Loft Bell Sleeve Peplum Blouse

When I moved into my first “adult” apartment after graduation, one of the best parts about my room was that it had a walk-in closet. Never before had I been blessed with so much real estate for my clothes, shoes, and accessories. As such, I became somewhat of a clothing hoarder—never parting with items that I never wore, weren’t in style, or didn’t fit anymore. I stayed in that apartment for three years, so by the time I moved out, I had amassed quite the mismatched wardrobe.

When I moved into a new apartment summer 2016—the apartment I lived in before the one I live in now, I was demoted to a “regular” closet that was probably a fourth of the size of my previous closet. As such, I ended up donating many older items and selling the higher-end or gently used items on Poshmark. In hindsight, I was probably a little too aggressive on my closet purge—especially when it came to tops and blouses for work. There are a few pieces I still wish I hadn’t sold—but such is life. The good thing that came out of my commitment to the KonMari method was that I really edited my wardrobe down to pieces I loved and felt good in, and found a better grasp on my personal style in the process.

Since the great closet purge, I have been actively looking to build up my collection of work blouses again—especially since I have a walk-in closet again. But instead of haphazardly buying like I would have in my younger days, I’ve only been keeping tops I really love. So I was excited when I liked this LOFT Bell Sleeve Peplum Blouse in-person as much as I did online. (Because let’s be real, I do 99.9% of my shopping online.)

The day we shot these photos in NYC at the Met—aka my Gossip Girl moment—it was so windy. The benefit of that is you can see how much movement this flowy blouse offers. It’s a fun shirt, complete with sheer bell sleeves, while still being conservative enough for an office setting.

For work, I’ve been pairing this LOFT Bell Sleeve Peplum Blouse with my favorite black crop pants, but I love it with white jeans for more casual occasions, too—especially as the weather warms up. I personally couldn’t wear white jeans to work any day but Friday, but if you’re office is more casual, I don’t think you ever can go wrong with the navy + white combination. I’ve found the blouse runs true to size—I bought a medium.

I recently picked up this Sole Society Lexington Faux Leather Satchel to have as an option for the days I want a more structured bag for work. You can’t beat the $60 price point, and I love how it’s big enough to hold all my stuff without being so large that I feel like I’m toting around my gym bag. It comes in a few other colors, too, and I can’t recommend it enough!