8 new ways to wear jeans and a white t-shirt this season

As far as wardrobe staples go, few pairings are as quietly dependable or deceptively versatile as a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. Worn well, it’s the everyday equivalent of a perfectly tailored suit – considered yet uncomplicated. When styling indecision sets in and nothing else feels quite right, I often reach for my favourite wide-leg jeans and boxy Uniqlo T-shirt. And despite the formula’s unassuming reputation, I’ve come to learn that its simplicity is where its strengths lie.

Of course, eternal outfit inspiration comes from Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the face of the clean-lined minimalism that defined much of the ’90s. Today, we like to call it “quiet luxury”, yet there was nothing quiet about how Bessette-Kennedy put an outfit together. She understood the power of restraint and how a pair of perfectly cut jeans and a simple T-shirt could look intentional, too.

Modern-day savants include Katie Holmes, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, whose off-duty wardrobes all regularly feature iterations of the classic pairing. Whether worn baggy and tucked in with a sharp blazer, cropped under an oversized coat, or tightly fitted with slingback heels, the look endures, season after season.

And while the jeans and white T-shirt formula might be foundational, I’m a firm believer that it doesn’t have to feel formulaic. If anything, I see it as a blank canvas for fashion’s more expressive flourishes, be it a well-placed accessory, an unexpected silhouette or a great layer slung over the shoulders.

Really, what makes the combination so enduring is that most of us already have some version of it tucked away in our drawers – it doesn’t rely on trend cycles or spending a small fortune to work. A simple shift in silhouette, a different denim wash or a subtle tuck can make this universal uniform into something entirely your own.

Scroll to discover eight tried-and-tested ways to breathe new life into jeans and a white T-shirt.

Leather bomber + oversized bag

Mytheresa – Logo Cotton Jerset T-shirt

Net-A-Porter – Clint Oversized Leather Bomber Jacket

Toteme – High-Rise-Straight-Leg-Jeans

Arket – Shiny Leather Bags

Jorts + slim trainers

Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images

Harvey Nichols – Oval-Frame Sunglasses

mango – High-Rise Straight-Fit Rinse-Wash Jorts

Ecco – Boom Lite W Trainers

White jeans + graphic T-shirt

Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images

Martine Rose – Class T-Shirt

Bottega Veneta – Drop Chain Necklace

Net-A-Porter – Iro PVC Ballet Flats

Net-A-Porter – Low Slung Baggy Boyfriend Jeans

Trench coat + cowboy boots

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Roché – Classic Trench Coat

Mytheresa – Puzzle Biker Small Leather Tote Bag

Reformation – Cynthia High-Rise Straight

Selfridges – Leather Heeled Cowboy Boots

Cropped T-shirt + low-rise jeans

Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images

Net-A-Porter – Cropped Cotton-Jersey Turtleneck T-shirt

Net-A-Porter – Multipocket Leather Shoulder Bag

Harvey Nichols – Low Slung Baggy Wide-Leg Jeans

Net-A-Porter – Metallic Tabi Ballet Flats

Ripped white jeans + T-shirt

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Ssense – White Reconstituted Shirred Henley T-shirt

balenciaga – Women’s Le City Bag Small in Black

NORDSTROM – Ripped Side Cut Out Jeans

Free People – Bae Platform Clogs

Blazer + heeled sandals

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Ssense – White Claude Shirt

Net-A-Porter – Bea Crepe Blazer

Agolde – Fran Straight-Leg Low-Rise Jeans

Russel & Bromley – Slinky Strappy Heeled Sandal

Embroidered shirt + colourful accessories

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

With Nothing Underneath – The Boyfriend Linen White X Bellamy Jean

Net-A-Porter – Flamenco Leather Clutch

Arket – Cloud Low Loose Jeans

mango – Kitten Heel Sandal

This story was first published on Vogue.co.uk.

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