The Versatility of a T-Shirt

I bought a few t-shirts the other day. 

I work from home, so as much as I dislike it (I love getting dressed up), the majority of my wardrobe needs to be super comfy-casual because the majority of my time is spent in a super casual environment. 

This means I need lots of t-shirts. 

But just because it's a t-shirt doesn't mean I can only wear it in a casual outfit. T-shirts are actually incredibly versatile, and this week I'm going to prove it to you. 

Introducing: the unassuming t-shirt.

I went to Polyvore.com (an outfit-creation website), chose this basic striped tee and gave myself the challenge of creating four unique outfits for vastly different situations using this same garment. 

Here's what I came up with...
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Outfit Number One

This is my most casual use of the t-shirt out of all of the outfits. I can imagine the woman wearing this outfit running errands, or maybe meeting a friend for coffee. It's casual, yet cute - each piece is simple, but they all coordinate together to create a cohesive, practical outfit.

Outfit Number Two

This outfit is a little dressier. I can imagine this woman going out at night to see a movie with her friends. In this outfit, the t-shirt is used as a building block - it's not the main event, but a supporting player in the outfit. I've used the more dramatic colour palette and leather jacket to dress the t-shirt up a little. The casual shoes keep it from becoming too dressy, though - you could easily swap them for a pair of shiny red pumps to make the outfit instantly more dressy. 

Outfit Number Three

Now this is my kind of outfit! Here, the ultra-chic blazer and pants up the dressiness-factor of the outfit. This outfit, to me, shouts 'feminine power'. I can imagine this woman running an enthusiastic business meeting. (She'd just need a bigger bag.) The t-shirt is, again, just a building block to this outfit, particularly as it's being covered by the blazer, but the stripes add an interesting element to the mix. 

Outfit Number Four

I wanted to see how dressy I could get with this t-shirt, and this is what I came up with. Isn't the skirt gorgeous? I think you could get away with wearing this outfit to a wedding! (It depends on the dress code, of course. I've been to weddings where guests wore something closer to the first outfit!) I chose soft, subtle colours to keep it elegant and up the dressiness factor, and let the materials speak for themselves: soft fabrics and shiny accessories. 

I hope this little experiment of mine has opened your eyes to the surprising versatility of the humble t-shirt! I know you've probably got lots of them hiding in your wardrobe, so why not pull one out next time you get dressed and see what you can do with it? They can adapt to many different situations. Use your 'add-ons' (cardigans, kimono dusters, jackets, etc.) and accessories to dress it up or down to suit your situation.

Do you do this with your t-shirts? If you try it out, make sure you let me know your experience! 

Until next time,

Kiarra