ahh, summertime.
for the modest girls in the crowd it can be difficult to
find modest clothes without literally being the hottest.
a reader wrote in with this fine q:
can you maybe do a post about layering tanks over tees? I see some ladies who manage this beautifully and those gorgeous summer tanks and dresses look like they were designed to be worn with a little tee underneath, and I see some who look like, well, they're wearing a tank top over a tee shirt and it just looks silly. Maybe you can share some how-tos?
well sweet girl, i'm glad you asked.
i too have seen it down well
and
also done terribly.
the secret?
well, it's actually a two part secret.
the t that you wear to layer is the foundation of this look.
you can't just wear any t-shirt.
if you wore a regular cotton t-shirt it creates bulk
where (i'm pretty sure) you don't want bulk.
lucky for us there are many companies these days
that have layering pieces.
downeast basics and shade clothing are my two favorites
(if you have favorites, share them in the comments)
i love the longer sleeve because i'm not a
huge fan of my upper arms.
the half sleeve undershirt (in white) gets
so much use in my closet that i have to replace it every few
months...or just have 3 of them...which i also have.
i love the cap sleeve ones for under
dresses or shirts that are see through but have sleeves
or that have really big arm holes.
shade makes a layer tee now that has a longer sleeve than the cap,
it's a good in-between.
another point of concern is the neck line.
if you wear a undershirt that's neckline is really high
it looks like you're wearing a shirt,
look for a scoop neck style or a cut that is showing
most of your collar bone.
so the second part of pulling off the tank over t-shirt look
is the type of tank you choose.
it's my experience that you go wrong
with this look when you choose a tank that is
too form fitting
or
too casual.
none of these tanks below are
what i would wear on top of a t-shirt
to me, the first thing you think
is, "that girl is wearing a tank over her t-shirt"
now this isn't to say these aren't fine alone though.
i would wear any of these layered over each other
or alone with a short sleeve cardi and bermudas
or jeans. these tanks aren't bad, they are just
a bad option for this particular look.
onto the tanks that do work.
you want to look for something that looks
like it could be a blouse.
and
for a looser/airy fit.
all of these tanks below have different qualities that
make them a "yes"
now i don't want you to look at these
and think that you can only pull this look
off with an empire waist or "baggy" tank.
that's not the case.
on the second row the dark pink tank,
has a closer cut, but is still loose looking, same with
the floral one next to it.
both of those tanks look loose but are still cut
close to the body...without being skin tight.
it's called "grazing" the body.
a quick tip for dresses and undershirts:
don't wear undershirts with something too low cut,
when it's obvious that cleavage is supposed to be showing
it just looks a bit silly if it's a t-shirt instead...
you could opt for a tank underneath
and a light cardi on top if it's a dress you really love.
i would say no to halter or bra strap styles either.
and of course, try on, try on, try on.
sometimes i think an undershirt will look great under
a dress and once i put it on i realize a different type
of undershirt is necessary to pull off the right look
or sometimes it just doesn't look right at all.
usually your intuition is right.
do you feel gorgeous in it?
then wear it!
