Wardrobe Staples, I’ve not done one of these posts for a while. Sorry about that. I have finally put them all together, so if you click on the ‘Wardrobe Staples’ tab up top there, you can see all the articles from time gone by. Not sure why I’ve thus far neglected one of the most classic items that everyone should own, the plain White T Shirt, so let’s rectify that this week.
My personal perfect plain white T shirt should ideally be made from cotton with a decent thickness, not too thick, but not so thin that you can see your bra through it, that is a real bugbear of mine, at my age, I don’t want people seeing my undies, especially as most of them are not fit for public consumption. I swear I’ve got pants older than most people I work with. As a side note, I’ve moved almost completely into ditching bras and wearing bralets these days. M&S do the best and they work for big boobed ladies too. Honestly, they do. You can thank me later.
Back to the White T‑Shirt, I like the sleeves to be long enough to cover up my terrible 90’s tattoos, never a bloody cap sleeve, can’t stand then. I also don’t really like any ‘lady fit’ T Shirts, you know, scoop neck, cap sleeves, weirdly fitted at the waist, thus emphasizing the lack thereof. I’d always go for a much more classic T‑shirt shape. The body length should be sufficient enough that it won’t ride up if you wave your arms about and is also long enough for the perfect T‑Shirt T tuck, aka the ‘French Tuck’.
The ‘French Tuck’ has been around for years but has become even more popular as it’s a top styling tip of Tan France from Queer Eye for The Straight Guy on Netflix. If you’re not yet a fan of the show (why not? get on it, it’s easy heart warming viewing), the French Tuck is simply the ‘art’ of tucking in a T shirt or shirt at the very front while leaving the back loose — don’t tuck it in at the sides, this is all about a cool front drape. Get it right and it will instantly add a bit of style to your outfit and can hide a bit-of-a-belly. Try it.
You don’t really need me to tell you what to wear with your perfect White T Shirt, but this wouldn’t be much of a blog post if I didn’t come up with some outfit ideas. I would suspect you have similar items to these in your wardrobe already, so here’s what I would wear with my T Shirt…
WHITE T SHIRT & JEANS
This is the classic White T Shirt look. Like my teenage heart throb James Dean, but you know, the female version. This one from Baukjen ticks all my boxes (use code WMM20 to get 20% off everything at Bauken). I know I promised not to mention these River Island jeans again, but I’ve barely worn any of my other 20-odd pairs since I got them, so here they are again. They are the best. You’ll need a plain white tee if you’re going to wear a fancy patterned jacket like this one from Monsoon. It could easily pass for Marant AND it’s reversible just like the real thing too.
1. Monsoon Ray Embroidered Reversible Jacket
2. The Outnet Sophie Hulme Leather Shoulder Bag
3. River Island Mid Blue Straight Leg Jeans
4. Baukjen Roll Cuff T Shirt
5. Iris and Ink Pale Blue Suede Slipper Shoes
WHITE T SHIRT & PATTERNED SKIRT
I know we should all be braver in our fashion choices and be bold enough to clash patterns, but I find that a hard look to pull off. Instead pair your animal print skirts with your t shirt. I love this Rixo Skirt and I’m adding some heeled shoes this week. I think even I could go for these ones from Sezane as they have a decent chunky heel that isn’t too high. Throw on a cotton blazer to really pull it all together and layer up your necklaces to add interest.
1. J Crew Parke Stretch Cotton Blazer
2. Cult Of Youth Hammered Horseshoe Necklace
3. Rixo Tiger Print Silk Skirt
4. M&S Drape Short Sleeve T Shirt
5. Sezane Marianne Leather Sandals
WHITE T SHIRT & DUNGAREES
I am having a bit of renewed love for dungarees. They come into their own at this time of year and they really are the perfect weekend attire. I almost always wear mine with a simple white or black t shirt and trainers. This pair from H&M seem to be the closest I’ve seen to the great Madewell ones I bought last year (now unavailable in most sizes unfortunately). Along with trousers, Cos do an excellent range of plain t shirts, this is the one I like but there is a style for everyone. Their V Necks are also very good.
1. H&M Slim Leg Blue Denim Dungarees
2. Arket Merino Wool Box Zip Jacket
3. Cos Classic Plain White T Shirt
4. Chloe Sonnie Trainers
5. New Balance 574 Sport Trainers
WHITE T SHIRT & DENIM JACKET
Last weekend it was warm enough for a T Shirt and a denim jacket, this weekend, not so much, but those days will be back. Hopefully. My favourite denim jacket is from Mango, I bought mine 3 years ago, but they seem to make it every year, so fear not if you haven’t yet got one. Also, the flatform trainers I got from John Lewis are now back in stock. They are specially made for comfort and whatever they’ve done it works! I heart them. Perfect summer trainers.
1. Arket Heavyweight White T Shirt
2. Mango Mid Blue Denim Jacket
3. Whistles Cameron Casual Utility Trousers
4. Arket Alapca and Merino Wool Cardigan
5. John Lewis & Partners Edna Flatform Trainers
WHITE T SHIRT AND SUIT
Finally, a classic ‘Don’t know what to wear, but I need to be a bit smart’ outfit. The White T Shirt, Suit and Trainers. This could work for pretty much any occasion where you can’t wear your default jeans. Finding a good suit isn’t easy unless you want to spend £££. Some High Street co-ords just look cheap. Whistles have always been very good at this though. I like this more lightweight linen version. Also check out John Lewis, Boden and J Crew for well fitting blazers.
1. Whistles Linen Double Breasted Blazer
2. Whistles Linen Wide Leg Cropped Trousers
3. & Other Stories Leather Cross Body Bag
4. & Other Stories Boxy Organic White T Shirt
5. Alexander McQueen Flatform Trainers
I’ve had a lot of requests for Wedding Guest/Event Outfits, so I will try and crack on with that for next week. Also for those asking for a swimming costume post, that might be a while coming as I found the perfect cossie last year. If you buy anything, just get the Santorini one-piece from Boden. It’s the best.
K x
