Sunday 7 – Cool High St Tees

Hello & welcome to another Sunday 7.

Blimey Sunday’s come round fast, don’t they?!

This week I’m going to run through 7 of what I think are the best high-street statement tee’s.

And by ‘statement’ tee, I suppose I mean slogan t-shirts… which are very regular t-shirts with some added interest.   I had wanted to do a full list of tee’s which simply have the year emblazoned across them, but I couldn’t find enough of those (and some were sold out!)… so generic statement tee’s it is!

I always promised myself I wouldn’t be one of those bloggers or instagrammers who bangs on about the weather all the time, but… hey, this is Britain, and it’s kind of hard to *not* mention the weather at all.

So, we’ve recently had a really mixed bag of winter vs spring weather… and it’s got me thinking about my wardrobe for the milder months ahead… and the HUGE gaping hole in the way of simple basics.

T-shirts are my current obsession – so that’s what I’m looking at this week.  There are so many great ones available on the high street at the mo, which are both cool and great value for money.  However, I didn’t really want to look at true basic-basic plain tops, as it was a tad boring.

Let’s get stuck in: first up is a tee that’s technically not *high street* but you know, La Redoute is a great place for both a bargain, and excellent service.  An online retailer which is a very well oiled machine, and easy to order from and return to if you’re not happy with your purchase.

7. La Redoute: Merci Beau Coup tee (£16 30% off with BIG30)

This cute little tee did the rounds on Instagram early last Autumn (I think) and for me, was one of those ‘insta made me do it’ purchases.

No sooner did I get it, than my sister asked me to order her one too, and another one for her 15 year old daughter… though the 15 year old didn’t want to be *exactly* the same as both her ageing mum and ageing Aunty, so she opted for the grey:

With a discount, I think it came to £12 when I bought it… I can confirm that the size 6/8 is just that, fits me with a tiny bit of slouch (which I like) and its pretty good quality for the price and washes well.

6. Topshop: Femme Forever (£15)

In the wake of the US Presidential election, and for most of us, the devastating result… there has been a wave of feminism resurfacing.

I think that until recently, a lot of women were afraid to admit to being a feminist or quite simply, saw ‘feminist’ as a bit of a dirty word and embarrassingly (in my opinion), feminism got a hard time.

But, I have to say, I am always grateful to the women of the past who fought for the very rights which I enjoy today and although I don’t have a daughter of my own, I do try and instil in my boys, right from the get go about how we are all equal, regardless of gender, race, orientation, looks and so on.

Ok, that’s as heavy as I get on here… this Topshop t-shirt, isn’t exactly a heavy-weight political statement, but it’s certainly a nod to the wave of anger many of us are feeling around the world about the backward steps being taken by the US.

Or at least, that’s how I see it.

Perhaps, I’m reading too much into it and it’s just a rather cool t-shirt for a rather reasonable price?!

5. Topshop – Copenhagen tee (£22)

I am in love with this t-shirt… I think it’s something about it’s monochrome-ness (yes, not a real word, I know!).

I love the font too… not that I’m a font geek you understand… if I were, I’d be naming the precise font, wouldn’t I?!

I think the only reason this remains in my basket rather than being an actual purchase is the £22 price tag vs the look of the quality of the tee online… it looks pretty see-through on the close up pic on the Topshop site, and that it’s possibly made from a looser weave of fabric which kind of puts me off.

I suppose the only real way of find out is to just get on with ordering it.  I’ll keep you posted if I do!

4. Mango: 1984 Tee (£15.99)

Love this tee from Mango who are, totally killing it right now… well, certainly in the t-shirt front as they have a great many lovely ones (although admittedly, they have a fair few turkeys as well!)

Now although this t-shirt has 1984 emblazoned across it in cheery, patriotic colours, the font (I know – again with the font! sorry) and the colours both give it a late 70s vibe.

Reminds me of the Red Hand Gang which I loved and so wanted to be in (their gang!).

It’s on my “I want it, so I will have it – eventually” list.

(As long as it doesn’t sell out, of course)

3. HM: 1971 tee (£8.99)

I have ordered this tee – it’s my birth year!

I can’t imagine that for a penny under £9 that it’s going to be the hardest wearing, best quality t-shirt in the world, but it is a bargain (I bought it with a 20% discount code which has expired now, sorry),

And another red, white and blue tee… a theme seems to be emerging here!

2. Mango: Minimal tee (£12.99)

Another one which I’ve ordered but yet to receive.

Compiling these Sunday 7 lists are dangerous for my bank balance!

I know that nothing can ever be as simple as a good quality, basic, plain white tee… but in the statement tee stakes, this one is,  for me, the perfect simple – minimal tee.

I adore the look of this Mango tee, and until Friday daytime (when I drafted this blog post), this tee was my number 1.

However, scrolling though Instagram Stories on Friday evening, I came across another cute tee, which pipped this Mango tee to the post…

1. Olive and Frank: Tomboy Tee (£26)

So, as I idly watched Stories on Instagram on Friday evening, nosing into others lives whilst waiting for my husband to finish a bit of work so we could get on and watch a film… the lovely Belle was opening a wee package up which had this t-shirt inside.

I was straight on the Olive & Frank site to check it out.

And it’s love.

I haven’t ordered it, simply because I have placed a few orders this week, so perhaps one for next month (i.e. Wednesday?)!!  Plus, if you sign up to the newsletter, there’s a 10% discount to be bagged.

The slogan on the tee appeals to me because at heart – a Tomboy is precisely what I am!

Love the styling here on the Olive and Frank page as well.

Plus it’s a deviation from the red, white and blue as it’s just red and white: ha!!

And so that’s my top 7 high street tee’s.

What about my Stinker of the week?

I think that with these slogan tee’s… it’s a pretty personal thing, if the slogan speaks to you, then of course, you like it.  I have no doubt that some of my top 7 are total no-no’s for others.

However, this week, I’ve had a hard time picking out just one no-no for me.

I wouldn’t ever go for this Mango Heart breaker (£17.99 – why so much?):

There is a naffness (yup, another made up word) to this tee shirt that I just couldn’t cope with wearing.

And neither would I ever wear this Topshop Teenage Angst (£22)

Am I showing my age here, with not loving this one?

Possibly.

Or possibly, I’m not old enough… if I looked visibly older, I guess I could then wear it, in an ironic sort of way.

Who am I kidding?  I wouldn’t wear it at all.  Given my apparent love of fonts… this cartoon-esque one of the slogan makes me shudder with horror and it gets a thumbs down; just a bit too naff from me.

And finally, Wildcard time.

It’s kind of tricky to go crazy wild, with a tee… so I’ve been very literal this week with the ‘wild’ element:

This Mango Wild Tiger tee (£15.99) is a tad naff… it would have been better with just the tiger, without the words ‘wild tiger’ on it… however, there is something about it which I’m drawn to.

In fact, it sort of reminds me of the Tiger Balm packaging, which in turn brings back happy, carefree travelling memories.

And how would I style it?

As far as styling up a tee – anything goes really, which I think most of you already know… but here are 3 ways I’d wear mine:

Look 1 – Smart-ish: Wearing a statement tee with a tailored suit… (or of course, just a tailored jacket & jeans / tailored trousers & denim jacket) instantly creates interest to your look, and takes away any uber-smartness, just creating a wee soupçon of edginess.   So here, I’ve gone for a very loud Tailored Suit Jacket & Trousers, both from Topshop ( £65 and £35 respectively) plus these rather gorgeous Mango Velcro Fastening Sneakers (£39.99) to finish the look off.

Look 2 – Minimal: I love a good wide leg crop, so I will definitely be sporting this look over the coming months.   Here I’ve gone for these Mango Straight-cut Crops (£19.99) and this rather gorgeous & Other Stories Bomber Cardigan (£55) and some classic Nike Leather Cortez (£65) in red, white and blue (of course!)

Look 3 – Classic: Going for the classic Levi 501 (House of Fraser – £45) and Converse All Star Hi‘s (Office £47.99) combo here.  You can’t go wrong with this look.  But, I have added a jacket with this look, which may not be for everyone: going for a plain blazer or biker would be the obvious, safe choice.  However, I’m currently coveting this Next Herringbone Heritage Jacket (£70) and was rather desperate to include it somewhere!

Rather predictably, I’ve gone for flat footwear (trainers in fact!) with all my looks, simply because that’s what I naturally gravitate towards.  But, you could wear a heel with some jeans and a smart jacket… or go for ankle boots with Look 3 instead of the converse?

Right – that’s it from me for this Sunday… what do you think of my top 7?  Would the Tomboy tee make it to your number one, or is that just me?

As ever, would love to hear from your – leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.

Bx