Wearing White - Basic Tee with Print

Before we start spending time talking about the changes that come with the advent of fall, I wanted to spend the last few weeks of summer talking about how to wear white as transitional pieces. When we start thinking about changing our wardrobes from summer to fall, we are often hesitant to make that change completely. Fall can be like playing the lottery, trying to guess which outfit to wear for the temps and weather changes. Here in the mid west we usually still have warm weather well into September and sometimes even October.

My husband, who likes to hunt, always says if you want it to stay nice longer into the fall just go out duck hunting! The perfect fowl weather is…well…foul. Rain, low clouds and no wind make for perfect water fowl weather and cooler temps help as well. As has often been the case when my husband has bought duck stamps in the past, the weather suddenly turns sunny and hover’s at about 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Ha, ha.

As I said last week, I am trying to build a few outfits around my white pieces, partly because white is not a color I reach for regularly. I do like to wear white jeans occasionally, but my tops, skirts and sweaters rarely get worn. For a blogger, unworn pieces represent a challenge, so this little series will stretch my imagination and hopefully yours as well, for how to style those whites into great transitional outfits.

For today’s outfit, I started with a recently thrifted white tee with a hummingbird print. This tee is Time and Tru brand. I seem to be coming across this brand from Walmart quite a bit lately. My white tee from last week’s post was this brand as well. You can see that post here.

These striped cabana pants are from Christopher and Banks. They are a linen blend, so feel relatively cool in the hot weather and while they wrinkle some, they are not as bad as a piece that is 100% linen. The smocked waist line is comfortable and makes for ease of wear.

I added my denim vest from Christopher and Banks to bring cohesion to the outfit. This vest has gotten a lot of use on the blog over the last three years. It is pieces like these that become the work horses of our wardrobes and can be worn all year round. You can see how I styled it with polka dot jeans, a printed maxi skirt, over a sleeveless top, with a leopard print skirt and with a denim dress and a chambray shirt. You can click on any of those to see some of the other ways I’ve styled this vest.

This blue pendant necklace seemed to go perfectly with the other blues in this outfit. I like this simple statement piece. Pendant necklaces can be great additions for any variety of outfits. If you like layering, as the temps get cooler, layer a longer pendant necklace like this one under a scarf closer to your neck. Infinity scarves work well for this idea.

Once again, my bright blue Keds are making an appearance. These were thrifted, but are worn often if I want my color factor to pop a bit. For this look I was going for a monochrome effect, thus the addition of the blue shoes to elongate my silhouette.

Because I was trying to make this more of a transitional outfit, I thought it appropriate to add a bag in a more fall color. This bag also ties in to the maroon color in the tee. I found this soft, supple bag while thrifting. I told my hubby I wouldn’t bring home any more purses, but somehow this one jumped into my cart. Ha, ha.

Do you own a white tee that also has a print on it? I think it is a great way to introduce white into your wardrobe, but still enjoy a little bit of color. I know not everyone likes to wear white up by their face, so I will be showing you a few other outfits with white on the bottom, or paired with a neutral for a more toned down look.

I hope you are off to a good start this week. I am going to go visit my mom, for the weekend on Thursday. We’ll have some girl time and celebrate her 93rd birthday together. More changes are coming down the pike and I will share those with you as I am able.

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