Tees 101: The More You Know

via J.Crew

This email from my friend Kari was the final kick in the pants I needed to actually do a series on finding the perfect t-shirt that I'd been considering for a few months. 

Can you please find me the perfect T-shirt? What would work for a boyish frame, worn with jeans?  I like a slouchy-but-feminine look, but am open to anything. I'm saving toward a big wardrobe investment this coming summer, so price isn't a big concern.  

If you have time and could also address making this T-shirt look chic with accessories (rather than layers/other clothing), that'd be excellent too!

Tee, t-shirt, Tshirt, tee shirt.... does anyone really even know the correct name, spelling, and hyphenation for these cottony marvels of nature? For this blog series' purposes, I will be using the formal "usted" and calling them t-shirts/tees. You can call them whatever you like.

You might say a t-shirt is just a shirt -- what more is there to discuss? My 12 year old self agrees with you. But, with a little bit of styling, you'll see that a tee can be transformed from a last resort, I'm-running-to-the-store-at-midnight-and-I-hope-I-don't-see-anyone-I-know fashion choice to a staple and workhorse (or rather, a magical wardrobe unicorn) in your closet.

To be clear: I am not talking about your stash of cleverly designed Hanes Beefy T's, which, if I were to lay them out, would tell me most of your life story like a jersey scrapbook. While these have their place in your wardrobe (think washing the car, working out, or absorbent housework rag), there comes a time when they must be relegated to lazy Saturdays & pajama top stand-ins. If you're tempted to make these your everyday wear, I suggest ripping off the band-aid and just donating them all (except for maybe a few that evoke very sentimental memories) in one swift motion. Hold on to any basic white Hanes tees you may have (or your manly significant other may have)... those, as you will see, can come in handy.

Basic outline of the series:

• Fit: Types of styles and how they're best worn
• Necklines: An overview, and finding which cuts work best for you
• Sleeves: An overview, and finding which cuts work best for you
• How to accessorize a basic tee
• Recommendations for where to find tees, at every price point

I'm excited to get started and share some t-shirt magic! If you have burning questions about tees and how to wear them (anything, really -- anything), email me and I'll include it in my posts!