23 WAYS TO WEAR A WHITE SHIRT
As Trinny Woodall demonstrates, its versatility means it’s the magical staple for every woman’s wardrobe
Forget the little black dress — it’s a white shirt that’s the ultimate wardrobe staple. And, as trinny Woodall points out in an Instagram homage that’s clocked up more than 14,000 likes, it also has chameleon-like powers of transformation. Are there 23 ways to wear a white shirt, as she claims? If you have the right shirt and accessories, then possibly. But much more than a piece of white woven magic, this single wardrobe item is also the most democratic type of clothing a woman can own.
And I should know, having built a fashion label on designing the perfect everyday shirt. With Nothing Underneath was born in 2017 out of a desire to create something cool, elegant, ethical and affordable.
All women are built differently — from bust and hips to height — which can make finding some items of clothing tricky. But the white shirt is the ultimate egalitarian staple.
trust me when I say that everyone can wear one. A good white shirt — whether you favour a fitted style or an oversized ‘ boyfriend’ number — will probably be the hardestworking item in your wardrobe.
there’s a good reason a white shirt has been the stand-out item for countless glamorous women through the decades. take Audrey Hepburn’s, oversized and accessorised with an eye mask in Breakfast At tiffany’s; Julia roberts’s, tied at the waist in Pretty Woman; Uma thurman’s, sharply masculine in Pulp Fiction. each look was very different, but each impeccably stylish.
And who could forget the impact elegant women — from original supermodel Christy turlington to the late U.S. socialite Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy — have made by doing something so effortless as throwing on a crisp, white shirt and wearing it everywhere from the red carpet to the High Street.
As trinny highlights in her video, a white shirt is no one-trick pony. Whether worn with jeans and a fresh face or full-on glam with a sequin skirt and red lipstick, you can make a white shirt work for the lifestyle you live.
the confidence this single item of clothing can bring is undeniable. Princess Diana adored white shirts, but they became a staple part of her wardrobe only after her divorce, at a time when she was embracing more charity work and wanted to be taken more seriously — and what woman hasn’t done just that?
I was in my shop in London just before Christmas when a women rushed in to buy a shirt to wear to an interview that afternoon. She left with just what she needed, knowing it was a safe bet that would leave her looking smart and put together.
But if she had wanted a celebratory drink afterwards, that white shirt would have been just as well chosen.
You have only to look at the actress Zendaya, wearing a cropped white shirt with a long silver skirt at the oscars last year, to see just how sexy, fun and playful it can be, too.
Because a white shirt isn’t about fashion, but true enduring style. And at a time when we’re all trying to be more conscious consumers, what better to invest in?