The cornerstone of a minimalist wardrobe is formed by those items that can be worn year-round, so having 1 item that works across multiple seasons (with a little creative styling) means that you need to own fewer items. This also means less time and money to take care and acquire new clothes. A striped shirt can definitely be classified as a wardrobe staple that can be worn throughout all 4 seasons and one that a lot of us probably already own.
The Striped Shirt
It took me a couple of tries but I finally found the perfect striped shirt this summer. It’s 100% cotton and has only a slightly relaxed fit which makes it easy to layer under other clothes. The stripe is navy blue which works much better for my coloring that the light blue of a previous shirt I had bought. And because it’s such a wardrobe staple, I was able to find it pretty easily in the secondhand market, locally and for $8!
Outfit 1 – Summer
Since we’re still in summer, it makes sense to start off here. I have been wearing this shirt a lot, especially with shorts and one of my go-to outfit formulas has been:
striped shirt + white shorts + white converse + canvas tote bag
I really like tucking a portion of my shirt into the waistband of whatever bottoms I’m wearing which I think it gives the outfit a “casual cool vibe”.
Here’s a styling tip to making sure it isn’t bulky and it stays put:
- button the shirt to just above the waistband.
- take the bottom half of the shirt (the side with the buttons) and tuck that portion in.
- adjust the tucked portion slightly so that it isn’t pulling and has a shape that you like (I like for it to have a nice curve as you can see in the first picture).
Outfit 2 – Fall
I really like wearing a blazer during the fall when the temps are colder but not enough to warrant a jacket. I have an oversized charcoal wool blazer that I thrifted a few winters ago which is perfect for wearing over shirts and here’s how I plan to wear this shirt during fall:
striped shirt + blazer + jeans + loafers + belt
I’ve added a belt with gold-toned hardware that matches the shoes to tie everything together. Without it, the outfit feels incomplete. I would also add a structured black bag to this outfit.
Here’s a styling tip to keep the shirt cuffs visible:
- use a hair elastic at the spot on your arm where you want to fold the blazer up.
- fold the blazer up over the elastic to show the shirt cuff and keep it in place.
Outfit 3 – Winter
Not gonna lie – I think this is my favorite outfit. Maybe that’s because I love layering and haven’t been able to properly layer in months!
Aside from the boots, I purchased all of these items in the last year. I bought the vest new last winter from The knotty Ones, while the wool checkered pants and the quilted vest were found locally. But these are all pieces that I am excited to wear again this year which to me is a sign that I’m nailing down my personal style.
There’s a few layers going on here, just the way I like it:
striped shirt + sweater vest + trousers + quilted vest + platform boots
Here’s a styling tip when layering a lot of items:
- pay attention to the length of the items.
- the innermost item (the shirt) is the longest layer.
- the middle layer is shorter (the vest) which makes for a nice visual detail.
- The next layer can be whatever you like, either the same length as the second layer (as I’ve done here with the quilted vest), shorter than the second layer, or longer (like with a jacket).
Outfit 4 – Spring
Alright, I take back what I said earlier because this might actually be my favorite!
It’s another layered outfit but with lighter pieces which is perfect for the transition seasons:
striped shirt + denim vest + tank top + skirt + socks + booties
Here’s a style tip to balance the colors in an outfit:
- balance the top and bottom of an outfit with similar colors.
- for this outfit, I really liked the contrast of the black tank top to the white skirt and blue/white striped shirt so I chose to add black socks.
- the blue vest gets balanced by adding blue booties.
Some Housekeeping
- All of the items shown in this post are secondhand or old except the sweater vest which I’ve linked to. If you want to know the brand of any particular item, please leave it in a comment below.
- If you like styling posts like this, follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel for similar content.
- Share in the comments which wardrobe staple you wear year round.
- If you enjoyed this post, please share it on your socials or email it to a friend who would also like it. Your support is greatly appreciated!
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