Anchie I feel most of your choices seem too stiff and what I call “buttoned up”- not to be confused with button-down! Not seeming casual enough. I though this is a relaxed spring and summer outfit?
The few that look like what I think you are after are Liesbeth’s second find with cranes on, Angie’s polka dot Madewell Find, and your own striped #6.
Personally I would prefer brighter more fun colours than any of those though. Just my choices not necessarily yours.

Maybe I need to clarify my wardrobe hole here. I am still in wardrobe rebuild phase after the weight loss. I did get colorful, patterned tops first last year because it was easier for me, more intuitive and fun. I also got few patterned and colorful bottoms. But I neglected essentials and as consequence had problems with building outfits out of my very colorful and pattern heavy summer wardrobe. I need something more grounding, I was thinking a light color neutral top with some interest. But it is hard. Nothing speaks to me. Neutrals and essentials are anyway harder for me, and top category being the hardest.
It will be beneficial if this top goes well with the new denim skirt, but I already have enough tops for the skirt from my colorful stash. But more important for me that it also go well with my other less simple bottoms.

Thanks for the clarification! If I didn’t know the context, your first comment here this morning would have had me concerned.

Awesome that you are keeping your priorities in mind, even as the rest of us throw crazy fun colorful tops at you. I see now what you mean about the wardrobe hole, and you’ve mentioned before that essentials and “quiet” things are harder for you to buy, because they aren’t as exciting/fun.

You can wear the more formal shirt you started with and this skirt (or jeans) together, of course, and both pieces will work well with other things in your wardrobe. But if you want to put them together in an outfit that has zing, I think you need a third piece or a scarf or something else to add the energy against the background these pieces provide (because they are essentials).

How about saving the shirt for next month, and getting a different light neutral essential top to go with the skirt? I think a softer fabric, like linen or shantung silk, might work with it. Is that something you could also use elsewhere?

Here is what I have in my summer wardrobe that I would like to mix and match with the new skirt and top.

Oh wow, the brushed leopard shell! I’m jealous! That and the colourful floral will be so great with the new skirt.

And maybe a plainer pale blue top for your blue floral/leopard skirt, your blue/green “lightning bolt” skirt and your grey plaid with a pale blue in it?

These two pieces absolutely have a place in your wardrobe. Only question is how much emphasis you want to put on them in an outfit together.

LisaP started a thread fairly recently regarding summer tops. There were some good ideas in that thread for more plain tops that pull outfits together.

I love the fit of your initial shirt posted to the new denim skirt- and you have plenty of other tops more vivid I see- but if seems so hard for you then may be is the skirt the culprit, too crips for what you wanted...?

I the terms of a jacket would suggest a textured say bouclé one....Then you can go in both ways with a stiff and lined one towards dressy or a fringed, softer one (not lined) for more casual and easy+a simple deeper round neckline stretcy tailore or even body con tee (not a simple cotton).

If you are after a simpler top that can also be mixed with your other colorful bottoms, I would go either for a white top in a trendier shape, or horizontal navy & white top, or perhaps even navy and white gingham. This is assuming you like pattern mixing, that is, would happily mix two navy/white patterns in a single outfit ( I do). For white, what seems to be trending are ribbed polos, like the one attached. Also trending are these new twinsets, consisting of tank and slim fitting cards that can be buttoned and worn as a top on its own. Finally, eyelet can be very nice in warm weather. For gingham a button down shirt or one of those smocked tops with slightly puffy sleeves if you like those.
In terms of jackets, since utility is really trending, a utility jacket on olive or off-white. Another option would be moto made of fabric, or jackets shaped like denim jacket but made of linen.

Tanya, those are all great suggestions, thank you. I am not seeing those things here yet, maybe it is still too early in the season and I should be more patient.

Tanya's suggestions reminded me that striped tops are one of Angie's "essentials" that pull her wardrobe together. Since you have some style overlap with Angie and now both have this skirt - and IIRC also you both enjoy or at least have a high tolerance for hot weather? - maybe reviewing Angie's spring/summer "essentials" would be helpful in determining what neutral, wardrobe pull-together pieces you want.

I am glad that was helpful. Another thought: it simply could be that what would looks the best with the denim skirt, a more statement-y top, is not the same thing that would work with those colorful skirts, which need a simpler top. Sometimes one item cannot do it all, and getting two or more for different purposes is perfectly fine. I have actually made my worst mistakes when trying to find so called versatile items that would go with everything, only to discover at the end that they don’t work perfectly with any of those things.

Tanya - that is very wise observation. I made such a mistakes before trying to find something that would go with everything. It was usually big compromise or such a bland item that I never reached for it.

Jules - yes, I need to consider my essentials more carefully, I kind of skipped this exercise this year. Maybe this approach with monthly outfits is not the best for getting the essentials and filling wardrobe holes, because they make boring outfits.

Hmm, can you wear the new shirt with the grey and blue plaid pants? And the new skirt with the light blue and red blouse with the ties on the arms? It has the volume we have been suggesting.

Ok, I played a little bit more in my closet, trying some of the suggestions. Here is the result.

They all work. 3 is my favorite.
Does it bother you that your monthly outfit plan is taking a back seat to these pieces?

Fashintern- sorry I did not get the question

All winners - love the unexpected combo with the gingham pants, and the relaxed (slightly boho?) shirt with the skirt especially. You have a great wardrobe to draw from!

I love #3 and I like #2 and #4 equally. Slightly undecided about #1.
I think higher contrast looks better on you.

I agree about #1, I am unsure about tucked in top with lower waist of those pants. Hmmm..

I was also somewhat unsure about top in #3, it is slightly too big now and I feel like v-neck is too open. Hmmm..

I agree on 1 the proportions are off, but like 4 for that shirt. It fits great and with non-mask accessories will be a nice addition.

Yeah to be honest I was thinking the same about #1, that the top looks better with higher rise pants. Maybe we need to see it with footwear. But it's kind of a matter of degree in that you could totally wear that and look good, you just have better options. #3 just looks very relaxed to me and I like that vibe for me so I'm biased.

Re 3, and the neckline, you may just be suffering from Winter, where it feels weird to voluntarily subject any skin to air. When it gets a bit warmer, it will feel fine. Or you could fill with a really light tank.

I just meant that the emphasis is different this month—the outfit is taking a backseat to the separate pieces. I don’t think that’s a problem—they are great items that will work well in your wardrobe. But their effect together is not the wow, super awesome effect of the winter white outfit.

Fashintern- ah, yes, it is still be kind of outfit, just very boring one. But I think this is ok, because anyway my priority is to fill holes and get missing essentials. I just thought that it will be more fun to do it through outfits. But this month it is creating more frustration than fun. I don’t want to get one perfect outfit that will not work with the rest of my wardrobe. I would rather get basic outfit that will mix and match and create better outfits with other things in my wardrobe.

That’s smart, even though it’s less fun. I guess the fun comes in seeing what else you can do with those pieces.

Ooh, I really like no. 3!

I think that it is OK to have a deeper V-neck since the skirt is covering to much. I find that when I wear long skirts, a deeper neckline on top looks OK.

I also really like number 3, very breezy. Good idea mentioned above though to pop under a cami if the neckline bugs you.