Shop your wardrobe: 1 t-shirt dress, 3 ways

My 2021 mantra is this: buy LESS; shop my damn wardrobe MORE. That’s why over on Instagram, I’m declaring the shop your wardrobe hashtag – #shopurwardrobe – with all my power right now. I’m determined to shake off the Insta-induced-mantra that outfits are ‘one-wear’, ‘one-use’ and I bloody well want to get allll the wear out of each of the pieces in my wardrobe.

When I’ve bought new over the last 12 months, I’ve really scrutinised the pieces I have chosen, to ensure that each piece is going to benefit my wardrobe in multiple ways. And it can be fun to shop your wardobe, you know?! A rather obvious process, you might think – but there is a dark side to showing off your outfit on Instagram; a trend that we all need to buck.

A survey of 2,000 consumers undertaken by Barclaycard revealed 10 per cent of Brits surveyed buy clothes purely for the purpose of posting them on social media – only to return them afterwards. No shopping your wardrobe over there, then. Whilst I’ve never fallen victim to the Insta-#ootd-for-just-one-day hype (probably purely because once clothes arrive, I’m too attached to send them back, let’s be honest) I can see how people might fall prey to this trend online.

The Instagram algorithm favours the ‘new-in’, but the planet does not. And it’s time we make an effort to make outfit repeating the trend that’s here to stay. So without further ado, here’s 1 simple t-shirt dress, 3 ways – take inspo for the next time you want to shop your wardrobe:

T-shirt dress ft. a lil summin summin

One of the best trends to come our way in 2020 was the collar. Statement in style, and statement in its multi-purpose uses, it’s a great way to nod to the trends if you’re all too tempted by the new-in vibe, but it’s the perfect way to jazz up your existing wardrobe and create many, many looks.

I went for my trusty gingham collar, a pair of funky tights and my classic t-shirt dress to get this look fit for 2021. My chunky Fila Disruptor trainers finished off the outfit, and you all seemed to ADORE it over on Instagram.

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One t-shirt, multiple uses

The great thing about a baggy t-shirt is it can be dressed up as a literal dress, and dressed down with your fave skirt or jeans. If you’re someone who’s conscience has been trained to find your wardrobe boring after one wear (aka all of us, thanks to the Insta algorithm) a classic t-shirt dress is the perfect versatile item to have in your style arsenal, because you can rewear it in ways that make it seem an entirely new piece of clothing.

I decided to pair this tee with my boldest, loudest skirt for maximum fun vibes, and maximum maximalism. I don’t really do minimal over here, do I? That said, it would go perfectly with light-wash denim jeans, too.

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3 outfits in one

Co-ords are usually a rather pricey investment, but they’re worth it. Get one good co-ord in your ‘drobe and you’ve defeated the Insta algorithm in one fell swoop. Each piece can be worn in multiple ways, together and alone, and you can mix and match your look to create many with just a two-piece.

I paired the t-shirt dress with this adorable, very very old Topshop co-ord I have had for years and years. It does me proud every time, manages to stay on trend no matter the year, and can be dressed for winter or warmer months. The pastels in the tee compliment the co-ord perfectly. My tip for nabbing the perfect co-ord that’ll last the years? Go for a classic print, such as florals, or a classic colour, like black or grey, that you know will stand the test of yearly trends. Trends always get recycled, and these prints and colours always make a feature.

To get a good nosy at the co-ord in question, make sure you check out my latest Instagram Reel, where I style up each of these looks in reel time (geddit?!).

Looking for more outfit inspo? Check out the style section of me wee blog – and you can find me chatting style a lot more over on Instagram.