My AJ Rumina blouse arrived Monday, but I’ve been testing it out a couple of times before writing this review. Here’s the bottom line: this is an attractive, practical blouse that I will get a lot of wear out of. It’s definitely up there with my Eris Apparel shirts.

First the GREAT FEATURES:

1. Most important, it fits across my bust line. There’s a little bit of Level 2 pulling but absolutely no gapping. The closely-set buttons take care of that.

2. They use darts instead of princess seams! One of the pics after the jump shows where the darts hit me. I’m not sure how I feel about the bagginess in the side view.

3. It’s 95% cotton and 5% spandex, so it has a little stretch. I’m surprised their website doesn’t mention this. From the online photos, I expected the fabric to be really cheap, but it seems nice for the $34.99 price tag. It definitely wrinkles, unfortunately.

4. I love the red color. It’s rich and versatile. I’m definitely ordering the white and black next.

5. The sizing chart on the company’s website made it easy to figure out that I’m a Large F/G. I felt comfortable buying just one blouse rather than several to make sure I got the right size, and the blouse I ordered fits.

Of course NOTHING’S PERFECT:

1. I’m only 5’3″, so the fabric in back has extra folds because of the length.

2. The buttons are obviously plastic and just a little too big (something I never would have noticed before talking to others about developing my own line).

3. My elbow pokes out the cuff hole. This won’t be the case for everyone. Actually, I thought I was ordering one of the newer dress shirts with full-length sleeves–the website needs to be clearer here.

4. The shoulder seams fall about one inch below each shoulder. This isn’t a deal breaker, but I’d love a sharper look at the shoulders.

Here’s where I have MIXED FEELINGS:

1. The collar is fine but narrow. Women who like to turn their colors up won’t have that option.

2. There’s a skirt-y detail at the hips. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I’ll probably be tucking the shirt in more than wearing it out.

So there you have my review of a versatile and inexpensive dress shirt option for your wardrobe. I’ll pick up a t-shirt with my next order of the white and black dress shirts and let you know what I think of it as well.



I’m not doing anything risque below–just showing you with my thumb and index finger where the darts hit. The thumb is at the side dart, so it may be a bit high. The index finger is at the center dart.