Take it to the Top

So now we've come to the part of my wardrobe with the most gaps.  Tops.  For a while, I had 6 identical white v-neck tees that I basically wore ad nauseum.  They went well with over jeans and under long cardigans.  Sometimes I'd even throw a bright scarf on if I was feeling kicky.  But that's boring.  And I got tired of boring.  So I started trying to buy new tops here & there, but I feel like I keep bringing home pieces that don't fit well into my overall wardrobe.  Part of that problem is that I still don't know what my overall "style" is.  Once I figure that out, I feel like adding new pieces will be that much easier.

Anyway, let's check out these tops!

Yes, I'm just re-using an image from yesterday.  This is a maroon Mossimo tank top from Target.  I have an identical one in black, as well as 4 basic black ribbed tanks from Old Navy, two of which are slightly faded and stretched out and are only worn as pjs.  These are snug enough that I can tuck them into things, but I can also leave them out over jeans.

My slightly-too-large peach tank top from Gap.  I like the pale peach color and like I said before, I'll eventually get around to shortening those straps.  I have teeny tiny shoulders that don't like to keep straps up. I am forever pulling up my bra straps, no matter how I try to adjust them.  Everything just slides right off my shoulders.  This is definitely a top that needs to be left untucked, which means it really only goes with pants ans I don't have too many skirts that look good with untucked tops.

This is my one and only piece from Anthropologie.  I found it the first time I went into one of their stores, years and years ago with my mom.  We were totally sticker shocked until she found the sale room in the very back.  Even in the sale room, things seemed ridiculously overpriced to us, but then, we're really cheap.  I think we paid $15 for this, which we decided was worth it because it's silk.  It's a pain in the ass though, because it wrinkles so bad and ironing silk is a slow process.  I love the pale yellow color and it has the prettiest pale blue embroidery on the yoke.  This one is also untuckable due to the length.

My newest top, the $7 shirt from Marshalls that I deconstructed.  I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I feel like it looks okay underneath cardigans and blazers.  Again, another top that doesn't look good tucked in, so it really only goes with my pants.  Are you seeing the pattern here?

My crazy cat lady blouse!  Alas, it is really big & baggy and thanks to my tiny shoulders, it has a tendency to become an off-the-shoulder top.  But I love the print!  I've tried tucking this one in, but because it is so baggy, it just looks odd.

My feather blouse from Forever 21.  Another untuckable top and another too-big top.  This one is actually already in the discard pile in my closet.  I haven't been wearing it much lately anyway and it is just too big, even though it is meant to be a bit oversized.  I have the same problem as the crazy cat lady blouse in that it becomes off-the-shoulder.

Now we're getting into my tshirts!  I mentioned that I used to have 6 of these white v-necks, but now this is the last one.  Two of them are hanging out in my towel drawer due to stains, and I threw out another one for the same reason.  The other two were stolen out of my laundry.  I really love these tees though.  They're made by Next Level and I buy them on Amazon.  I think after my next payday I'm going to order a few more.  Even though they're boring, they're versatile and easy!

And the gray version of the above v-neck.  They offer a few other colors and I think I might pick up another gray and maybe a bright pink one.

This one is by BDG and I picked it up on sale at Urban Outfitters.  It used to have a light blue sister, but that one got a major hole in the front and had to be put out to pasture.  I like the color of this one, but it is SO thin.    I mean, I'm wearing a nude colored bra in this picture and you can totally see it.  So thin!

Speaking of thin, this one just keeps getting more and more threadbare, every time I wash it.  I don't know how much longer it'll be around, but I love it so much that I can't stop wearing it!  I've looked into trying to replace it, but the only one I've found on eBay was like $60!  I think I paid $11 and it came with a 45 of "Owner of a Lonely Heart"!  I just love the style & shape & colors in this shirt.  So great.

And my Jimi Hendrix tee.  This one is tied with the Yes shirt as being in my closet the longest.  I know I got both of them my freshman year of college.  You can see here how big this one is on me.  Look how far the shoulder seams go down my arm!  This one doesn't really fit well into my "style" but it's sentimental, so I keep it!

I think I've had this one since my freshman or sophomore year of college.  It came from an old drive-in in my hometown of Aurora, Illinois.  The place was called Swoney's and it was known for its homemade root beer and for hosting a Cruise Night for classic cars the first Friday of every month.  My step-dad has a 1954 Chevy truck that he rebuilt, so we used to take it down sometimes when I was in high school.  I don't really wear this shirt out of the house much, but it's super comfy.

This is probably new newest tshirt purchase.  It's from Threadless and I loved the design and the little pop of color in the middle.  The shape of the tee is different for me, which I also like.  But, because of the design, I can't really tuck it in.  So it only goes with my pants.

Another fun little owl shirt!  This one was a gift from a friend and was one of the Halloween shirts from Target a few years ago.  I don't wear this one out as much either, but it is super cute!

And then there are my sports team shirts!  I mentioned earlier that my hometown is Aurora, Illinois and that's about 40 miles west of Chicago.  I grew up a Cubbies fan and...

a Bears fan!  I actually had a Chicago Bears coloring book when I was a wee Sarah.  Apparently they were sold at gas stations after the Bears one the Super Bowl in the '85-'86 season.  I definitely watch football more than baseball, but those are my teams!  The mister is a Patriots/Red Sox fan, so we have some fun rivalry going on there!

And these are the other tshirts I own, but don't really wear out of the house much.  From left to right, my race shirt from my 5k this summer, the free tshirt I got for going to all 6 distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with the mister in March, and a shirt from the mister's ship!  Please note the terrifying PENGUIN.  The penguin is apparently the mascot of his ship, and it would appear that penguin has been hitting the 'roids and HARD!

So, there are clearly some major gaps in my wardrobe when it comes to tops.  I have a LOT of casual tees and all of my nicer tops are untuckable.  I have zero button-downs and zero pullover sweaters and zero long-sleeved shirts.  So that, along with tuckable tops, is what I've been trying to look out for to add to my wardrobe.