A size tag tells you almost nothing about how a silk blouse will hang on your body, and the Elsa is a good example. It's an easy-fit pullover that skims rather than hugs, sold from XXS through XXL, with a listed length of 28 inches in a Small/4. That one number won't tell you where the sleeve ends, how much room sits across the bust, or whether a secondhand piece has drifted from the original spec. If you've already browsed my reliable 20 lilly pulitzer elsa top outfit pairings, this is the fit side of the same blouse. I measure garments the way a pattern room does: flat on a table, silk never pulled, flexible tape, every figure written in inches before I trust my memory.
How Much Room a Relaxed Silk Pullover Should Have
Numbers only help if you know what gap to look for. Silk charmeuse and silk crepe de chine have no stretch to speak of, so every bit of comfort has to be cut into the pattern. When I draft a fitted woven blouse, I allow roughly two to three inches over the body bust. An easy-fit style like the Elsa sits well beyond that, often somewhere around six inches or more, which is what lets it skim instead of cling.
Before you measure anything, take your own bust, upper arm and hip, and write them down. Then use these rough gaps as a gut check against the garment:
- Bust: under three inches of difference on a relaxed blouse usually means it will look tight and pull at the buttons.
- Upper arm: I want at least two inches, more if you carry a bag on your forearm or drive a lot.
- Hip, if worn untucked: the hem should clear your fullest hip by a few inches or it will ride up when you sit.
- Shoulder: within about half an inch of a blouse you already like. This one is hard to alter, so it matters most.
These are working ranges, not rules, and your own taste for drape should move them. Someone who likes a neat line under a blazer will want the low end. Someone who loves the breezy beach look will happily go higher.
1. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Size Label Measurement
I photograph the tag first, before the blouse ever goes flat. Current runs go XXS to XXL, but older resale pieces can carry different labels, care tags and style numbers, and I want that recorded next to the numbers. Two Elsas with the same size printed on them are rarely identical once you factor in production year, how the print was placed, and how many times the silk has been pressed. Button the front, smooth it with flat hands, and leave the side seams where they naturally fall. Forcing them straight is how sellers end up quoting a bust an inch wider than the blouse really is.
2. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Front Length Measurement
Start the tape at the high shoulder point, right where the shoulder meets the neckline, and drop it straight to the hem. Don't let it follow the drape. The brand's 28 inches for a Small/4 is a reference point, not a promise for every size or season. In my experience a shorter front sits nicely over high-rise trousers, while a longer one is what you want over leggings or slim jeans. The gathers at the neck can blur that shoulder point, so I measure from both sides and take the one I can repeat. Note whether you included the narrow hem, because sellers don't all do it the same way.
3. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Back Length Measurement
Flip it over and let the gathered neck settle on its own. Measure from the center back neck seam to the lowest point of the hem, and label it center-back length so nobody confuses it with the front shoulder-to-hem figure. This is the number that tells you how much seat coverage you get untucked over shorts or a fitted skirt. If the back reads noticeably longer than the front, the neckline has usually folded forward on the table. Silk slides around, so I lay a sheet of tissue underneath. Long-torsoed and tall women should look at this number before anything else on a blouse they can't try on.
4. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Pit-To-Pit Measurement
Front side up, sleeves out at a natural angle, then straight across from one underarm seam to the other. Keep the tape parallel to the hem and resist creeping up into the armhole curve; even half an inch too high shaves width off the reading. This flat pit-to-pit dimension matters more on the Elsa than on most blouses because the whole design depends on a roomy chest. Double it for a rough circumference, knowing the gathers will skew it slightly. I compare it to a woven blouse that fits well, never a knit tee, because a knit cheats with stretch. More room gives you the floaty look; less room sits tidier under a cardigan.
5. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Full Bust Measurement
Garment bust is just the flat pit-to-pit doubled: 21 inches flat reads as roughly 42 around. People mix this up with the body bust on the size chart all the time, and they are different things. The brand's chart puts body bust from 31.25 inches at XXS up to 45 at XXL, and the finished blouse has to be bigger than that, because a relaxed woven shape needs room to move. I measure body bust in the bra I'll actually wear with the top, then look at the gap. Buying secondhand, I ask the seller outright whether they tugged the silk flat, since a stretched reading is the most common resale fib, usually an innocent one.
6. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Waist Width Measurement
The Elsa isn't shaped at the waist, so first find the narrowest point between underarm and hem, then measure straight across there with the blouse buttoned. Double it if you need the round figure. The brand's chart lists body waists from 23.5 inches at XXS to 38 at XXL, but those describe you, not the shirt. A big gap between the two is what produces the loose, flowing line. That same gap becomes a problem the moment you tuck: all the extra silk has to go somewhere, and it puffs over the waistband. If you mostly wear it tucked, a more modest waist width is the one I'd buy.
7. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Hem Width Measurement
Lay the hem smooth but slack and measure side seam to side seam. If the hem curves, go straight across at the widest level and write down that you did. This number predicts whether the blouse floats over your hips or catches on them and rides up when you sit. Double it and compare with your full hip if you plan to wear it out over the waistband. The official women’s chart gives hip figures, yet the finished hem should always measure well beyond them on a relaxed cut like this. A wide hem is happiest over slim trousers. A narrower one tucks more cleanly into high-rise jeans or an A-line skirt.
8. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Shoulder Width Measurement
Back side up for this one. I run the tape straight across the upper back from shoulder seam to shoulder seam, never along the curve of the neck. Where gathering softens the seam, I use the point the sleeve joins the body. Shoulder width decides where the sleeve starts and how the chest hangs below it: too narrow and you'll see pull lines radiating from the armholes, too wide and the sleeve slides down the arm and the whole blouse looks borrowed. The easy fit forgives a little. If I can't find the seam with confidence on a resale piece, I say so in the listing rather than inventing precision.
9. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Neckline Width Measurement
Settle the gathered neckline into its natural shape with the placket centered, then measure straight across the inside opening at its widest point. Don't stretch the smocking to get a cleaner line; that's the quickest way to an inflated number. Because the Elsa pulls on over the head, the neckline and the buttoned placket share the job of letting your head through, so a small opening with a short placket can make dressing a struggle. This width also tells you how much skin shows for jewelry. A short pendant sits above the print. A long chain lies over it and fights the pattern. I record the opening at rest and gently extended, as two separate figures.
10. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Neckline Drop Measurement
Hold the tape at the center back of the neckline and run it vertically to the base of the front notch, buttons closed. If you wear the top button open, take a second reading that way too. Drop is the number that decides coverage, where a necklace lands, and whether a camisole peeks out when you lean forward. On a gathered neck with a button front, opening a single button changes the look more than you'd expect. Don't push the neckline into a deeper V while you measure. And when comparing several Elsas, use the same button position every time or the numbers mean nothing.
11. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Smocked Collar Measurement
This is a narrow measurement, so I switch to a sewing gauge. Measure the height of the smocked or gathered band from its top edge down to the seam where the main body fabric starts, first at center back, then on one front side, because the two don't always match. Band height decides how much the neckline frames the face and where the blouse sits against the collarbone. It's also a handy check on a resale piece when photos blur the signature detail. Press lightly; flattening the texture changes the reading. If the smocking looks relaxed or uneven, I note it. Small earrings suit this neckline better than anything chunky, so the print stays in charge.
12. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Placket Length Measurement
Button everything, smooth the opening, and measure the placket from its top edge to where the slit ends. On versions with gold buttons, I count them and note the distance from the first to the last, which helps confirm an edition. Placket length is a practical number: the longer it is, the easier the blouse goes over your head without dragging through your hair or makeup. Check whether a seller measured the whole placket or only the buttoned run, since both get called the same thing. Styling-wise, one open button reads relaxed. Fully buttoned, it looks crisp with trousers and loafers.
13. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Sleeve Length Measurement
Lay one sleeve flat and measure along the top fold, shoulder seam to cuff edge. If you can't find the shoulder seam and start at the neck instead, write that down, because the two methods give very different figures. The Elsa has bracelet-length sleeves, meant to end above the wrist bone. On a petite frame that same cuff can reach the wrist; on someone tall it may stop mid-forearm. I check it against a woven blouse whose sleeves I already like. Avoid comparing it with a knit, which has a different shoulder construction and gives you false confidence. A slim watch shows off a bracelet sleeve better than stacked bangles.
14. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Underarm Sleeve Measurement
Turn the sleeve so the underseam lies straight, then measure from the underarm seam to the cuff edge. It will be shorter than the shoulder-to-cuff number, but on a softly constructed blouse it's often the more repeatable of the two, since there's no vague shoulder point to argue over. On secondhand pieces I measure both sleeves, because a mismatch usually means someone altered or badly pressed one of them. This figure also tells you how the cuff will sit under a blazer. If silk bunches inside the jacket sleeve, the fix is a roomier jacket, not a tighter blouse. Quarter-inch accuracy is plenty.
15. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Upper Arm Width Measurement
About an inch below the underarm seam, measure straight across the sleeve and double it. This is where arms are fullest, and it's the measurement I'd never skip, because woven silk gives almost nothing compared with jersey. The Elsa is 100% silk and labeled dry clean only. You need room to bend, reach forward and wear a light layer underneath. Compare against your own upper arm and against a woven blouse that feels easy. Plenty of women fit the bust of a size and not the sleeve, which the tag will never warn you about. A sleeve that fits hangs smoothly; one that's tight shows horizontal drag lines the moment you move.
16. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Armhole Depth Measurement
Front side up, find the high shoulder point and measure straight down to the underarm seam, not around the curve. That's armhole depth. Deeper gives you movement and drape, but too deep and a camisole flashes every time you raise your arm. Too shallow and the blouse feels tight across the back even when the bust measurement looks generous. I always read this together with shoulder width and upper-arm width, because the three work as a set. On a try-on, I reach forward and lift both arms. If the hem climbs a lot or the back pulls, the armhole is wrong for you. Straight-leg trousers and low heels keep the lower half quiet for office days.
17. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Cuff Opening Measurement
Measure the cuff flat, edge to edge, and double it. If there's elastic, gathering or a button, take a relaxed figure and a gently extended one. Never yank it; old silk can split at the stitching under strain. A bracelet sleeve is designed to draw the eye to the wrist, so the cuff fit matters more here than on a full-length sleeve. A narrow opening stops higher on the forearm. A wider one slips down toward the wrist. Measure your forearm where you'd want the cuff to land and leave a little ease. I'd keep bulky bracelets out from under a close cuff; a slim watch and cropped trousers are enough.
18. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Side Seam Measurement
Underarm to hem, straight down the side seam, then the same on the other side. If they differ, the blouse has been altered or was cut slightly off grain, and either is worth noting. Side seam length shows torso coverage without the neckline muddying it, which makes it the cleanest number to hold against the rise of your trousers. Longer seams give more cover worn loose. Shorter ones leave less fabric to stuff into a waistband. Make sure the hem isn't folded under and the armhole seam is visible. For a tuck, I go high-rise and pull a little silk back up so it blouses softly rather than sitting tight.
19. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Body Size Comparison
Once the blouse is on paper, put your own numbers next to it instead of leaning on your usual letter size. The brand's chart gives a 31.25-inch bust for XXS, 33.25 to 34.25 across XS, 35.25 to 36.25 across Small, 37.25 to 38.25 across Medium, and up through XXL. Measure your bust over a comfortable non-padded bra, your natural waist where it's narrowest, and hips at the fullest point, with the tape level and snug. The difference between you and the garment is the ease. Wearers split on whether the Elsa runs true or large, so let the drape you want make the call.
20. Lilly Pulitzer Elsa Top Measurement Record
I keep one sheet per blouse: tag size, style number, print name, then front and back length, pit-to-pit, waist, hem, shoulder, neckline, placket, sleeve, upper arm, armhole, cuff and side seam. Beside each figure I note whether it was taken flat or doubled, plus the garment's condition. That level of detail is what makes a resale listing believable, because individual pieces drift with age, pressing and cleaning. Photograph the key measurements with the tape visible from zero. And never back-fill a missing number from the 28-inch Small/4 length; a guess dressed up as a measurement is worse than a blank.
Which Measurements Matter for Your Shape
Every body puts pressure on a different part of this blouse, so I tell people to weight the measurements differently depending on their build.
Petite frames
Read sleeve length and front length before bust. On a short torso, a 28-inch body can land low on the hip and swallow your legs, and a bracelet sleeve can reach past the wrist. Shoulder width is the other one to watch, because a wide shoulder drops the sleeve seam and makes the whole blouse look too big even when the bust is right.
Tall and long-torsoed
Center-back length and side seam are your numbers. If you tuck, you need enough length that the blouse stays in when you lift your arms. If you wear it loose, check that the hem still covers the waistband when you reach overhead.
Full bust or broad back
Pit-to-pit and armhole depth come first, then placket. A pullover with a short placket can be a wrestle over a full bust, and gaping between buttons is the giveaway that there isn't enough room. Sizing up for the bust often leaves the shoulders too wide, which is a fair trade on a relaxed shape like this but worth knowing before you buy.
Alterations a Silk Elsa Can Take, and the Ones It Can't
Most fit problems on this blouse can be fixed by a good tailor, but not all of them. Shortening the hem is simple on a straight cut and usually invisible. Taking in the side seams works if you only need an inch or so; any more and the print breaks oddly at the seam. Sleeves can be shortened above a plain cuff, though it costs more if there's a placket or button to move.
The smocked neckline is the part I'd leave alone. Rebuilding gathers in silk rarely looks original, and a narrow shoulder can't be let out because there's almost no seam allowance to work with. If the neck or shoulders are wrong, pass on that size. And since it's dry clean only, measure again after its first clean if you plan to sell it; pressing alone can shift a fine silk by a fraction of an inch.
The Three Numbers I Check First on Any Elsa
If I only had a minute with a blouse, I'd take pit-to-pit, front length and upper-arm width, in that order. Those three tell me whether the Elsa will drape, cover and move the way it should. Everything else refines the picture: armhole depth for comfort, hem width for how it falls over the hips, sleeve length for where the cuff lands. Use the 28-inch Small/4 length as a reference only, then measure the actual piece in front of you and hold it against a woven blouse you already love. Leave the ease alone. That flowing shape is the reason to buy an Elsa in the first place.
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