Five ways to dress up a T-shirt and jeans

My go-to outfit has always been a solid-color t-shirt or tank and jeans (currently this tee and this tank...I have each in 4-5 colors. I'm a creature of habit).

As I'm exploring dressing up more on a daily basis, I've learned a few easy tips on making a basic t-shirt and jeans look a little less basic from the bottom up and found some affordable pieces to help you on your way, too.

1. Forbid the flip flops and most sneakers. Just about any non-flip flop and sneaker option can make a t-shirt and jeans look instantly more polished.

More Rialto...

2. Just wear jewels.  A statement necklace adds an embellished collar and a chunky watch anchors the look.

More Asos...

3. Throw on a layer. A fun blazer or cardigan turns your t-shirt and jeans into something else.

More Design History...

4. Scarf it up. We all know scarves are a great accessory when it's less than pleasant out, but a gauzy or silky one can make the seasonal transition (or switch it out for a sarong on the beach).

More Betsey Johnson...

5. Use your head. Not just hair accessories and hats, but fun hairstyles, too. I always feel more put together when I have a good hair day. Check out some reader hairstyles and various hairdos I've worn over this blog's life. For other hair ideas, I really like the tutorials on the Beauty Department and YouTube.


Some of my t-shirt and jean-based outfits:

How do you dress up a t-shirt and jeans? Or do you have a different go-to casual combination?

Sunny days [outfit]

Gap Favorite V-neck T - 2011 - $7 on sale (available) / Yellow strapless smocked dress worn as skirt - 2010 - swap (similar) / Vintage belt via Bows and Arrows - 2010 - $12 (similar) / Black wood bead necklace - 2010 - swap (similar) / Target metallic flip flops - 2009 - $7 (similar)

[Worn: 09.16.11 | To: Write, write and work]

I love finding new uses for old pieces. This skirt is actually a tube dress, and it's one of my favorites for the beach. Yup, this is my go-to swim coverup. I think this is the second time I've worn it when not going to the beach, and the first time it's made it out of the house. Why in the world did I not do this earlier? The belt really makes the look, and the flip flops seemed just right with the casual fabric of the skirt.


My birthday is tomorrow, and fall officially begins on Friday. Things I'm looking forward to this season:

• The end of storm season. We've been really lucky in South Florida so far, only a few more months to go until glorious winter. We got a crash course in storm prep when Irene was still threatening Florida, so we're as ready as we can be, but you never know what you don't know until something happens.
• Going home. My new nephew enters this world next month, and a few weeks after that I'm headed out to So Cal to help my sis-in-law out around the house and with the boys (baby and his 3 1/2-year-old big bro). So excited to do Halloween with them!
• Fall TV. We had planned to get rid of cable TV when we moved, but our building (and rent) comes with basic, so we still have just about all our favorite channels (minus glaring holes ESPN and FX). My faves: Fringe, Glee, The Office, Bones, and How I Met Your Mother. I'm not addicted. I'm not addicted. I'm not addicted?
• Getting unpacked. As you may have seen on my Facebook page, I have a new bookshelf background in my recent outfit pics. Still not completely unpacked yet, but getting really, really close.
• Learning to run. I'm mostly looking forward to this. After discovering the amazing scenery of a nearby trail, I've decided I'd like to start running...err, learning how to run without feeling like I'm dying. The goal? I'd like to be able to run one mile without stopping by the end of the year, something I have never done in my life. Wish me luck!

What are you most looking forward to for fall?

Mix, don't match [outfit]

Recycled plastic graphic tee - 2010 - swapped (similar) / Mossimo tank as undershirt - 2011 - $9 (available) / Old Navy skirt - 2010 - $10 on sale (similar) / Gap sandals - 2010 - $20 (similar) / Vintage scarf via Bows and Arrows - 2010 - $7 (similar) / Target earrings - 2011 - $6 (similar)

If I could go back and do one thing differently when packing for the move, I would have nailed down some outfit ideas before I started tossing clothes into the suitcase. Then I would have been able to wear this skirt more. You see, it has this drop waist, and it sits sort of low on my hips. Most of my newer tops are also on the longer and looser side, and when shapeless meets shapeless (and you're on the road without a belt), you get major sad face.

Now that I'm indoors more and out of the heat, my graphic tees have made a comeback. They tend to fit a little more snugly and end a little higher up on the hips, making this skirt look a little less frumpy. Graphic tee + skirt is a little too reminiscent of my 19-year-old self than I'm comfortable with, so I tossed in the scarf and earrings for good measure. Even though the colors of the scarf seem to have no relation to the colors in the tee, if you look closely there's a similar grayish blue and red-orange tinge going on. Plus, no one's looking at the graphics on the tee closely enough to try to figure that out, right?  Perfect for my breezy day of shopping the Goodwill and getting stuck in a rainstorm and sloshing through 3 inches of water to get to my car. I love you, Miami summer.

How do you dress up a basic or too-casual outfit?

Short day [outfit]

Mossimo pocket v-neck via Target - 2011 - $8 on sale (available) / Mossimo white tank via Target - 2011 - $9 (available) / The Limited tulip skirt - 2009 - $20 on sale (similar) / Franco Sarto Hot sandals - 2011 - $45 on sale (available) / Vintage braided belt via Bows and Arrows - 2010 - $12 (similar) / Forever 21 leaf necklace - 2010 - $5 (similar) / Kate Spade doodles pen necklace - 2011 - gift (available) / BR Factory Store sunglasses - 2011 - $8 on sale

Outfit analysis: I could live in these tees for summer (I've bought two already), and I am a major sucker for color right now (In addition to my top and necklace, I have two more colors of toe nail polish on). Today was sweltering, so I knew I needed a skirt and sandals, and I was a little over my sleeveless top + black skirt combo addiction I had a few months back. So I switched it up with a tee (so different, I know). 

___

This was my outfit on one of the hottest days of the year so far. Just a week ago it was 60 degrees (the high) and raining. Tuesday (when I wore this outfit) it was 102 and humid. Turns out the A/C in our work building wasn't quite up to the challenge, and we were sent home at 10:30 a.m. due to "unhealthy work conditions" (aka 90+ degrees indoors on some of the top floors), which essentially left me with a three-day workweek, with Friday being my last day at my job. How the time flies by.

Thanks, friends, for your kind words and encouragement about the blog's future on Tuesday's post. I think I have a grasp on how it will evolve (in the near future anyway) and I hope you'll stick around as I feel my way through this transition. I'm also finalizing some dates for my Movin' to Miami Tour 2011: Blog Edition and hope to meet up with some of you along the way! Dallas, Austin, New Orleans, and Orlando—I'm lookin' at you! 

Have you ever been sent home early from work? For what reasons?

Faux bag

Three-quarter sleeve blazer via Gottschalk's - 2009 - $12 on sale (similar) / Cream tee - 2010 - swapped (similar) / O'Neill skirt via Ross - 2007 - cheap (similar) / Nine West outlet boots - 2009 - $50 (similar) / Vintage belt via Bows and Arrows - 2010 - $12 (similar) / Leaf necklace via Vanity Lounge Salon - 2010 - $22 (similar)

Ever since I saw Faith at Love Fox Vintage belt my red skirt into a paper-bag-esque waist with my own belt, I've been dying to try it. The red skirt is currently in the hamper, so I grabbed my brown skirt and gave it a go. The result was a little less convincing, but not too bad.

I have to confess that lately I've been a bit wiped—drained, pooped, beat, whatever you want to call it. It's a mix of bipolar weather (the dreary parts really get to me) and the general busyness of a life in transition (more on that later).

What I am, though, is motivated and full of ideas...in life, at work, at home, and with this blog.

Now I've just gotta get those two to jive. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

What worked
I love piling on the neutrals...this outfit has beige, brown, tan, and gray/silver. I tried on a few different blazers with this (including the green one), but this is the one that worked.

What didn't
I'm not sure this was the best skirt to try the paper bag on. I did score a real paper bag skirt (as in it was meant to be worn that way) this weekend at the BR Factory sale, so maybe I should just stop being a poser and wear the real thing.

What season of life are you in? How are you handling it?

Plain white tee

A'gaci blazer - 2011 - $26 (available) / Gap favorite T - 2011 - $6 on sale (available) / Merona trouser jeans via Target - 2011 - $18 on sale (similar) / Enzo Angiolini Maylie pumps via Nordstrom - 2007 - $70 on sale (similar) / H&M leather mini-duffel - 2007 - $45 on sale (similar) / Natural pearls - 2007 - gift (similar)

Finally back at home, which means back to work. I slightly altered my hours at work today so I could get some extra sleep (didn't get home from my weekend trip until 1 a.m.), but even with a little extra sleep, I still wasn't completely up to getting fully dressed. I knew it would be a quiet day (a lot of folks were out of the office), so I pulled out my trusty trouser jeans and plain white tee for comfort.

What worked
This is a perfect Casual Friday outfit (or Casual Monday, as it were).  The blazer and heels help dress up the plain t-shirt. The pearls instead of my usual layered long necklaces is a little more classy (versus the usual boho/rock vibe). Love.

What didn't
My hair is in the weird growing-out stage. I blow-dried it this morning with a round brush, pulling the ends under, but as you can see, they didn't feel like staying there. Trying to wait out the growing period, but I'm thinking a quick trim and shape is in order.

Do you work plain t-shirts into your work wardrobe? How do you style them?

Pardon the pics...forgot my point-and-shoot at home today and had a post-work date night w/ K, so I had him snap these shots on his new smartphone (it has an 8MP camera). Not too shabby, but not as good as the DSLR.

A bob and boots

The Rundown:
Open-front cardigan - 2010 - $12 (similar)
Cream tee - 2010 - swap (similar)
Old Navy corduroy skirt - 2006 or 07 - no idea but probably around $10 (similar)
Brown studded belt - 2010 - swap (similar)
Nine West outlet boots - 2009 - $45 (similar)
Forever 21 chain bracelet - 2010 - $5 (similar)
Nancy Rosetta circle ring - 2010 - gift (similar)

An oldie but a goodie. I hosted book club at my house last night and didn't get a pic, but yesterday was a photoshoot day at work and I wore jeans. (Other duties as assigned--lucky for me I've been cut out of the final photos for nearly all of the photoshoots I've had to be in so far.  Crossing my fingers.)  This is from the end of October, right after I cut my hair and right before I jumped into the 30 for 30.

What worked:
The color of the cardigan (so bright!).  The comfortable corduroy.  The studded belt.

What didn't:
May be more appropriate for Casual Fridays in some offices.  I would have liked it better with tights and a necklace (to break up the high crew-neck tee). But overall it's definitely an outfit I'd wear again.

My hair has grown quite a bit in the past three months.  I think I'm going to grow it out, but have had moments where I've seriously pondered keeping it short.  For curiosity sake (I can't promise I'll act on it), I'm going to throw the question out to you all:

Should I keep my hair short or grow it back out?

If I grow it out I would like to try a different style than the long hair before (maybe different bangs, less layers).  For a rundown of my various hair lengths over the past 10 months, see this post.

Simplicity rules

The Rundown:
5 + 12 + 26
Premier Designs faux pearls - 2010 - free with purchase (similar)
Urban Outfitters two-finger ring - 2010 - gift (available)
Dark tights - no idea - no idea
Sephora jumbo lip pencil in color 411 (discontinued color, but looks similar to Fancy Red)

For the first week or so of this challenge, I was kicking myself for including my nude shoes because winter was coming and my stockingless legs were about to go into hiding. And then I saw fellow remixer A Fashionista Moment rock a dark tights + nude heels look and I knew I had to try it.  I think the key to this look is the black skirt, which elongates the legs upwards to combat the nude shoe cutting off your leg line.  My verdict - I love this.  I'd like to try this with a patterned or textured tight next time.

Lip color experiment day four -- this is the same red pencil I used on day one, but without the pink on top. It's more an orange-toned red, and paired with a bunch of neutrals works well. I really liked this because a) it was easy to apply and b) it stayed on a long time, almost like a stain. I used plain cherry chapstick as a base and as moisturizer.

What worked: 
The simplicity does it. I mean, really, there are few outfits easier to put together than this one.

What didn't:
I forgot to put on earrings.  A basic pearl stud would have been nice.

Have you tried the dark tights + light shoe combo? How do you work it?

My workwear: Brownie points

The Rundown:
Mossimo tee (from Target) - 2009 - gift from mom (similar)
Old Navy pants - 2008 - $20 (similar)
Banana Republic necklace - 2010 - $12 on clearance (similarish)
Enzo Angiolini shoes (from Nordstrom) - 2007 - $70 (similar)

What worked:
I love how the necklace made the tee more than just a tee--most of my coworkers thought it was part of the top until I started playing with it. I'd been pining after a statement necklace for a while, so when I saw this on clearance (marked down from $59.99) I knew I had to have it. It has the perfect laid back feel to add something special to a basic outfit but also has chains and a subtle sparkle that I love. Confession: I wore the same tee + necklace combo, but with jeans and sandals, all day Sunday. 

What didn't:
I loved this outfit when I was wearing it yesterday, but looking back, it looks a little bland. Next time I think I'll try some pin-striped pants and a ponytail to really show off the necklace (you can sort of see the multi-color chains in the close-up picture, but those are quite pretty, too). 

Do you like outfits that are basic in color or shape? Where do you turn first to spice up a basic outfit?

Mixed metallics

Target t-shirt (5) + Limited skirt (19) + Nina pumps(29)

I wore a t-shirt to work today. And mixed my metallics (a little).  But I hope you can get over those two facts when I tell you how comfortable it is.  I mean, helloooo, it's a plain cotton t-shirt and an non-constricting skirt.  Comfort city.

I also went on a limb (relatively) today by mixing my metallics.  The studs on the t-shirt are black and pewter, my necklace chain is silver, one of the rings on my necklace is silver, and all of the rings on my fingers are silver-toned.  A second ring on my necklace is gold-toned and so are my shoes.  I know, it's not really out on a limb, but it's more mixing than I'm used to.  I'm pretty satisfied with the result.

Six days left. But who's counting?

Do you mix metallics in your wardrobe? What are your favorite ways to do so?

1 of 30: Reasons why

Like many folks, I got today off in honor of the 4th of July holiday.  I spent the day catching up on blogs and reading, making pizza dough for pizza and calzones this week, and general cleaning and putt-putting around the house.

For the past four months, this blog has revealed my weekday wear, from skirts to dresses to suits.  This is intentional because workwear and office life is the focus of this blog, and I don't want to dilute that with too many off-topic posts.

And because I don't want to scare you away with outfits and photos like this:

5 + 21 + 30

Here I am in all my weekend/day off glory.  Unshowered, un-made-up.  Flour residue on my shirt (see how I'm hiding it?).  I even had to put shoes on just for this photo (took them right off afterward).  Not an easy confession considering it's nearly 6 p.m.  Oh well.

But, alas, today was the first day of the 30 for 30 challenge so I wanted to start off right with an actual outfit post.  A little anticlimactic, don't you think?

Funny thing is...this outfit was not on my list of 30 planned outfits.  Already deviating from the plans...

Are you doing the 30 for 30 challenge?  What techniques are you using to stay on track?

I've been waiting all week for this...

Do you ever get an inkling for an outfit (or a meal or anything else that's generally pretty inconsequential but still rather enjoyable nonetheless), plan it to fall right on a day that something else happens (to multiply the special-ness), and then just get so excited that you can barely sleep the night before?  Today was like that, except I slept like a baby last night.

I thought of this outfit a few days ago and I knew it would be awesome.  Today was Social Media Day.  And since I'm one of those lucky people that actually gets paid to use Twitter and Facebook on a daily basis, and since Sacramento is quite the hotbed of social media activity (I was pleasantly surprised), I got to go to the social media day lunch hosted by News 10, the local ABC affiliate.  We skype-d with another celebrating tweet-up from across the pond in Manchester (UK), heard about how News 10 was using social media to give the community a voice, and got a sweet tour of the studio.

Now bear with me a second while I wax poetic.  Ever since I fell down the stairs (okay, a stair) on Monday and got a parking ticket on Tuesday, I've been in a huge funk, both at work and at home.  My boss is on vacation this week, meaning I basically had all week to pound away on my projects before next week hits and we're back running behind again.  On the top of my list is researching, interviewing for, and then writing four articles for our fall magazine, which are all due in July (says me, managing editor).  Yes, I pour my heart out on here, and if you ever met me I'm sure I'd be loud and overshare, but I am petrified of calling strangers and taking the first step.  Thus explains a lot of my graduate school procrastination.  When I'm inspired, things aren't so hard.

But this week has definitely been under a cloud.  So I pulled out my power shoes (despite my ankle still being sore from the fall), tried out the perpetually wrinkled skirt again (now starched), and marched head on into my workday, which included two interviews for articles, my super-fun extra-long lunch, and a quick magazine status check-in with the CEO.  I took these photos in the morning, but I'm sure if I took them later on I'd have an even bigger smile on my face (and even more wrinkles in the skirt).

Necklace: Gottschalks - 2009 - $6; Tee: ?? - 2010 - swapped; Skirt: Ann Taylor Loft - 2010 - $59; Shoes: Target - 2010 - $25; Bangles: Kohl's - 2009 - ?; Watch: Ann Klein (Macy's) - 2008 - $50

You may remember this was my cheat skirt.  While the suit wasn't super-flattering on its own (even aside from the wrinkles) I knew before I cut the tags off that they'd be even better as separates.  So I'm going to start wearing them as such.  I like that today's look was relaxed and comfy but still polished.  It is slightly short, but I knew I could get away with it today since I was going to be out of the office a lot and had no formal meetings. 

So there you go, my pick-me-up outfit of the week.

What picks you up when you're in a personal or professional funk?

p.s. If you like social media, too, let's be Twitter friends.

Freakin' A, it's Friday

Somehow I end up in the same place every Friday, and that place is Incredulous Island. I take weekends off from the blog, and just realized that I've never posted a Friday outfit before. This is my first job where I've had casual Friday. I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning but 2.5 years in, I think I have some idea. Here are a few of the Friday outfits I haven't posted, just for fun.

Shirt: Swapped - 2010; Necklaces: DIY and old rings on a random chain; Jeans: Old Navy - 2010 - $12; Shoes: Nina (from Ross) - 2009 - $16

Blazer: Gap - 2006 - $40; Shirt: Gottschalks - 2009 - $12; Jeans: I Generation (from Renew Denim) - 2009 - $30; Shoes: Calvin Klein (from Off Broadway Shoes) - 2007 - $70

Cardigan: Ross - 2009 - $12; Necklacec: DIY gray seed beads on stretch magic thread; Black tank: Old Navy - gift; Gray tank: Target - 2009 - $8; Jeans: Rockabilly (from Renew Denim) - 2010 - $40; Shoes: Blake Scott (from DSW) - 2010 - $40

Ok, so that last outfit was actually worn on a Thursday, but would probably fly for a casual Friday in a more professional office than mine.  As you might be able to tell, I love the bootcut/trouser jeans and pointy-toed heel combo...comfy and chic.  I get my jeans mostly from Old Navy, but do have a few more "designer" pairs (so the store says) from a denim boutique that specializes in providing designer duds for $99 and under (think like a TJ Maxx -- buying designer overstock -- but just jeans, and an adorable boutique environment).  I'm talking Paige, Sevens, Rock & Republics, J Brand, etc.  Those are mainly the $79-$99 ones, so I stick to the sample side, which is how I snagged the I Generation and Rockabilly jeans.  If you are anywhere near Davis, California, and like denim, I'd encourage you to check them out (for what it's worth, I am not affiliated with the store in any way, just a very happy repeat customer).  I have a few other pairs from them, too, since they are actually on my block.  Shopping diets suck when you walk past your favorite store on the way to your car every morning.

What do you wear on casual Fridays?  Are you a designer denim fan or will any ol' jean do?