A Letter From Beatrice · Founder of Beatrice & Rose
London · June 2026 · 5 min read
I Have Made Summer Clothes for 20 Years. The Rhea Is the Long-Sleeve Blouse I Make for the Women Who Gave Up on Sleeves.
On the six things I insisted on when I made our striped Rhea blouse, how it compares to the summer long sleeves you have been buying, and why it is in our anniversary sale.
I am Beatrice, and I started Beatrice & Rose twenty years ago, in a small shop in London. The Rhea is the blouse I make for the women who have quietly given up on long sleeves in summer.
Too warm, too thin, or too obviously there to cover something — that is what a summer long sleeve usually is. The Rhea is the one that changed their minds, and of everything in our anniversary sale, it is the piece women write to me about most.
For years I watched women our age give up the sleeves they wanted, because the only choice was to roast or to go bare. I never accepted that. A woman should be able to cover her arms and stay cool. The Rhea is my answer, and I argued for six things when I made it — usually with a supplier who wanted me to use the cheaper, warmer cloth.
So a long sleeve finally stays cool. You can have it on for hours, in and out of the car and the shops, and forget you are wearing sleeves at all.
The timeless kind — the sort you would have called classic in a catalogue years ago, and will still be wearing in five. Not a trend, a wardrobe staple.
Sitting right on a real neck, easy and open, never tight or fussy. The kind of neckline you forget about the moment you put it on.
It skims the body instead of tenting out like a smock. Loose enough to be cool, shaped enough to look like you chose it.
The part most women want covered, covered — and not a degree of heat added for it. That is the whole trick of the Rhea.
Blue, khaki and grey, each chosen to go with the trousers and jeans already in your wardrobe, so the Rhea earns its place from the first day.
The Rhea, against the long sleeves you have been buying
You can find a summer long sleeve for fifty pounds almost anywhere. I know, because before I made the Rhea I bought a great many of them, trying to find the one that did not roast me by noon. Here is the difference.
- A heavy or synthetic cloth that traps heat
- Clings, or tents out like a smock
- A trend print you will not wear next year
- Thin enough to see through
- Tight at the neck and the cuffs
- Lightweight cloth that actually breathes
- Skims the body without billowing
- Classic stripes you will wear for years
- Opaque, even in bright sun
- A relaxed neck and easy sleeves
A woman should be able to cover her arms in summer and still stay cool. The Rhea is the whole reason I stopped accepting that she could not.
Why the Rhea is in our anniversary sale
We are marking our anniversary, so the whole summer collection is reduced, the Rhea with it. It is now £39.95, from £99.99, and when you take more than one the discount stacks further, up to 30 percent on top.
I will be plain about it. At this price we are barely covering our costs on it. I am telling you because it is true, and because once the anniversary sale ends, this price goes with it. There is no plan to bring it back.
If twenty years of running this little boutique has taught me anything, it is that a woman who tries the Rhea once usually comes back. That is the quiet bet I am placing in writing you this letter at £39.95.
Wrapped by hand, the way every order has left us.
It is the long sleeve I am proudest of in twenty years. I would rather it go to women who will wear it than sit folded in a box.
The reviews say the same things I have, over and over. 4.7 stars across more than 3,800 women. If you have ever wanted a long sleeve you can finally wear in the heat, that covers your arms and still keeps you cool, this is the one I would put in your hands myself, while the colours are still in stock.
— Beatrice
- Lightweight breathable cloth, sleeves without the heat
- Classic stripes, a relaxed flattering cut
- Free UK delivery & 30-day money-back guarantee
Stack & save: buy 2 save 15%, buy more save up to 30% extra.
See if your size is still in stockThis is a personal letter from the founder of Beatrice & Rose. Prices and availability are accurate while stock lasts.
See the Rhea, £39.95 while sizes last