Fabrics and Fit for the Joanie Top

Meg and Ashley wearing Joanie Tops

The Joanie Top is here and we could not be more excited! Named for Meg’s grandmother, the Joanie Top combines 50s style with modern fitting, for a fun top with so many options you’ll find you can’t make just one. Choose from a camp collar or shawl collar, short or long sleeves, and split or shirt hem.

For me, there is just something about a camp collar that makes getting dressed feel more joyful, more special. It feels casual enough for every day while still adding a little something extra and different. I read a poem by Gregory Orr recently, called To Be Alive:

“To be alive: not just the carcass
But the spark.
That’s crudely put, but…
If we’re not supposed to dance,
Why all this music?”

And that has been my life philosophy lately: if we’re not supposed to dance, why all this music? I want to dance. I am trying to romanticize my life every day. I think this is why all those Wes Anderson reels are so popular. It feels good to look for moments of uncanny beauty, to create them ourselves. To approach life with main character energy. Making my clothes is one way that I do that. One way that I, that all of us have for throwing off the dust of the ordinary in favor of the extraordinary. Wearing Joanie makes me feel extraordinary. I think it will make you feel that way too.

Our Joanie Tops

Joanie is a semi-fitted shirt, with princess seams in the back for some subtle waist shaping, and bust darts in the front. Both sleeve views fit with a bit of positive ease to allow for easy wearing through the shoulder and underarm. If you have previously fit your Hinterland Dress bodice, you can apply any of those adjustments to Joanie. Our free Hinterland Bodice fitting guide is a great place to begin.

Meg wears a size 10. Her bust is 35”  and her waist is 30”. She is 5’3.

Ashley wears a size 30 with a forward shoulder adjustment and an FBA. Her bust is 49.5” and her waist is 45”. She is 5’10.

Meredith wears a size 4. Her bust is 34” and her waist is 27.5”. She is 5’4.

We highly recommend taking new measurements every time you sew something. For tips on taking measurements yourself, check out our guide.

All three of these Joanie Tops are made with Merchant and Mills European Laundered Linen. Our friends at EWE Fine Fibers have curated a collection of fabulous fabric choices, as well as buttons and other notions you might need. They also offer a pattern printing service.

Joanie Tops made by our community

Clockwise from upper left: Jessica, Ambrosia, Emily, Leila, Kaci

Jessica combined the View A collar and sleeves, with the View B length for a short-sleeved, camp collar tunic. Ambrosia combined the View B collar and sleeves with the View A length in a soft washer linen. Emily used a classic white linen for her View A Joanie, lending it a timeless. crisp vibe. Leila chose a bold print, and Kaci color-blocked hers with three different linen fabrics. Each of their Joanies suits their style, and has its own, unique vibe, just like them.

Whether you are vintage, punk, boho, preppy, cottage-core, normcore, gnome-core, minimalist, or so many more, Joanie can slip right into your closet and feel at home.

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