BACK TO BASICS: WHITE SHIRT AND JEANS

I wanted to talk about the most basic of wardrobe basics today, a white shirt and blue jeans. These are truly the unsung heroes of our daily wear and are often overlooked in favor of higher impact pieces. Although I admit I get much more excited about pieces that are more stylized or pop more, like my red trench coat or rich blue bag, at the end of the day my white shirts and jeans are the pieces I reach for time and again.

As a mom of a toddler I usually have zero time for me, and that includes thinking about what I’m going to wear. On any given day I have 10 mins max to get dressed and head out. So it’s been more important than ever to have a highly-functional wardrobe with pieces that are comfortable, don’t take a lot of styling to look good, but still look chic.

Armed with a good white top and blue jeans you’re always 2 minutes away from being dressed and being able to dash out the door. Here, I started the day with the jeans and t-shirt and when I went out, I just added a necklace, sunnies, blue pumps and watch, and I was ready to go. Depending on the weather you’re either all set or you’d add a top layer. I love that it can be that simple on some days and you don’t sacrifice style in the process.

Classic blue-jeans are a no-brainer. I’m not giving up other other kinds of jeans but my plain skinny and cigarette leg jeans in a plain wash are the ones I’ve worn the most. These survive all the trends and stay relevant for the longest time. They’re also the ones that are the most versatile – you can wear them to work like in this casual Friday look, or running errands or on the weekend. It doesn’t get more versatile than that. So, I highly recommend investing in at least one, if not 2 or 3 great pairs of blue jeans that you look and feel great in. I’m typically most comfortable in mid-rise pairs and am linking my favorites here:

PAIGE VERDUGO CROPPED
These are petite-friendly if you want to wear it as regular length and also super cute as a cropped pair for non-petites!)

AG PRIMA
These will have to be hemmed if you’re petite but totally worth the $15-$20 to have jeans that fit beautifully everywhere else in a wash that you can wear for work and play.

J-BRAND SKINNY ANKLE
Another petite-friendly one that should need minimal to no hemming depending on your height. These wear almost like leggings and are sooo comfortable. The wash is the inkiest blue!

The second essential basic we were talking about is a white shirt. Of course there are so many types of white shirts – which do you buy?  For me, the three below cover almost all casual and work occasions:

A WHITE BUTTON DOWN
Bella Dahl – use code INTHEFAM to get 25% off

PLAIN SLOUCHY WHITE T-SHIRT
Love Scarlett – use code FRIENDS to get 25% off
Gap – use code EXTRA to get 25% off

WHITE T-SHIRT WITH DETAIL
Gap – 25% off right now with code EXTRA

This year with so many beautiful feminine and victorian-inspired tops I’ve also added two others to my white top collection. I bought a long-sleeved white shirt with a peplum cut and slight bell-sleeves, and a pretty ruffly off-the-shoulder top that I can’t wait to wear. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we finally emerge out of winter here in Boston and can move forward to some sunnier styles.

Also, unrelated to this post, but are you on Instagram? If you are let’s connect. I find it a good way to get a snapshot of what’s going on in everyone’s blogs and lives.

Thanks so much for reading and hope to see you again on Friday!