Empire Waist Done Right: My Honest Review of the Jana Empire Waist Top

This last week I was noticing that the leaves are starting to turn colors in my little neck of the woods. The signal that it’s time for spiced apples and spiced pumpkins, that corn mazes are on the way, and that I need to start considering changing my wardrobe from Summer fun to Fall whimsy. 

Fall can be a tricky season to dress for if you live in a climate similar to mine where the transition from hot to warm can move up and down throughout the week and mornings that start chill often turn into days that are hot. In this post, I will review LuLaRoe’s Jana Empire Waist Swing Top as one great top to bring you through those tricky Fall transitions. 

⬇️Don’t forget to click here or down below to grab your FREEBIE: Fall Clothing Guide! ⬇️

Sizing and Fit: 

The Jana top is meant to be semi-fitted at the bust and relaxed through the body. I have read and watched Jane Austen novels enough to appreciate the look of the empire waste and associate it with being prim and elegant. However, when wearing an Empire waist in reality the problem I often have with empire waist tops is that they often don’t fit the bust and the dividing line looks… well off… and not in a good way.

I tried on the Jana in XXS, XS and Medium for this review, but have tried on all the sizes XXS-3XL on in the past. I felt like the XXS was starting to get off in the chest, but the other two sizes fit fine. The XXS also felt a little tighter in my arms and I felt like it showed too much of my “baby” belly instead of flattering my figure. 

The XS is one size less than my normal street size and was my favorite. I tend to like my clothes more on the fitted side and it struck that right balance for me and felt very comfortable. 

The S is my true to size. I don’t tend to like my clothes loose and it is on that edge for me. However, if you do like the more relaxed fit that the top is indeed supposed to have, then true to size is going to be a great balance and do just fine. 

Medium was getting to be way too big and loose for me. If you really like your clothes relaxed it would probably be fine, but I do not. I recommend staying either true to size or just 1 down.  

Fabric and Feel:

The Jana Empire Waist top comes in MVS fabric or a 95% Polyester 5% Spandex blend. It has a medium amount of stretch to the fabric and feels similar to a t-shirt fabric- maybe just a little stiffer. 

Practical Features:

These are my favorite parts of a shirt. Although I do own a few “regular” shirts, my favorite top as a mom is a nice casual top like this one that adds a touch of style. The Jana Empire Waist top features the following:

• V-neck 
• An angled empire seem that goes all the way- so cute compared to a straight cut! 
• High-low hem from front to back 
• The sleeves go to the elbow- making it a great transition piece for Fall, though you can wear it any time of year really
• Comes in many prints and colors 

Clothing Care: 

I am the type of person that needs clothes to be washed easily at home. The Jana Empire Waist top can be machine washed cold in the gentle cycle. The instructions suggest hanging it dry which I do by simply hanging it on a plastic hanger in my bathroom with a fan blowing on it. By that night or the next morning it is ready to go again. Please do not iron the shirt. These care instructions will help your top to look new and nice much longer. This fabric tends to pill if you don’t care for it- including the hang dry thing…  ask me how I know. 

When to Wear Jana:

Due to the MVS fabric it is more an everyday casual kind of shirt. I think it would work great in the following places: 

• Every day wear
• For church or at work most weeks with a skirt or nice pair of pants
• It could work for date night with some jewelry and a nice cover such as the Cheryl depending on what you are doing

How to Style Jana:

My go to with Jana would be a pair of jeans. The top would also pair well with any of the LuLaRoe pants depending on your body shape. For example, I would love it with a Joey but a wide legged pant like the Dianne would be too much flow for my rectangle. I also think it would pair well with most of the skirts depending on what shape you need again. For example, I would wear it with the Ivy, Casi, or Maxi skirt but would find some of the others like the Coletta to be too much ruffle and flow since the shirt already has the bigger shape and it doesn’t need more in my humble opinion. If the morning is getting to be a bit too chilly you can add a layering piece to it. 

How to get the Jana: 

You can shop my link here: Jana Top

You can also see if All Access has any in stock right now here: 

https://lularoe.com/collections/all-access?ls=U2juNi_L4DSXzQfTmsbkT&sca_ref=9348129.fCYuG1LvWt

If you see one you like but it is not in your size OR you love the style but don’t see a print that will work for you please fill out my request form here and I will see what I can find for you: https://lularoerachelabbott.com/pages/contact

Your LuLaRoe Retailer, 

The Rachel :)