Last year, when I decided to gift some dresses to my cousins, I noticed that almost every brand had muslin tops. Surprisingly, each muslin top was eye-soothing, beautiful, and extremely comfortable. But why is that?
The first reason is the material. Muslin fabric is a skin-friendly material that feels much better than common fabrics like cotton blend, linen, jersey, etc.
Second, tops are very fashionable clothes. There are so many varieties of tops that you can easily find the right ones for yourself.
We are the Muslin Dhaka Team and have been working on muslin fashion marketing for over eight years. We research facts about muslin tops. Such as construction, craze, types, differences from other clothing & fabrics, and benefits.
We physically tested some muslin fabric tops from different reputed brands, too, for precise information. You will know all basics about muslin tops from this article. Let’s show you what we learned about the muslin tops.
What is a Top?
Top is a term referring to all types of dress worn on the upper body. The basis of tops is to cover the chest and belly area.
Different fabrics are used to make tops. Among them, the popular options are cotton, muslin, rayon, silk, linen, etc. We can find pure cotton, mixed cotton, cotton muslin, gauze, etc., in regular and premium tops. Luxury tops offer expensive silk, organic cotton, muslin, velvet, etc.
Some tops can cover your arms entirely or partially. But there are tops with no sleeves. A few types of tops can even have no shoulder or strap. They hang on your body by grabbing the chest area right under the armpits.
Commonly, tops can contain a single layer of fabric. The main single-layer construction might have multiple layers around to offer pleats, fleeces, or laces.
You can wear a top both as outerwear and innerwear. Brands offer various fitting options for tops. There are tops for babies, kids, teens, and adults.
So, the top is an umbrella phrase covering almost every clothing you can wear on your upper body area.
Are Muslin Tops for Women?
No, tops are not for women only. (As said earlier, tops in clothing is a generalized word for upperwear.) Both men’s and women’s clothing can be called tops.
But nowadays, “muslin tops” mean girls’ outfits like shirts, crops, tunics, blouses, etc. Most people in fashion industries also categorize tops as women’s fashion items.
You should also take tops as a women’s outfit to go with the flow.
Why Muslin Tops? 7 Key Benefits
Among all fabric materials, we talk only muslin or cotton for tops because:
Variety in Design
Muslin tops come in various designs, colors, and prints. That’s why you get multiple options when choosing from the “Tops” section of the shop.
Depending on your age, occasion, and choice, there are tops. For example, you can have a blouse top for the upcoming meeting. Or you can wear a cami inside your jeans jacket for a long trip.
Comfy Wear
We already discussed how muslin fabric is comfortable and works better every season. So, muslin tops are obviously meant to be a great comfy option.
Generally, the texture of muslin fabrics is smooth and soft. Even a thin or see-through top won’t stick with your skin. Cotton muslin fabrics let air pass through and keep the skin dry. Some muslin fabrics can even stretch a bit to adjust to wearers’ postures and movements.
Fitting : Good for Any Women
From the age of its creation, the muslin fabric isn’t restricted to any specific gender, age, or body type. Children, adults, and older adults can try muslin tops for both fashion and comfort.
You might know that muslin tops feature more variety than other clothing options. It’s easy to find the right fit according to your choice and size of the best muslin top.
Pairable with Other Clothes
Do you want to wear a designer jacket during the winter? Or a cute scarf or shawl in spring? Whatever the option is, muslin tops are suitable for underlayering.
A significant advantage of wearing muslin tops is anything you wear below the top becomes a styling option. Suppose you are wearing a long skirt with a plain muslin tunic. It gives a semi-traditional dressing vibe. But wearing jeans with the same tunic makes it a casual style to go out for dates or shopping.
Easy Dressing
Muslin tops are easy to wear. You don’t need to fill in any special criteria to wear a good muslin top. These tops either have pullovers or simple button and strap closures.
Just make sure one thing. The color of your bra should blend with the color of your top. Apart from it, the top will be excellent over your body.
Able to Make a Unique Statement
You can create your own fashion by wearing muslin outfits. A complete see-through sheer or small tube top reveals most of your skin and figure. It makes a clear, bold statement. On the other hand, you can be proud of your taste in fashion by wearing a luxurious sequin top.
Each muslin top can serve a unique purpose to wear. You can pick one depending on what you want to express or show off!
Low Maintenance Clothing
Muslin dresses don’t need any special treatment. Gentle washing methods with mild soap or detergent are enough to clean a muslin top. However, you need to clean tops regularly. Otherwise, stains and dirt become permanent on the fabric.
In a sentence, It is easy to care.
How Many Types of Tops Are Made of Muslin?
The time around the 1930s brought a revolution in the fashion industry. Celebrities & personalities influence people. Fashion designers also brought some changes in traditional clothes worldwide to match the modern time.
During that period, tops became widely popular and introduced among people of different levels. Silk-alike fabrics, cotton and cotton blends, and wool fabrics become the top choice for garment manufacturers.
From that time to the present, there have been more than 50 types of tops for women. Most of them can offer you comfortable and premium muslin constructions. We have already featured in-depth research and comparison of the types of muslin tops in another article. You can see that discussion to get a clear concept of the types.
Best Muslin Tops Brands
Here is the list of the best brands we recommend for muslin tops.
Image credit : Hanes
Hanes
Hanes is a global brand for both men’s and women’s clothing. The company is famous for soft cotton muslin fabrics in a very reasonable price range. You can find tops, undergarments, pants, and other essentials from their Amazon store or the official site.
Although Hanes is struggling to get over their competitors, the quality of the products remains the same. Anyone can pick Hanes as the first choice.
Pros:
- Latest fashions
- Durable fabrics
- Affordable price range
Cons:
- Production isn’t as per the demand
Image credit : Retailer
OMOLOKO
Currently, OMOLOKO is a trending seller of kids’ muslin clothes. The company produces stylish muslin dresses for little angels that are very sustainable. However, the prices of their exclusive products might be more than expected. Parents still prefer this brand for high-quality, safe materials.
Pros:
- Stylish kids’ wear
- Durable construction
- Usage of soft muslins
Cons:
- A bit pricey
Image Credit : Retailer
JUST MY SIZE
Just My Size is a reputed brand for making women’s plus-size clothes. Most global brands don’t feature oversized muslin or cotton muslin tops. So, JMS took the opportunity and made a reputation among oversized ladies.
Their designed tops have proved that large girls can style and make a statement like average girls.
Pros:
- Perfect fitting
- Reasonable Price
- Comfy fabrics
Cons:
- Recent cases of poor finishing in some deliveries
Image credit : Pact ( retailer)
Pact
Pact also offers a unique selling point with its products. Most of their cotton muslin tops have GOTS clearance. At least 95% of the fabric materials used are organic and safe.
Although the brand is a good option for tops and underwear, the designs aren’t trendy. Yet, the safe products are good to go.
Pros:
- Eco-friendly materials and production
- Fair Trade USA certified policy
- Safe for sensitive skin clothes
Cons:
- Not enough variety
Image credit : Retailer
Cotton Flower Clothing
Regarding comfort, very few names are as popular as Cotton Flower clothing. The fashion brand started its operations almost a decade ago. Currently, they’re famous for making classical tops and skirts mainly.
This store generally has tops for summer, spring, and autumn seasons. Decent clothing is what CFC can offer you.
Pros:
- Very soft and lightweight cotton muslin fabrics
- Compatible with any age and body shapes
- All-purpose clothing
Cons:
- Comparatively pricey
Made by Emma
Made by Emma is an excellent choice for young girls who love to show off their attractive curves. It is mainly an Amazon-based store. The seller has different types of tops and cardigans for almost every season.
The tube tops and camisoles are the top-rated products of this brand. You can also find some quality wears for casual and sports purpose. For example, joggers, leggings, jackets, vests, etc.
Pros:
- Wide variety of clothes and designs
- Budget-friendly brand
- Flattering tops
Cons:
- No premium options are available currently
Image credit : Retailer
MixMatchy
MixMatchy is a one-stop solution for teens and adults. They offer at least 10 types of tops on their website and Amazon page. Along with tops, their shirts are also popular these days. You can find both formal and casual designs in their collections.
Pros:
- Featuring different styles and designs
- Almost every top comes with several prints and color options
- Comfy fabric
Cons:
- Very few size options
Top VS Shirt
Now comes a big debate. What’s the difference between muslin shirts and tops?
Shirts
Shirts are clothing you can wear on the upper part of your body without any additional layers most of the time. Things that fall under “Shirts” usually don’t work for under-layering or over-layering.
Some fashion experts generalize all men’s upper wear as shirts.
Besides that, muslin shirts are made for both boys and girls. They can have collars, sleeves, and multiple fit options. Options like button-down, henley, and tee polo are considered shirts.
These clothes aren’t flattering or revealing. Shirts are suitable for decent dress, style for all types of occasions.
Tops
Muslin tops also refer to clothing that one wears on the upper body. But a person can use a top for under-layering or over-layering. For example, a cardigan over a tee for protection from winter, a tube top instead of a bra, etc.
Some muslin tops even require additional clothing to style properly.
Most fashion brands use “Tops” to define women’s clothing altogether. For example, tank, camisole, bralette, blouse, cardigan, kaftan, etc.
There are different tops for different style. Tops can be bold, elegant, decent, flattering, etc.
Key Similarities
- Both terms can be used interchangeably.
- For male, female, and unisex use
Key Differences
- Tops mainly refer to women’s dresses first
- Most shirts don’t create bold or flattering outlooks like tops. (Exceptions like transparent button-down shirts are different cases)
- One can’t wear all types of tops on any occasion. Example: bralette top. But you can wear a shirt anywhere you want.
- Shirts have sleeves. But tops don’t feature sleeves mandatorily.
Blouse VS Top
A blouse is a type of clothing you can define as a top or a shirt. To put it simply:
- Blouses almost look like button-down shirts. But they aren’t too long, like the flattering top types.
- Blouses are mostly loose or comfy fit options. Whereas tops come in different fittings
- Tops cover up all types of women’s upperwear. Blouses cover only the shirt-alike dresses with feminine designs.
- All blouses can considered as tops, but not all tops are bloussen.
Sleeveless Shirt VS Tank Top
It’s hard to separate tank tops and sleeveless shirts. Because of their so many similarities like:
- Sleeveless construction
- No collar
- Mainly for summer
- One can wear them under other clothing for a unique fashion or heat insulation.
- Good as an underlayer
- Ideal for sports and gym workouts
There are very few differences between these two dress types. Which are:
- Sleeveless shirts have thicker straps, like a t-shirt without any sleeves. On the other hand, tank tops have thin straps
- Tank tops have wider necklines than sleeveless shirts
- Sleeveless shirts can have buttons, but tanks can’t
How do you know if a muslin top is for women?
There are some types of muslin tops like shirts and polos. They are hard to define whether they’re for men or women. For that, here’s some key advice from the fashion industry.
If you see the button line of the shirt is on the right part, it means the clothing is for boys. Most of the time, ladies’ upperwear can have curves around the sideline to fit the chest, waist, and hip. But boys’ shirts or tops have straight-cut lines. But remember, most men’s outfits can be unisex options too.
FAQ
How to wear crop tops without showing your belly?
There are two ways to hide your belly while wearing crop tops. First, you can pull up the pajama or skirt over the belly button. Second, you can wear slim-fit innerwear under the crop top.
What is a top without straps called?
Tops without straps are tube tops. They don’t have any straps to hold the fabric over your breasts. Instead, they have elastic or very tight-fitting on the chest area so that they don’t wear off from your body easily.
What tops are best for broad shoulders?
You can wear V-neck or U-neck tops and blouses if you have broad shoulders. Strapless or spaghetti-strap tops will look bad on your figure. Mainly, tops that hide the actual length of your shoulders should be the right choice.
Are crop tops inappropriate?
Cropped tops aren’t inappropriate in most events. However, if you are in an event where revealing too much skin looks odd, avoid wearing crop tops.
Summary: Muslin Tops
“Muslin tops” is a large discussion that one can never finish in one day. Yet, we tried our best to highlight basic and interesting facts you must know.
If you want to give a try, please read our complete buying guide best muslin tops.
Shariful Alam Pavel, A fashion lover, passionate marketer. Love to share wisdom based on real life experience to enrich knowledge.
Founder of Muslin Dhaka, a brand, speaks the truth about royal muslin and fashion. Explore the digital fashion universe with organic cotton muslin and much more!
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