A Letter From a Reader: The Rhea (Eleanor, Founder)
A Letter From Eleanor · Founder of Sanibel Boutique
Sanibel Island, Florida · June 2026
I Have Made Summer Clothes for 22 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 for our lightweight striped Rhea blouse, how it compares to the long sleeves you have been buying, and why it is clearing as we move online.
I am Eleanor, and I started Sanibel Boutique 22 years ago, in a small shop a few streets back from the water on Sanibel Island. 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 we are clearing as we move online, 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.
A lightweight cloth that actually breathes.
So a long sleeve finally stays cool. You can have it on for hours, in and out of the car and the air conditioning, and forget you are wearing sleeves at all.
"I had it on three hours in the sun and forgot about the sleeves entirely. My sister said I looked ten years younger."
Classic stripes that never date.
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.
"The stripes are so classic. It looks far more expensive than it was, and it goes with everything."
A relaxed crew neckline that flatters.
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 sits just right at the neck. Comfortable from the first minute, no pulling or adjusting."
An easy cut that flatters without billowing.
Skims the body, instead of tenting out like a smock. Loose enough to be cool, shaped enough to look like you chose it.
"It skims instead of billowing. The first long sleeve in years that does not make me look bigger than I am."
Full sleeves that cover the arms, with no extra warmth.
The part most women want covered, covered, and not a degree of heat added for it. That is the whole trick of the Rhea.
"Finally, sleeves that cover the tops of my arms without cooking me. I wear it all summer."
Three soft colours that sit with what you own.
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.
"I bought the blue, then went back for the grey. They go with everything I own."
The Rhea, against the long sleeves you have been buying
You can find a summer long sleeve for fifty dollars 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 clearing now
We are closing the island shop and moving Sanibel Boutique online, so the whole summer collection is clearing, the Rhea with it. It is now $52.95, from $139.95, 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 we hand back the keys at the end of the season, this price goes with the shop. There is no plan to bring it back.
If twenty two years of running this little shop 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 $52.95.
I had given up on long sleeves in summer until this one. I now have it in two colours and reach for it more than anything else in the heat. So light I forget I have sleeves on.
It is the long sleeve I am proudest of in 22 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. 4.8 stars across 847 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.
— Eleanor
The Rhea Long Sleeve Summer Blouse
- Lightweight breathable cloth, sleeves without the heat
- Classic stripes, a relaxed flattering cut
- Free shipping & 30 day money back guarantee
Stack and save: buy 2 save 15%, buy more and save up to 30% extra.
See if your size is still in stock