ruffle-sleeve tee styled three ways

Wednesday, August 1, 2018 0 style Permalink 6

following my week-long styling challenge featuring all five pairs of my everlane wide leg crops, i’ve been inspired to share more of how i remix pieces to create outfits for both work and weekend wear. not only does it help me fall back in love with my current wardrobe, more importantly, i think it’s helpful to see just how easy it can be to make a garment work double (sometimes triple or quadruple) duty. i think it’s natural to assume that a certain piece of clothing can only be worn one or two ways but with some out of the box thinking, it’s amazing what combinations one can create. maybe not every ensemble is a winner, but that’s the beauty of navigating your personal style, it’s a constant result of trial and error.

which brings me to today’s styling session featuring this cute ruffle-sleeve top i snagged from target’s universal thread collection (which moving forward i’ll refer to as “budget madewell”). if you followed my instagram stories two weeks ago, you know i did a mini splurge vs. steal investigation comparing the target version with a very similar style sold at madewell. while i loved the color of the madewell style more, ultimately the flattering fit and price tag of target’s tee won me over. so to prove that sometimes the steal (over the splurge) can be the better option, i wanted to showcase three different ways i plan on styling this tee now and into the fall season.

summer errand-running

with summer in full swing, the first way i thought to style this ruffled-sleeve tee was with my favorite pair of white denim shorts and neutral accessories. i would wear this outfit to run errands on a weekend or out to lunch with my husband. it feels effortless yet still put together, how all casual outfits should be.

universal thread ruffle-sleeve tee (small) || j.crew factory denim shorts (26)

natalie borton earrings (c/o) || zara tote (similar)

brixton hat (small) || madewell sandals (9.5)

fall tailgate

as fall starts to roll around (which in san diego isn’t really until late october/early november), i’ll look forward to remixing this tee for cooler weather. the easiest way to take it from season to season is the addition of cold-weather accessories -in this instance a felt hat, a scarf, and leather booties (and maybe a hot cup of coffee). i’ll definitely wear some intimation of this outfit in a few months on a trip to the local pumpkin patch or if i were still a college co-ed, to a weekend football tailgate.

universal thread ruffle-sleeve tee (small) || madewell denim (26)

madewell scarf (similar) || everlane boots (10)

janessa leone hat || natalie borton earrings (c/o)

girls’ brunch

this last look elevates an otherwise fairly casual tee to a look appropriate for a girls’ brunch or date night. since the fit of the top is on the relaxed side, i opted to knot the hem for a closer fit to the body (i added a video on how i knot my tees on my instagram stories). to play up the ruffled sleeves, i added a ruffled skirt, and lace-up espadrille wedges.