5 Ways to Wear a White Tank and Jeans

Some of the oft-quoted criticisms of a capsule/minimalist wardrobe are that the concept is “boring”, “lacks creativity”, and “stops me from expressing myself”. However, I have found that over the last few months following the 10 item wardrobe idea, the exact opposite is true. Yes, I suppose you could just wear your core and layering pieces the exact same way every time, in a plain and perhaps boring way, but I see these core pieces as the canvas upon which I can build a fun outfit without having to expend a large amount of time or money.

Yesterday, I was wearing an incredibly plain base of a white cotton tank and blue jeans; pieces I am sure almost every single woman has in her wardrobe. I could have paired it with a pair of runners and nothing else, and it would have been serviceable, but yes, a little boring. By adding in three simple accessories and rolling my hems, I instead created a fun retro look that was still just as comfortable but looked pulled together, stylish and intentional. Below, I am going to show you five more ways you can style a simple white tank and jeans.

First off are my tank and jeans in an ultra casual ensemble, perfect for watching your kids play sport, running errands or for those days when you would really rather stay in bed, but still need to get up and at ’em. I highly recommend buying a slightly upgraded version of a sweatshirt. I have one very similar to this one from Old Navy a few years ago – it’s still sweatshirt material, but the style looks more like “real” clothes rather than exercise gear. Paired with the base items, a graphic print nylon tote, and grey Skechers, this outfit is almost as comfy as sweats and yoga pants, but so much more stylish.

The next outfit is casual, but taken up a notch from the first one. I have just bought these Keds, and they are so cool, I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve been basing a lot of outfits around these shoes! The pointed toe, grosgrain ribbon laces and tan leather trim are just the perfect combo. This time, I cuffed the jeans, (to show off the shoes!), added a navy spotted scarf (since you can never have too many polka dots) and my fave Tory Burch bucket bag which plays off the tan and white in the shoes without being too matchy-matchy.

The third outfit is great for the weather we have been having here in Perth at the moment, and is perfect for anyone going through transitional weather. The mornings can be quite chilly at the moment, so the cardigan is a great layering piece. The orange and blue are great pops of colour, and both colours are found in the striped pattern on my Coach bangle, while the long gold necklace means the outfit will still look great without the cardigan as the weather warms up over the course of the day.

The final two outfits are dressier takes on the tank and jeans base, and would be perfect for date nights, dinners out, PTA meetings or parent teacher evenings. Having said that, I have no problem with being dressier during the day, so you will often see me in variations of these in my day-to-day life as well, sometimes with more casual accessories. I love blazers as a way to finish an outfit; you can see here how they really elevate a simple jeans and tank.