5 Ways to Style: A Man’s Shirt

With Feminine Flair!

Happy day, reader dear!

We’re wrapping up a month ALL about styling!

That may be obvious for a style blog, but to help keep the creative juices flowing, I switch the focus up each month just a bit. The blog is about style, but sometimes style is more about styling, other times–color, still others–simplifying, or wardrobing. There are LOTS of pieces to the style puzzle!

Which means that when I looked back at this month’s posts and realized that I missed a Style It X Ways post, I knew I was running out of time to rectify that. So welcome to 5 Ways to Style: A Man’s Shirt!

Why am I choosing a man’s shirt? Two reasons. One: Oversized shirts are all the rage this summer, and for many women, oversized means grabbing a shirt from significant other’s closet. Two: I hear about a LOT of man-style woven women’s shirts hanging in closets unloved. Often, women (or men for that matter) buy what’s a la mode or on someone’s Must-Have list without giving thought to whether it fits HER/his style. Or how to make it work for her style.

And so this post! I am not much of a button up shirt fan, so it was time to challenge myself to try something out of my comfort box. Without spending a pretty penny. I grabbed my blue and white striped shirt that has spent most of its life as a bathing suit coverup. For me, a man’s shirt makes a great swimsuit coverup. It’s roomy and cottony-soft with long sleeves to protect from too much sun and a collar that can pop up to protect the back of the neck. It also doubles as a nightshirt when we travel. Multiple wins there!

The Shirt

Nothing super special to see here. I like the French blue color, the white collar and cuffs detailing, and the horizontal buttonhole at the bottom. (It’s the little things!) I need to take off the button-down buttons. I never button them, and now I see how silly they look there. I bought a small sized men’s shirt from Lands’ End. If I were purchasing it now, I would size up, but honestly, I prefer a shirt that fits properly around the neck when buttoned. For more oversized, I’ll raid Mr. CP’s closet. Hmmmm… He has a purple gingham that would look fabulous on me. I wonder if he’ll miss it?

If you are wondering where you’ve seen this shirt before, it featured prominently in my 4th of July Beauty Bundle post!

Buttoned Up

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The trick to styling it buttoned up to the neck? Leaving the bottom open for some movement and a more relaxed feel. If you feel daring, leave it open for a peek of midriff. (That will depend on how high the rise is on your bottoms! To feminize this masculine piece I piled on the necklaces/statement earrings and styled both with heels. A flash of ankle helps, too!

Note: I roll the sleeves this way because I want to show off the white lining. Roll (or don’t roll) your shirt sleeves whatever way works best for you!

Tucked In

Yes, tucked in is obvious and totally dependent upon your bottoms and how bulky your shirt is. The more oversized, the less likely this will work, unless your bottoms are very roomy! Because I’m a waisted 8-Shape, tucking works for me. If your shape is unwaisted, try one of the untucked looks. Tucking breaks the column of color that I love, but here it does create a better proportion and longer leg line. Especially with a cropped pant!

Tied Up

A super summery look, also good for waisted shapes. Preventing bulk here is the trick. You can do that by tucking the ends of the shirt-tails through the bottom button rather than tying them. I might need to do a video on that… (DONE!) Tied up is more relaxed than tucked and creates the same flattering proportion top to bottom.

Loosely Casual

This is Mr. CP’s favorite. It’s loose and in some odd way, kind of sexy. It’s the only-two-buttons-holding-it-all-together, which feels a bit disheveled. Or to sound more elegant, deshabille… If a few buttons in the middle leaves you feeling overexposed, a cami underneath works wonders! Narrowing in the waist a bit with the buttons creates a waist for an unwaisted figure.

Asymmetric Buttons

I saw this double buttoning action a few times in Instagram and thought it was time to try it out. Next time, I’d try it with a softer shirt and maybe with the long tail tucked? This shirt has a lot of heft so the pleating puffs out. It would look better with more drape.

Bonus: Wrapped

If this shirt were wider, I’d try wrapping it and tying the tails at the back. I love a surplice look! I’ll need to try a wrap with one of Mr. CP’s shirts… I’m off to go find that gingham! If I can get away with it, I’ll snap a pic and add it to this post later!

How About You?

Thank you for joining me for the experiment! Do you have button up shirts in your closet? Do you wear them, or does your closet? How do you like them to fit? Oversized or trim? Which mode of styling above is your favorite? Have you tried any of these stylings? Do let me know! I love to hear from you…

Stylishly yours, XO