I’ve been into black clothing much more this winter than I ever have in the past. It’s always been chic and smart to me, but suddenly I’ve been more interested in black clothes of different textures, fabrics and finishes. Anything black with an interesting design detail has been more likely to catch my eye, so when I first saw images of this Heart of Haute Inspiration top I suddenly became a YES SIREE SIGN ME UP OYESOYESOYES THATS IT RIGHT THURR GOOD LAWD MA’AM HOT DAMN internet meme reaction of a person.

As with the HoH Divine Jacket I reviewed last week this top immediately jumped to the top of my wishlist, but with pre-Christmas budgeting in action I didn’t purchase it until several weeks later during Cyber Week from Deadly is the Female, UK stockist of many of the best quality vintage inspired brands. The moment it arrived it jumped to the top of another one of my lists, the Super Comfortable But Also Really Chic Clothing To Wear list. That’s one of my favourite lists because it means the items on it don’t require my squishy bits to suffer for my glamorous tastes by way of cinching and pinching, so right away this top was a winner.

Top: Inspiration top by Heart of Haute
Belt: Obi belt by Collectif
Jacket: Black Divine Jacket by Heart of Haute
Skirt: Black Diva skirt by Heart of Haute
Brooch: Silver Magnetic Starburst from eBay
Bag: White Vintage Style Purse by Lola Von Rose
Boots: Black Lace Up Knee Highs from eBay

Made in the USA, the Inspiration top is a black jersey knit top featuring sheer polka dotted half sleeves. That same sheer polka dot fabric is featured on the collar of the V neck, ending in a real tie bow at the centre of the bust.

Layering this top beneath my HoH Divine jacket is one of my favourite ways to wear it because it provides a cute glimpse of the sheer bow detail nestled amongst the faux fur collar. Plus, since both items have plenty of stretch, it’s a chic and glamorous outfit that has a ridiculously high comfort level, which we all know I’m on board with.

Even though the top is a jersey knit, I decided to size up to the 1X to make sure it would accommodate my bust adequately. I also wasn’t sure exactly how stretchy the sheer fabric of the sleeves would be, as I’ve dealt with some sheer fabrics that were unforgiving in this regard, and I didn’t want it to feel too tight around my upper arms or armpits. I definitely could have gone with my usual Heart of Haute XL, as this top has stretch in both fabrics and sizes true, but I don’t mind that the 1X fits me a little looser, as I wouldn’t necessarily want a jersey fabric to be skintight on my torso anyway.

For reference, HoH’s 1X is for 43-45 inch busts and 34-36 inch waists. This top in the 1X flat measures 43 inches in the bust and 36 in the waist, with comfortable stretch up to 48 and 44 inches respectively. The armhole flat measures 22 inches with stretch up to 25 inches, while the upper arm flat measures 15 inches and easily stretches to 20 inches. As you can tell, there’s a lot of give in the sizing of this top so you can likely size down if you have any areas in your upper torso that normally require you to size up, or if you simply want a really snug fit. It measures 26 inches from shoulder to hem, so you can wear it both tucked into your bottoms or smoothed out over the top of them.

Deadly is the Female have the Inspiration left in a couple sizes, for UK or EU lovelies interested. The Diva skirt worn in the pictures above is also a Heart of Haute piece that I’ve reviewed before, available from UK stockist Deadly is the Female and directly from Heart of Haute. Similarly, the Divine jacket pictured above was reviewed last week, so you can get the full run down on that item and it’s availability here.

The Inspiration top comes in sizes XS to 2X and costs $42. Heart of Haute ship internationally and offer a customer reward scheme.