summer styles are. This is sounding like a sponsored email haha but it's not, I just genuinely fell back in love with the brand.

Ok, so today I'm rounding up quite a few summer tops with sleeves (your request 💛). But I'm doing things a little differently.

Because here's the real struggle when shopping for summer tops with sleeves: you want coverage, but it's HOT.

You don't want to feel like a marshmallow walking around in 90 degree weather just because you wanted a little arm coverage. So fabric matters a LOT. And cut matters even more.

But most roundup posts just throw a bunch of tops at you and call it a day.

"So cute!"

"Buy this!"

"You need this one!"

🚫 But that's not how it works.

The exact same eyelet blouse that makes one woman look like a million bucks can make another feel boxy and shapeless. It's not the top. It's whether the top works with HER body, in HER climate, with HER style.

So today I'm breaking this down properly. I'll walk you through which summer tops actually work for 5 different body shapes, which fabrics will keep you cool while still giving you coverage, and which 2 or 3 pieces are actually worth investing in this summer.

By the end of this email, you'll know exactly what to look for and what to skip based on your shape.

Let's get into it!

📌 Save the image below to your Pinterest so you keep this post handy! (I'll update that same post every summer, so you'll always have the fresh version)

This is long, but I didn't write it for you to read all of it. Just go straight to your body type and dive in 🤿

If you're an apple shape:

You carry weight through the middle, with slimmer arms and legs, often a fuller bust. The shopping reflex is to reach for something loose and forgiving. The stylist move is the opposite: you want a top with intention, not a tent. The two things doing the real work are the neckline and how the fabric falls past the bust.

👀 Look for: V-necks, scoop necks, and henleys (vertical lines lengthen the torso). Empire seams or relaxed shapes that release fabric just under the bust. Hems that hit at mid-hip or longer. Fabric with a bit of body, like linen or structured cotton, that hangs away from the midsection instead of clinging to it.

✅ Specific recs: A linen tee with a deep V and a lace collar (the V plus the detail at the neckline pulls the eye straight up). An eyelet tee with a tie neck you can adjust depending on how open you want the neckline, which matters more than people think when you have a fuller bust. For clean everyday basics, Quince's V-neck tops are reliable. If you want a defined waistline without anything tight, some of these wrap tops at Nordstrom create shape with the seam, not with compression.

✅ Pair your tops with:

• A high-rise wide-leg pant in a darker neutral, or a high-rise straight-leg jean. The high rise is the unsung hero here. It creates a continuous line from the longer hem of your top through the leg, instead of breaking your silhouette in half at the hip.
• Tapered pants also work if your top ends around mid-hip rather than longer.

💻 Use the search box! Go to your favorite store's website and search any of these terms: V-neck linen top, empire waist blouse, henley short sleeve, wrap top, tunic top (longer hems). You'll find way more options than I could ever link.

❌ Skip: High crew necks and turtlenecks (they shorten the torso visually). Tops that end right at the widest part of your midsection. Anything described as "boxy" or "cropped." Stiff button-down shirts in thin cotton, especially if you have a fuller bust, because the placket pulls and gaps at the chest.

If you're a rectangle shape:

Your shoulders, waist, and hips measure roughly the same width, with limited natural waist definition.

Here's what most advice gets wrong: you don't need to fake curves, but if you want them, you create them on the garment, not on the body. Details do the work. Puff sleeves at the shoulder, a peplum at the waist, a wrap detail, a defined cuff. Anything that adds visual width or shape in one specific spot.

If your style leans minimalist and you don't want shape, that's also valid. Clean column dressing (top and bottom in one color, simple cuts) works really well on rectangles because you already have the long, lean line. Both directions are legit.

👀 Look for: Puff sleeves, ruffle details, peplums that hit AT your natural waist (not below), wrap tops, blouses with smocking or shirring at the waist, statement cuffs, structured shoulders. For minimalist looks, go with scoop necks and clean tees in elevated fabrics.

✅ Specific recs: A ruffle mock neck tee adds visual detail at the neck and cuffs, drawing the eye to the top of the body. For peplum styles, LOFT has a strong selection. For puff sleeve options across price points, Quince and LOFT both deliver.

✅ Pair your tops with:

• Mid or high-rise pants in any cut you like (rectangles have flexibility here). A wide-leg pant balances a top with shoulder volume like puff sleeves. A straight-leg pant works well with peplum or wrap tops because the clean line doesn't compete with the shape at the waist.
• The key is high-waisted bottoms whenever the top has built-in shape (peplum, wrap, smocked waist) because those tops sit OVER the waistband, not tucked into it.
• For minimalist looks, almost anything tucked works. It just depends on what you're going for.

💻 Use the search box! Go to your favorite store's website and search any of these terms: puff sleeve top, peplum blouse, wrap top, ruffle hem top, smocked waist top. These are the exact details that create shape on the garment.

❌ Skip: Long shapeless tunics worn loose over relaxed bottoms (they emphasize the straight line). Drop-waist tops where the seam hits at the hip (they kill any chance of waist definition). Boxy oversized shirts paired with relaxed bottoms, unless you're going full minimalist on purpose.

If you're a pear shape:

Your hips are wider than your shoulders, and you probably have a defined waist (though not always).

The bra strap that always slips, the pants that fit the hips but gap at the waist, the years of feeling like clothes weren't designed for your shape, I see you.

The styling move for tops is the opposite of what your shopping reflex might tell you. You don't want to play down your hips by going dark and minimal up top. You want to play UP your shoulders. The eye goes where the visual interest is, so put the interest exactly where you want the eye to land.

👀 Look for: Boat necks, wide square necks, and off-shoulder cuts (all of these visually widen the shoulder line). Statement sleeves (puff, ruffle, embroidered, blouson).

Lighter and brighter colors on top, prints on top with solid bottoms. Structured shoulders. Details at the chest like embroidery, lace, or buttons that pull the eye up.

✅ Specific recs: A linen top with a short puff sleeve and V-neck is doing two of the right things at once: shoulder volume from the puff and a vertical neckline pulling the eye up to your face. An embroidered linen top with blouson sleeves puts all the visual weight at the chest and sleeves, which is exactly where you want it. For everyday boat necks, Quince has a clean selection.

✅ Pair your tops with:

• Mid or high-rise straight-leg or tapered pants in a darker neutral. The straight or tapered line through the hip and leg keeps the visual width at the bottom contained, while your eye-catching top does the work up top.
• Dark wash jeans with a little stretch are a workhorse here. If you want to wear lighter or brighter bottoms, it's not "wrong," just know the eye will go to the bottom half (sometimes that's exactly what you want 🤭).
• Spanx are GREAT fitting pants for you!

💻 Use the search box! Go to your favorite store's website and search any of these terms: puff sleeve blouse, boat neck top, square neck top, off shoulder top, embroidered top. These are the cuts that add the visual volume you want at the shoulders.

❌ Skip: Plain dark tees worn with bright or printed bottoms (this draws the eye exactly where you don't want it). Tops that end right at the widest part of your hips (find ones that hit above your hip bone or skim past it).

Tight cropped sleeves on a fuller upper arm (a softly puffed or flutter sleeve actually skims better than a fitted cap). Heavy fabrics on top that drape downward and add weight at the chest without adding shape at the shoulder.

If you're an inverted triangle:

Your shoulders are broader than your hips, often with an athletic or muscular upper body.

The struggle is real and specific: button-downs that pull across the chest and shoulders but bag at the waist. T-shirts that fit the body but cut into the underarm.

The styling move is to soften everything happening up top and shift the visual weight to the bottom half. You're not trying to hide your shoulders, you're trying to balance them.

👀 Look for: V-necks (deep ones), henleys with a button placket (the vertical line at the center narrows the shoulder visually), open camp collars, soft scoop necks, and anything with fluid drape across the shoulder.

Sleeves that fall softly: cap sleeves, short fluid sleeves, dolman cuts, raglan sleeves. Fabrics that drape: silk, soft viscose, lightweight rayon, washed linen.

✅ Specific recs: A camp collar linen button-front shirt is one of the most reliable picks for this shape. The open collar softens the shoulder line and the placket creates a vertical line down the center. A henley with a roll sleeve in cotton gauze does the same job in a more casual fabric.

For drape, silk tops at Quince are unbeatable for the price (a silk top falls AWAY from broad shoulders instead of clinging across them, which makes a real difference).

✅ Pair your tops with:

• Bottoms with visual weight: printed wide-leg pants, A-line midi skirts, full or pleated skirts, printed wide-leg pants or wide-leg pants in a fun color or pattern.
• Light or bright colors below the waist (this is the opposite of the pear-shape rule, and that's the point).
• The whole goal is to add weight and interest below your waist so the eye travels down. Plain dark skinny jeans with a draped top will look fine but won't actually balance the silhouette.

💻 Use the search box! Go to your favorite store's website and search any of these terms: V-neck silk top, henley short sleeve, camp collar shirt, deep V blouse, scoop neck top. These are the cuts that soften the shoulder line.

❌ Skip: Boat necks, square necks, off-shoulder cuts (all of these widen the shoulder line further). Puff sleeves and statement shoulders. Structured shoulder pads or stiff blazer-cut tops. Halter necks (they pull the shoulder line inward visually but emphasize the upper chest in a way that often reads heavier on a fuller bust).

If you're an hourglass:

Your shoulders and hips are roughly the same width, with a clearly defined waist (often a fuller bust too).

The advice you usually get is "anything looks good on you," which is both lazy and not true. Real hourglass shopping problems: button-downs that gap at the bust, dresses that fit the bust but balloon at the waist, oversized trends that swallow your shape entirely, and wrap dresses without enough coverage.

Your styling move is to follow the waistline, not erase it and not overdo it. Fitted-but-not-tight is the goal, and soft fabric that moves with you is doing more for you than anything stiff.

👀 Look for: V-necks and scoop necks (these balance a fuller bust without adding visual weight up top). Wrap tops, wrap dresses, and faux-wrap styles where the seam follows your natural waist. Fitted knits in soft fabric. Tops that end at or just below the waistband (so you can tuck or French tuck cleanly). Soft drape, not stiff structure.

✅ Specific recs: A no-iron stretch button-front shirt is one of the few button-downs that doesn't gap at the bust because the stretch fabric follows your shape instead of fighting it. A puff sleeve mixed media top is fitted enough to show your waist without being tight. For wrap tops, Nordstrom has a strong selection. For everyday V-necks and scoop necks in soft fabric, Quince's V-neck tops and scoop neck styles are reliable.

✅ Pair your tops with:

• High-waisted bottoms in any cut (the high waist sits at your natural waistline and continues the shape your top is creating).
• Tuck or French tuck almost any soft top into tapered linen pants or wide-leg trousers.​
• A thin belt at the waist over a relaxed top brings the shape back if the top is on the looser side.

💻 Use the search box! Go to your favorite store's website and search any of these terms: V-neck wrap top, wrap blouse, fitted scoop neck top, stretch button down. These are the cuts that follow the waist instead of erasing it.

❌ Skip: Boxy oversized shirts and tunics (they hide the waist entirely). Drop-waist tops where the seam hits at the hip (fights your natural waistline). Shift dresses and tent silhouettes. Stiff structured fabrics like heavy poplin or tweed that hold their own shape and hover away from your body instead of following it. Empire waist tops with a fuller bust (the seam under the bust plus fabric falling straight down hides the waist completely).

My honest recommendation:

All this body type stuff is more complex than what I just outlined. It takes trial and error, real effort to understand your body, and time to figure out which brands and cuts work best for you. So please don't read this and think there's one perfect formula. There isn't.

It's also completely normal to be in between shapes. I'm an hourglass, but if I gain weight it all goes to my hips, so I borrow from the pear shape playbook when I need to.

I'll throw on a high-waisted A-line midi skirt with a puff sleeve top to balance things out. Same body, different weight, slightly different styling move. That's just how it works.

These "rules" are not set in stone. At the end of the day, the goal is to dress in a way that makes you feel confident. These suggestions are a starting point, not a verdict.

So here's what I want you to actually do with all of this:

⭐ Use this email to walk through your closet. Pull out your summer tops one by one and ask: does this cut actually work for my shape? Try things on. Be honest. Donate or sell the ones that don't. Keep the ones that do.

⭐ Then pick 2 or 3 tops to invest in for this summer. Not 18. Just:

• One detail-forward top in your shape's best cut
• One linen or gauze piece for the hottest days
• One everyday essential that works with everything you already own

That's it. That's the whole assignment. Three tops you actually love and reach for, instead of a closet full of "kind of works" pieces that never quite feel right.

If you want to see every option from this email laid out side by side, the full blog post is here with photos and styling notes for each one.

Thanks for reading 💛

XO,

Aimara

Remember to save this image to your Pinterest! (I update that blog post every year)