Where can I buy a blouse?

Bon Marché have blouses in various fabrics and colours. They have an online catalogue which you can browse or visit their stores locally.

A friend of mine was wearing a nice cotton blouse today with a small floral pattern. Apparently she got it at Cotton Traders. I like shirt blouses, not sure if that is the same as simply a blouse....

Ooh that's lovely Stansgran

Yes, I do. irina! I never wear dresses as I never feel comfortable. Besides no-one would recognise me in a dress and heels.

My aim is for 'understated elegance'! As that is unachievable for me, I am hoping to achieve 'i haven't tried too hard at all' which is standard for me but I need make a good impression to keep my end up.

Thank you for all the suggestions so far.

Do you have to wear trousers? would a dress not be better rather than kind of dividing yourself in half if you know what I mean? you can get simple tailored dresses which are easy to wear and flattering, and not TOO dressy, also you could wear heels to give yourself that little bit of extra height.

www.east.co.uk/silk-blend-isabelle-blouse-pink/
I saw this in the shop window and thought it looked very pretty. East can be a bit big on the sizing but it's silk and cotton and they had it with blue linen trousers which are as similar to jeans really.

Have you looked at Boden? They usually have some lovely casual but dressy shirts and blouses. E.g.: www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/womens-shirts-blouses/long-sleeved-tops/wa758/womens-deborah-ruffle-blouse

Joules also do tops ( avoided the shirt/blouse thing ) which are a bit different.

Thank you, kitty - then I have some blouses; but they look like shirts!

kitty I have always found Wallis and Next to have a good range of blouses. If ordering online beware Wallis sizes tend to be quite generous.

Have a look in White Stuff. They have some nice blouses that are smart enough to go with jeans and trousers but not too fussy.

On this occasion, in my head, a shirt is made of cotton, with a proper collar and cuffs and a blouse is sort of softer Eg, silky, chiffon, sort of material. But, some blouses can be cotton too

Can I ask what constitutes a blouse? I have shirts, which I know are shirts, and I have things I class as blouses which may be shirts so what makes a blouse a blouse (it's an awful word, by the way!). If it's a silly irrelevant question, please feel free to ignore me!

I bought two blouses yesterday from Edinburgh Woollen Mill. Lots to choose from and lots of size 20. HOpe this might help.