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While I love the luxury of silk, I’m not so keen on its maintenance. It’s pretty demanding, particularly when you compare it to its fabric siblings like cotton, and on top of that, silk doesn’t come cheap. Still, I’m of the view that there’s always a place in your wardrobe for silk pieces. Silk blouses in particular are a wardrobe staple for me, especially for work, so I reluctantly put in the extra effort to care for them so they last.
It seems the silk gods have heard our cries and recently, there has been an emergence of a low maintenance variety. Silk shirts that never have to be dry cleaned? Sign me up!
I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on several washable silk pieces from Everlane – my current go-to and general treasure trove for elevated basics. Everlane’s Washable Silk collection currently consists of two styles – the Relaxed Shirt and the Henley. They come in a variety of smart colours and I’ve been lucky enough to try out both styles.
It’s worth noting that the texture of washable silk is noticeably different from the traditional version. For starters, washable silk is noticeably thicker and its texture is sueded. It still flows and drapes like traditional silk and feels soft to the touch. Personally, I’m not particularly keen on the satin finish of charmeuse (aka satin silk) and much prefer the matte finish of crepe de chine. So for me, the washable silk ticks both boxes when it comes to texture and finish.
Further, washable silk is a lot thicker and completely opaque unlike crepe de chine which can come up slightly sheer. If you’re conscious about your bra showing underneath a lighter coloured traditional silk shirt, it won’t be a concern for you with washable silk. But if you do like the sheer quality of old school silk, you mightn’t be a fan of this new washable variety.
So here are my thoughts on the particular styles I’ve tried.
Washable Silk Henley
I’ll be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for this piece when I initially ordered it. The styling on the website didn’t particularly inspire me but what drew me to the top was that I have nothing like it in my wardrobe. Also, I have a lot of faith in Everlane’s design ethos so I was encouraged to give it a whirl. And I’m so glad I did.
The henley has been a go-to for off-duty and casual ensembles. It’s a cropped and boxy cut, so it looks great untucked with a pair of track pants (because, and I can’t believe I’m writing this, I now have a pair of ‘dressy’ track pants that I wear out of the house!) but it also looks great tucked into jeans, as you can see in the photos.
Everlane Washable Silk Henley* (sz 0), Dr Denim jeans*, Gucci belt (review here), Sarah Flint pumps* (review here), Celine bag (review here), Ray Ban sunglasses
As for how I wear the top, I always keep the top two buttons undone (I don’t like how it looks completely buttoned up on me) and have predominantly worn the top with my sleeves folded up as I prefer the overall relaxed vibe, but also find it practical to do so with small humans in tow.
All in all, it’s a winner. The perfect transitional piece as the weather gets cooler here. I can’t picture myself wearing this to the office in business formal looks as I think the henley style is a tad too casual for that, but it hits the right mark for Casual Friday and elevated casual looks for the weekend.
For reference, I have the Silk Henley in Bone in a size 0.
Washable Silk Relaxed Shirt
So I don’t just have this in the one colour, but I’ve got it in three 🙈 Based on that, I think you can draw your own conclusions as to how I feel about this shirt! But to avoid any doubt, I’m pretty chuffed with this particular style in the washable silk fabric. It has a traditional point collar, found hem and two utility pockets. A very classic and effortless style.
Considering I’m back at the office now for several days a week, I love the ease of having these shirts to rely on. It takes the hassle out of getting dressed for work but it’s also a great piece for the weekend too, because silk shirts are by nature, incredible versatile pieces.
I’ve got the shirt in Bone, Covert Green and Powder Blue and I’ve got a mix of sizes 0 and 2 for a bit of variation in fit. I’m a real fan of the relaxed cut and the versatility that it brings and I think it looks great both tucked and untucked – depending on how put together I want to look that day.
Everlane Washable SIlk shirt* (sz 0), Dr Denim jeans*, Gucci belt (review here), Senreve bag* (review here), Everlane loafers* (review here), Ray Ban sunglasses
Everlane Washable Silk shirt* (sz 2), Everlane cropped trousers* (sz 2), Everlane trench* (sz XS), Sarah Flint pumps* (review here), Gucci belt (review here), Ray Ban sunglasses, Celine bag (review here)
Everlane shirt* (sz 2), Nobody Denim jeans*, Nicholas Kirkwood loafers, Celine bag (review here), Ray Ban sunglasses
Caring for Washable Silk
To wrap up this post, I thought I’d touch on how I maintain the Everlane Washable Silk fabric. After a couple of wears, I’ll pop it into the machine on a gentle cycle with like colours. The care instructions also suggest tumble drying on low to maintain a silky hand feel, but we don’t have a dryer at home and so I just lay it flat on the drying rack. After a quick steam, it’s ready to be worn once again. As someone who loathes sending things to the dry cleaner, I’m pretty happy with these tops.
If you have any questions, feel free to pop them into the comments section below. Thanks again for stopping by!
P.S. My current favourite shoes to wear to work and you can shop my outfits here.
