Velvet by Graham and Spencer T-Shirt (Piperlime, $35)
Every woman should have a good quality white t-shirt. You need a tee that’s not too heavy, not too light, made with 100% cotton. I prefer a crewneck, but a bustier woman might prefer a v-neck.
A good white t-shirt can be worn in many different ways to create a myriad of outfits. Check back at 1:00PM for Two Ways to wear this piece.
A girlfriend texted me Saturday with a question that was uniquely D.C. Her office is no longer suits and sheath dresses, but it’s not jeans and athleisure either. “Can an office be ‘semi-formal’?,” she pondered. “What do I wear for that?!” Enter the shirtdress, the solution for summer.
Welcome to the warm weather months. Outside, you will roast. Inside, you will freeze. The air conditioning will be your constant nemesis, as it “conditions” the air to a temperature that is primarily suitable for men. Luckily, this cardigan can keep you warm even when your fiery resentment wanes.
Nora Ephron was right: I feel bad about my neck. As I move through my forties, the creases have turned into chasms. The skin sags like a pair of sweatpants with aging elastic. It’s not great. But it’s just a natural part of getting older. Over the past year, it feels like I’ve tried every […]
A girlfriend texted me Saturday with a question that was uniquely D.C. Her office is no longer suits and sheath dresses, but it’s not jeans and athleisure either. “Can an office be ‘semi-formal’?,” she pondered. “What do I wear for that?!” Enter the shirtdress, the solution for summer.
Welcome to the warm weather months. Outside, you will roast. Inside, you will freeze. The air conditioning will be your constant nemesis, as it “conditions” the air to a temperature that is primarily suitable for men. Luckily, this cardigan can keep you warm even when your fiery resentment wanes.
Nora Ephron was right: I feel bad about my neck. As I move through my forties, the creases have turned into chasms. The skin sags like a pair of sweatpants with aging elastic. It’s not great. But it’s just a natural part of getting older. Over the past year, it feels like I’ve tried every […]
This week has been an absolute bear, so let’s reach into the reader mail bag and answer some questions. And let’s start with a post about affordable summer bags.
Can you personally recommend this particular tee?
Ellie, if you're looking for a good quality t-shirt, Banana Republic has the best that I've found. They're very flattering, thick enough to not be see-through, and last a long time. I have both the crew necks and the v-necks in white and lots of their other colors and I love them.
https://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=5041
I have multiples of H&M's crewneck white t-shirts. They are the perfect weight (not see-through) and the crewneck is perfect–just below the collarbone.
I really like my white scoop neck from Boden. Not see thru and not super low cut either. There is something about V-necks that I just do not like.
Thanks, Ella! And everyone else!
Amen on the advice for bustier women. A slight v-neck or a boatneck is so much more flattering then the classic crew neck. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to learn that! For good quality, LL Bean makes good v-necks that aren't too low in front. J. Crew has good options sometimes, too.
I love the J.Crew white perfect fit T-shirts, just the right level of opacity and long enough not to come untucked. .
I've recently re-incorporated the classic white crewneck as a staple in m wardrobe, after seeing how flattering this (https://us.asos.com/Splendid/Splendid-Maxi-Dress-with-Woven-Full-Skirt/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2002361&cid=2623&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Agave) dress is. A tight crewneck is perfect to show off statement necklaces. Surprisingly, I found mine at Old Navy of all places. (https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?searchCID=68131&vid=1&pid=898364&scid=898364022)
busty women beware! while the banana republic crew ts are great, the v necks are so insanely low cut you'll look like a prostitute if you wear them (even though they don't look that low cut when trying on!)
For anyone on a budget, Old Navy's fitted scoop neck tee is fabulous. Beware that it does run small, but I love mine otherwise!
https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=898494&locale=en_US&kwid=1&sem=false&sdReferer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26esrc%3Ds%26frm%3D1%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D2%26ved%3D0CFAQFjAB%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.oldnavy.com%252Fproducts%252Fwomens-fitted-scoop-neck-tees-P898494.jsp%26ei%3DAVn8T6XnBIHG6gGAxKzRBg%26usg%3DAFQjCNFlh5FJaxOusuKwLaLduGxisKsAtg
I also like the JCrew perfect fit tees–they are nice and opaque and hold their shape well through washes. I am on the busty side (E cup), but I still go with the crew necks for office wear (under blazers and cardigans), because the v-necks look vampy on me. I agree with the poster earlier about Banana Republic v-neck tees having the same issue–they look great on the models, who generally appear much smaller chested than me. I'm on the hunt for more modest v-neck tees.
This one from Ann Taylor is great too. You can't really see it in this picture, but there is a little detail at the top. Not see through, good to tuck or not
https://www.anntaylor.com/ann/product/AT-Apparel/AT-Knits-Tees/Folded-Overlay-Tee/290420?skuId=12072248&catid=cat70008&defaultColor=9000&productPageType=fullPriceProducts&productType=relatedProduct