11 sexy ways to wear THE shirt, the ultimate (spring) top

A cocktail to revisit the button-down shirt this season:

1/4 of Italian sensuality,

1/4 of fast fashion

50% of your own sense of style

Think blue

When you say the blue shirt the collective imaginary says 'boring'. This season it's a re-birth, a joyful, sexy and playful one. Spruce it up from your man's closet, like Camille Charriere suggests in her interpretation of the man's shirt or reinterpret your own. 

  • with a leather mini-skirt and flat sandals
  • with skinny black jeans and Gucci loafers
  • fasten the first button and let the rest unbuttoned like at the Alexander Wang's runways
  • wear it over a pair of skinny khakis
  • buy a sophisticated, feminine painter's version like in Valentino's print ad
  • bell bottom denim and heels

If you don't own a blue one, when you buy one just remember a few key points:

  1. it should be fitted,
  2. made of a delicate, soft and gauzy cotton, ideally chambray,
  3. the color should resemble a light denim blue. 

The white essential shirt

Ok here is classics department. There's no limit to how many white shirts you must own. No less than three is a standard: fitted, button down and oversized. 

  • oversized over cropped khakis and slip-ons
  • painter's shirt over denim shorts with Birks
  • fitted raised collar and an high waisted long full skirt. here you can go flats or heels, chic as hell
  • french collar, one extra button opened tucked in a pencil skirt and heels
  • french collar, cuffed denim, penny loafers and car coat: a spring winner

The army jacket: the spring essential revisited

It's been there for a couple of decades: don't fall into the temptation of getting rid of it. Time to wear it and be chic about it.

Do you own an utility jacket? One of those military green short coats with lots of pockets?

You (or your boyfriend) should have it in the closet, it's a staple, that is how stylists call those elements of a wardrobe that loyally stay, move with you, hibernate during winter and wake up again for summer, be landed to a friend with a ransom in place if she will not consider returning it and never end up in the Salvation Army pile. As for that, you should go to Salvation Army to look for one. Consignment and vintage stores are the best source for the military jacket.

Why? 

Because fashion is a recurring river of reinvented innovations and you should never #consciouslyuncouple from the investment pieces. You may have bought it in the '90s in a flea market and then it wasn't cool anymore. You should at least have one (5 if your name is Garance Dore). Pull it off the corner of the closet where it took the dust of the year, take it to the dry cleaner and be prepared: the army jacket is back. 

How to wear it [and don't look like an extra from MASH]

  • Use it as a disruptive element, to spice up a conservative pant suit with distressed gold brogues and give some attitude to an eyelet pleated dress with single sole strappy sandals.

  • Just because it was born as an utility instrument to use at war or training camps, it doesn't mean it cannot be worn at work. Wear a LDB with heels (avoid boots, remember MASH) and throw the jacket on your shoulders. Like Miroslava Doma does in the streets of Paris.

  • The jacket has some character no doubt, but if you think outside the box, dust off its masculine flair, you'll end up a chic winner. 

  • Trick here is to borrow it from the boys with a twist 

Where to buy it?

Anyone can send you to Ralph Lauren and hurt your credit card for generations to come (sorry buddy, dear Ralph we love you and would not survive without you at fashion week, but the only way we can splurge on you is at the outlet store).

  • You can buy a cool timeworn look for the best of your bucks at TopShop, J. Crew, H&M, Zara (some on sale now);

  • consignment stores, flea market, Salvation Army have the best digs. Look for character, history, patina, personality. And enjoy now and forever ...