Expert Tips for Upstylin’ Your Threadless Tee!
Fashion blogger Anna Martin shares tricks of the trade.
Fashionistas, everywhere, behold! Yesterday we launched a whole plethora of new girly tee designs, and we can’t wait to see how all you vogue vixens outfit ‘em. To get you in the stylin’ mood, we reached out to fashionista extraordinaire Anna Martin, who is not only the style expert behind fashion blog Melodic, Thrifty & Chic, but also the winner of our recent Teestyle challenge! We love her look, and knew she’d be chock full of advice on upstylin’ a Threadless tee. Read on for some uber chic tips to inspire your style, and don’t forget to share your savvy Threadless outfits with the hashtag #teestyle!
Hi, I’m Anna Martin from Melodic, Thrifty & Chic! I have a confession: I own enough Threadless tees to wear one every day of the week for months (no joke!), so I’m constantly working them into my look. In all truth, styling a t-shirt can be very challenging. It’s so easy to throw on a pair of jeans and a cardigan with the shirt and just call it a day, but it’s also really fun to push the boundaries. If you feel like that’s something you may want to try, read on for some tips!
- Capture the design’s meaning.
More often than not, I buy a Threadless tee because the design speaks to me in some way. So, I try to capitalize on this aspect of the tee when I get dressed. For example, if the scene depicted on the shirt is dystopian or futuristic — like artist Tony Aguero’s design “New World Order” — it may motivate me to create an ensemble with the same characteristics.
I also happen to have a high percentage of nerdy Threadless tees and sometimes I go all out when I style those shirts, especially the ones that have a palpable retro flair (like artist Carrie Hargett’s design “Original Gamester”). Other times, I’ll simply grab a Threadless tee with a witty phrase on it, like James Burns’ “Death, Our Nation’s Number One Killer”, to add levity or whimsicality to an edgier look.
2) Make the print, color, or pattern the focal point.
In all cases, I try to pay attention to colors and patterns and ask myself how I can style the shirt in a way that keeps the print as the focal point. For example, I wore the “SPRSTR” tee by artist Aaron Hog over a striped dress,
and to make things even more chaotic, added galaxy leggings to the mix. For me, this style was a play on the universe below and God above with limbo in between. Still, you can see that the “SPRSTR” tee is really the star of the show and an integral part of the outfit, despite all of the craziness. So, my advice is to play around with colors and patterns and see what comes. Stay true to your personal aesthetic, but add a measure of complexity to your tee style by starting small and experimenting.
3) Restrict yourself from jeans (or whatever your go-to pairing is!).
If you find yourself going for a pair of jeans often, try confining yourself to just skirts and see what happens. I do this all the time. I’ll pretend that a whole section of my closet doesn’t exist and this forces me to be more creative with the items I’m left with.
4) Be yourself and don’t be afraid to make mistakes!
I learn more from my fashion failures than from my immaculate looks. Though, I always have fun, regardless. Make sure you do that, too!
Anna shares her 5 go-to garments for up-styling tees:
- Blazers: They’re more unexpected than your run of the mill cardigan!
2. Cardigans: If I do choose a cardigan, I choose one that is exaggerated in length or asymmetrical.
3. Patterned socks, colorful bags and backpacks: These simply add more opportunities for an outfit to stand out!
Love Anna’s super chic look? Shop her stores here! Thanks for sharing your tee-savvy style with us, Anna!
