If you enjoy wearing basic T-shirts under jackets, or with jeans, skirts or casual pants in the Summer, go for it. They are comfortable, affordable, robust, easy to launder, and very casual. Some are roomy and fluid, and others more fitted. Here’s a collection that shows what I mean when I talk about a basic T-shirt.

If you don’t enjoy wearing a basic tee, but want a similar degree of ease, comfort and casualness in a knitted top, try one of these options. They are better than basic, and in some cases a lot more structured. They’re made of jersey, or a very lightweight sweater yarn. Fibres are natural or blends. 

1. Cotton, Linen & Silk Sweaters

These pullovers can be cool and breezy in ultra lightweight gauzy fabrics and fluid silhouettes, in open weave knits, or when they’re sleeveless. The heavier versions make sense on cool Summer days, at the beach at night, when you run cold, or if you work in arctic air conditioning.

2. Styled T-Shirt

Styled T-shirts have fun design details that make them look more interesting than a basic silhouette. Think wraps, ruching, front knots, woven insets, eyelet insets, gathered sleeves, fluttered sleeves, ruffles, flounces and cold shoulders.

3. Knitted Boho Tops

Knitted boho or boho-lite tops are made of jersey so that they feel like a tee, but look like a woven blouse. They are prettier than basic tees, fluid over the midsection, and lovely if you enjoy a ‘70s vibe.

4. Body-Con Tops

Body-con knitted tops are back as a nod to the ‘90s trend, especially in very fine cotton-rich rib knits. They’re tight and fitted, so ignore them if you don’t like tops that cling. They are extremely useful to combine with voluminous skirts, wide crops, palazzos, paper-bag shorts and tops, or to layer under jackets. They semi-tuck well too.

I don’t feel fabulous in T-shirts, so I don’t wear them. I wear lightweight cotton pullovers, body-con tops, and styled T-shirts as my casual alternative. Or breezy woven blouses, which we’ll cover another time. Here are my knitted alternatives to Summer T-Shirts from my wardrobe. I have duplications of the white.

In the rag trade we talk about three large categories of wardrobe items: clothing, footwear and accessories. Accessories are items like handbags, scarves, belts, jewellery, watches, hats, gloves, and eyewear. Footwear has its own category and is not lumped together with accessories. 

Accessories can be extremely powerful because they complete a look, often taking it from fine to fabulous. Accessories add personality to your outfit, dress it up or down, incorporate a playful element, add glam, amplify polish, add layering interest, make a statement, or strike up a conversation with a stranger.

More importantly, the right accessory is extremely practical. Winter hats, scarves and gloves insulate. Sun hats prevent sunburn. Sunnies prevent glare. Watches tell the time and more. Belts keep your pants up, and eyewear helps you see.

By all means sport many accessories at once if you have a maximal style, because there are no rules about how many accessories you should sport in one outfit. Gone are the days when it was best to sport one huge accessory at a time and make a statement with it. Sport two, three or more if that’s your preference. More can be more.

If you have a minimal style, less is more. This means you’ll sport few accessories or none at all. Or you can mix it up sporting as many or as few accessories that tickle your fancy on a day.

The accessory styles of my clients run the gamut. Here’s a sampling:

• Client A is maximal and sports it all in one outfit. 
• Client B wears nothing but a wedding ring or Apple watch, and doesn’t even carry a bag.
• Client C wears simple outfits, and lets statement accessories do the talking.
• Client D sticks to a few jewellery pieces and wraps up when it’s cold.
• Client E changes their bag, earrings, necklace and belt daily.
• Client F sticks to one bag a season, but goes to town with her jewellery. 
• Client G makes a statement with scarves and belts.
• Client H wears statement eyewear and big earrings.
• Client I sticks to studs, rings, bracelets and contact lenses.
• Client J wears arm candy and toe rings in the warm months.
• Client K wears real jewellery only.

The accessories you choose are as personal as your style. You might feel like lots of accessories one day, month, season or year, and fewer the next. You might like bracelets one year, and brooches the next. There is no right or wrong accessory, as long as you’re happy with your look.

I adore accessories. I prefer accessories to footwear, and let them do the talking rather than the shoes I’m wearing. I wear accessories to add polish, dressiness, glam, shine, colour and interest to my outfits. Some accessories are extremely practical, and others an adorning necessity. Here’s my accessory strategy in order of importance. I wear #1 to #4 daily.

1. Eyewear

About seventeen years ago, I needed to wear prescription eyewear most of the time because I’m near-sighted. That’s when I decided that my specs would be the most important accessory of my style. I make a statement with them, and buy the very best that I can afford. Most of the time they’ve been non-neutral, and some style of cat’s-eye.

I wear sunnies regularly, but have few pairs because they need prescriptive lenses. Those have always been Modern Retro. At the moment, I have round tortoiseshell Ray-Bans, and a pearlized white vintage pair from 1960. Here’s my eyewear.

2. Handbags

I LOVE handbags. They are hands down my favourite accessory. I have 23, love them dearly, and swap them out daily. I prefer them dressy, structured, non-neutral, or white. Not too big, relatively classic, beautifully made, with minimal gold hardware, and with the option of a crossbody strap for travel. I have a large Italian family of Furlas. Here are my wardrobe pets.

3. White Pearls

I’m not a jewellery person, but what I have is very focussed, worn daily, real, and custom-made. Two chunky white pearl necklaces, two white pearl bracelets and and pearl wedding ring with gold metal. Occasionally I wear a very special gold and garnet vintage Yorkie brooch from 1961 that was an incredible gift from a client. I don’t wear earrings, although I have two holes in each ear.

4. Watch

I wear the same gold watch every day, and on the same wrist as my ring and bracelets. I would love to find another, but haven’t yet found a watch better than the one I have.

5. Scarves

I wear scarves to create colour complements with my bags and shoes, and to keep me warm. You have to wear a scarf in the Netherlands because of the nasty cold wind. In warm weather, I wear a gauzy linen or cotton scarf to keep the blazing hot sun off my neck.

6. Belts

I used to wear belts a lot more frequently with low and mid-rise jeans and pants. But now that 95% of my pants and jeans are high rise, I seldom wear belts. I’m keeping all of them in case I feel like wearing them again.

Finally, a smile is a great accessory. You can wear it daily, it always fits, and does not date. So are laughter lines, because they are evidence of smiles and laughter, which is good for the soul.

Over to you. What is your accessory strategy?

The long blazer takes me back to the ‘90s. I wore them then, but it’s not a look I crave today. I am cautious about this length of blazer because the proportions can look off to my eye, especially when you wear flat footwear like I do. I did, though, enjoy a long blazer dressy pants suit because it created an elongating column of colour. You couldn’t see where your leg line stopped because of the low contrast between the jacket and pants. I had a favourite apple green long blazer suit in 1994 that I regularly wore to work. Greg said I looked like a lime milkshake, which made me love that suit even more. I would wear a long blazer in that way today.

I have many clients across a range of body types in long blazers. It’s been more popular than I thought. Almost everyone who wears blazers regularly has refreshed with the trendy long silhouette. Here are four ways to create outfits with long blazers. Choose any colour palette across solids and patterns.

1. Smart Casual

This is the easiest look to pull together. Combine a pair of slim jeans or pants like skinnies or straights with a layering top and statement long blazer. Add shoes that work with the outfit. The pants or jeans can be cropped or full length. The top can be tucked or untucked.

2. Casually Thrown Together

Combine an A-line skirt with a long fluid blazer and layering top. I like how the tight top adds structure to the fluid blazer. Add booties and Bob’s your uncle. Keep the skirt straight if you want to create traditionally flattering proportions.

3. Classically Elegant

Combine a black top with cropped straight pants or jeans in any colour. Top it off with a long black blazer for a twinset effect up top. Add dressy shoes, and you’re in business. Good for corporate settings and dressier occasions.

4. Fashion-Forward Fun

This is by far my favourite of the four because it reminds me of the apple green suit I had in the ‘90s, with white accents and all. You need a non-neutral suit with a long blazer for this rendition, so maybe you’ll get one. I would if the right one came along. White top and footwear add a fashionable and crisp touch. Add jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired.

V-necklines are prolific this season. They are all over tops, knitwear, dresses and jumpsuits. It’s high time fashion made a statement with them because they’ve been scarce at retail for years. I am THRILLED for those who enjoy wearing V-necks. They are visually fabulous on larger busts, shorter necks, shorter waists, broader shoulders and petites. No matter how often I see it, I’m regularly in awe at how magically a V-neckline can minimize the size of the bust and lengthen the neck.

The V-neckline trend might be great for you, but it’s not for me. I have the opposite of the body type that wears V-necks well: a regular bust, regular waist, narrow shoulders and a very long neck. My short hair makes my neck look even longer. The higher the neckline, the better it’s suited to my body type. I can wear a V-neckline when it’s a structured shirt collar with a few of the top buttons left open, because the collar adds coverage to my long neck and shoulder neck point, especially when I pop the collar.

As I’m refreshing my wardrobe for Spring and Summer, I’m rejecting all sorts of potentially fabulous on-trend tops and dresses because their V-necklines are deal-breakers (unless they are shirt collars). The V-neck trend is against me, so it’s on to plan B. Reverting back to classics.

I enjoy modern classics full stop. And many of their necklines work well with my body type. This season I’m back in classic silk and cotton blouses, body-con knit tops, and pullovers with polo collars — all of which I haven’t worn for ages as I favoured more trendy styles. I’m thoroughly enjoying my new classic tops because they’ve changed things up, and layer well under jackets in arctic air conditioning. The collection below shows the exact items I’ve bought to refresh my tops capsule with for Spring & Summer.

The fluid cotton and cashmere crew neck pullovers in the collection are classics I wear every season despite trends. These versions are shorter because that’s how fashion is at the moment. That trendy detail is fine because shorter tops work well with exposed high rises and skirts, both of which I wear and enjoy.