Style note: the blue shirt

The shirt is a staple of my own wardrobe. Be it white, blue, pink, gingham, striped, checked, safari, it’s the item I reach for the most often. So I’ve decided to pay more attention to it and other timeless pieces on my blog.

The white shirt remains one of my most beloved items and the one I usually turn to, but I have to confess that blue and light pink are the colours that suit my pale skin tone more. And because I feel I am always on the hunt for the perfect blue shirt (or for any perfect shirt for that matter), for today I’ve made a selection of blue shirt styling inspiration (I know how in handy these ideas can be), completed by a new brand I’ve discovered.

 
The light blue shade of these shirts is not only classic, but so perfect for spring. It’s so versatile and so difficult to resist incorporating it in my outfits on a weekly basis. I love the harmony of a light blue-beige-white look, and the pairing of a soft blue shirt and black is so sleek, that you don’t need heels or skirts to make it elegant.

I was talking to a friend a couple of weekends ago and we were both expressing our wish for a larger variety of men’s inspired shirts, or better said, a shirt with men’s style and detailing, but a woman’s fit. The kind with a slightly looser fit and longer length, and simple, but impeccable details, like a  substantial collar (I need the collar to stay straight because I usually wear it rolled up) and high quality buttons. The type Emmanuelle Alt has transformed into one of her signature pieces. A shirt that says effortless and luxurious without any styling artifices, as men’s clothes usually do. So I was happy to discover the brand Claridge+King. I fell flat for their beautiful shirts, that encompass everything I’m looking for. And the blue selection is simply fabulous: in light blue, indigo gingham and bright blue striped pinpoint, it instantly became the object of my desires.

photo: Max Doyle for Vogue Australia, November 2007. Milou Sluis styled by Ilona Hamer for the editorial “A Moment in the Sun”. 2: 9to5Chic / 3-Street Peeper / 4-Stockholm Streetstyle / 5-Streetfsn / 6-A House in the Hills / 7-Marko MacPherson for Vogue.com (Hanneli Mustaparta) / 8-Claridge+King’s Ivy Shirt