Copycat Style: June 2023

Jeans + Striped Top/Tee

Happy day, Dear Reader!

And Happy Almost Summer!

Does anything say Summer better than stripes?

Stripes are one of my favorite patterns. No, stripes are not particularly exciting but they are super easy to pattern mix AND they effortlessly combine both the Classic and Relaxed vibes. Not an easy trick, that. Classic and Relaxed fiercely resist combination! (I imagine them climbing into the ring; can you hear the bell and the crowd roaring?)

The striped tee and I have a Love/Hate relationship. (I have a Love/Hate relationship with a LOT of things…) On the Love front, the striped tee (or Mariniere) appeals to my nautical leanings; the stripes are crisp and jaunty. On the Hate side? It’s such a cliche! All the lists say you MUST have one. Which makes the rebellious part of me say, Watch me. I’ll do without. Twice. AND provide photographic proof. Yes, there is a fierce you-aren’t-the-boss-of-me in this otherwise cheerful and optimistic woman. (That might be why Cheerfully Subversive wraps up my personality in a nutshell.) But in spite of myself, I do have a striped tee. (Two actually. Shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone!)

Which is why I went looking to Pinterest to see how others are styling their striped tees. I was mostly unimpressed with all the Striped Tee + Jeans combos I saw. Some added a belt for “flair” or a pair of colored shoes for “personality.” Those are good starts, but give me more zhuzh, people!

This month’s inspo:

What elements bind the three looks?

Striped tops. Slightly rumpled, relaxed feeling. Neck flair.

What elements do I prefer from each?

I’ll take the bare arms and pearls from the center look and the faded jeans from the right. I love the contrast of the ENORMOUS necklace on the left with the simplicity of the rest of the outfit.

What do I not want?

The black bottoms of the left and middle. (That super dark with light is too much for my Value Contrast.) The drapey silk scarf is fab but I’ll save stripes and scarf for another post. Lord knows I have enough of those Striped Tee + Scarf outfits pinned in my Copycat Style Board. Incidentally, that’s where this whole Striped Tee style adventure began. With the tee and scarf outfits until it morphed intos something else. To quote a meme, You’ll get that on those big jobs.

What do I own to work with?

I have both a more fitted short sleeved striped tee and a looser tank. At the very last second I decided I wanted the looser look, hence, the tank below. My Levis (as usual) are the jean of choice. Faded does me fine; I don’t need the distressed look in the inspo. You’ve seen this pair hundreds of times before; they’ve been hemmed since this photo to sort the fray. A subtly colored shoe feels right; this soft green pair will be more interesting than a neutral. But not shouty.

How did it turn out?

I’ll be wearing this again! I can easily imagine throwing a blazer over this for a more adult look when needed. Only flaw? I need more color. I thought about my green pearls with the white, but when I threw them on, it didn’t look right… Maybe pearls AND a scarf? That could be fun! (On a cooler day, that is.)

Some of the deets:

I wanted the drama of the necklace in the first image, so I chose to pile on more pearls than necessary. (Because is there such a thing as too many pearls?) Not a pearl girl? Change them out for something else dramatic!

If you’re interested in a striped tee, here’s some thoughts I shared with THE Style Reset group about choosing the best tee for your coloring and shape.

How About You?

Do you have any sartorial Love/Hate relationships? How do you feel about a striped tee? What pieces or combinations feel like summer to you? Do you have any Classic or Relaxed in your Personality Style? Are you a pearl lover? Is so, do you prefer them subdued or piled on? How much is too much for you? Let me know what outfits you are copycatting this season! I love to hear from you… XO

Stylishly yours,