One Basic Shirt, Eight Fabulous Ways

I'd like to think that every gal has a basic striped shirt of some kind.  Nothing fancy, just 2 colors, simple stripes and an easy piece to wear. 

Enter the basic striped tee from Gap in navy and white.

 

At first glance, one might think this is strictly a piece for spring / summer seasons since it's lightweight and short sleeve.  Maybe you would associate a nautical theme to this and have an immediate reaction to add pops of red. 

But that's not the case!  I'd like to show you how to Autumn-ize this basic tee into eight different looks.  All you need is an open mind and a few good staple items.

 

My first inclination is to pair navy anything with Kelly green.  I feel like these colors are soul mates --  Meant to be together, always paired side by side.  Pops of color are allowed all year long.  Just because the weather is changing and cooling down doesn't mean you must revert to a wardrobe of all neutrals, or black and brown.  Keep riding the "color pop wave" for as long as you can. 

 

 

 I just love this longer knit cardigan from Gap - when it came out over the summer, I literally went and got it in 5 different colors because it is a "wear all year long" piece.  It hits at the hip line and falls perfectly.  These great bling necklaces are from Stella & Dot's Fall Collection - the somervell necklace and the christina link necklace.  Check them out, they are stunning in person and complement lots of outfits - like the second look...

 

The 2nd look below is layering our basic tee with a classic denim chambray button up shirt.  I had found this particular one on the clearance rack at Ann Taylor Loft and couldn't believe what a perfect color and fit it offered.  Chambray shirts are great pieces to layer for fall and winter.  How about pairing this look with a colorful pair of skinny jeans, like mustard or burgundy?  Even a maxi skirt and boots could do the trick with this one.

 

 

The 3rd look incorporates one of Fall's hottest trends - the military jacket. 

 

 

Not to sound like a broken record, but this was a steal from the clearance rack at the Gap for less than $30.  I love pairing my military jacket with skinny dark jeans and cute flats.  Here I have it paired with the famous  Rebel pendant from Stella & Dot, which is a total must have.

 

So in Looks 4 & 5 pictured above, we are bringing things back to basics by pairing our striped tee with a colorful scarf.  Try and pull some color theme from the scarf to match up - I think that the two scarves I've selected here nicely complement the tee and could easily be coupled with a cute jean jacket to complete the look. 

(Left scarf is from Stella & Dot, and the right scarf is from Anthropologie)

 

To further build on the scarf concept - and to tie in the long cardigan, I am showing a great yellow and navy combo below for the 6th look.  Again, pop some color this season!  This cardigan is surprisingly not from Gap.  It's from Ann Taylor Loft and is more of a mustard color in person.  Looks great with dark jeans!

 

 

For the 7th look, I'm going to stick with the mustard and navy pairing, but now let's layer up again with a solid shirt over the basic striped tee.

 

 

This solid shirt was a good find at Marshalls - it's flowy and on the longer side so I can pair it with leggings as well.  In the top right picture, I have accessorized simply with a cute gold giraffe necklace from the JCrew outlet, and in the bottom center photo, with a Tory Burch-like pendant from Jenny Boston.  Don't worry, there will be a full Jenny Boston post coming soon, I just love their boutiques.

 

The last and 8th look is more of a classic style with a solid navy cardigan and a fuchsia color pop.  I just love this shade of fuchsia  - it's so feminine and rich.  White House Black Market still carries this pant and color line for fall and it's so pretty in person.  The necklace pictured below is a perfect match, and believe it or not,

I found it for less than $12 at Frugal Fannies :) 

 

So there you have it!  Eight unique outfit ideas that can be done with a very basic striped tee.  A few common staples can get you there - for example, a longer cardigan in a bright color, a military jacket, and some dark skinny jeans is a good start.  Below I am showing the shoe selections I most commonly pair with navy and some of the outfits featured above. 

 

 

Would love to hear what outfit ideas might work for you!