A LETTER FROM A READER

AT 67, I STOPPED BUYING BLOUSES THAT EITHER GAPED AT THE BUTTONS OR SWALLOWED ME WHOLE

Margaret Pemberton
Boston · August 4, 2026

I have never written one of these before, and I almost didn't, because it is only a blouse. But my sister asked me about it twice in one afternoon — once at lunch and again when we were leaving — and I have now explained it enough times that it seemed easier to write it down properly.

For a good few years, the top half of getting dressed has been the part that defeats me. Everything in the shops seemed to be one of two things: a young woman's blouse that pulled and gaped at the buttons across the chest, or a big shapeless tunic that hid me completely and added ten years while it was at it. There did not seem to be anything in between for a woman my age.

"I wanted to look like I'd made an effort — not like I was hiding, and not like I was squeezed into something meant for my niece."

HOW IT HAPPENS

I don't think anyone decides to stop dressing nicely. It happens one disappointing changing room at a time. A blouse gapes, so you put it back. The next one clings, so back that goes too. Eventually you buy the loose, safe thing that at least doesn't pull anywhere, and you tell yourself that is simply what tidy looks like now. I had a drawer full of safe, loose things and none of them made me feel like myself.

WHAT I HAD WRONG

I had decided that comfortable and put-together couldn't live in the same blouse at my age — that I had to pick one. The Glenda is the first top in a long while that doesn't ask me to choose.

THE BLOUSE IS CALLED THE GLENDA

It's from Bennett Boston, an American label that has been quietly looking after women our age for a good twenty years. The Glenda is a stand-collar button blouse — a neat little collar that stands up rather than flopping open, a proper button front, and a relaxed cut through the body that skims instead of clinging. It comes down just past the hips, which covers everything I like covered.

The fabric is a soft, breathable blend, so it doesn't cling on a warm afternoon the way some do, and the short sleeve sits at a length that suits an arm that isn't twenty-five anymore. The stand collar is the part that surprised me — it lifts the whole thing and makes an ordinary blouse look a touch smart, without me having to fuss with a scarf.

WHAT HAPPENED AT LUNCH

I wore it to lunch with my sister, and she asked twice where it was from — my sister, who has not willingly complimented anything I've worn in fifty years. I had it on again the next morning to take my dog, Biscuit, round the block, and it looked just as tidy thrown on with trousers as it had the day before. At 67, that is rather the whole point.

THREE THINGS I'VE LEARNED SINCE

Smart doesn't have to mean stiff. The collar does the dressing-up so I don't have to. I can pull it on with jeans and still feel like I've made an effort.

A relaxed cut is not the same as a shapeless one. It skims where it should and stays closed where the buttons matter. Nothing gapes.

Breathable fabric changes how long you last. I don't spend the afternoon tugging at myself, so I stay out longer — errands, church, a cup of tea with a friend.

ABOUT THE PRICE

I'll be honest about why I'm writing this down rather than just telling my sister where I got it. The Glenda is currently $44.95, down from $90.00 — half off for their final summer sale — and when I looked again this week the page said only a few were left at that price. They do it from a size S up to a 3XL (US 4 to 26), in blue, green, black, white, burgundy and pink, so there's a good chance of your colour and your size both being there.

Glenda | Stand Collar Button Blouse

★★★★★ 4.6 out of 5 · 690+ reviews

$90.00 $44.95 — Save 50%

• Stand-up collar and button front for a smart, put-together look
• Relaxed cut that skims without clinging · falls below the hips
• Soft, breathable blend · short sleeve · sizes S–3XL (US 4–26)
• Six colours · free delivery via USPS · 100% Happiness Guarantee

Shop the Glenda – $44.95

Due to high demand for our final season sale, only a few remain at the current price.

I haven't reached for the shapeless, safe thing in the drawer since.