How to Style a Graphic Tee with the Blended Blog

You guys, I have some really exciting news this morning!  I have been invited to be a contributor to The Blended Blog!  TBB is a collaboration between fifteen (now sixteen!) lovely women.  Each writes her own unique fashion or lifestyle blog and also creates content for The Blended Blog. I haven't worked with them for long but I have already found them to be a warm and encouraging group of women who have a lot of interesting things to say!

The ladies of TBB are in the middle of a personal style challenge called Style Perspectives, so today I'm jumping right in!  Each Wednesday, all of us will feature an outfit that follows weekly prompts that you can find below.

This week, the ladies of The Blended Blog are styling our favorite graphic tees!  Since I just joined this collaboration, I didn't have time to take new outfit photos.  Instead, I've compiled several of my favorite graphic tee looks as well as some of my favorite tips for styling them!

I've mentioned it before, but graphic tees are one of my favorite ways to express my personality through my clothing!  I love supporting my favorite restaurants, showing my state of Michigan pride, cheering for my favorite sports teams and showing my Frenchie-ness through my graphic tees!

As I teacher, I also find myself wearing shirts to support my school rather frequently as well as in a work setting.  I think this is where I started getting a bit creative in how I style my graphic tees.

Here are my top three tips for wearing graphic tees so that you aren't just wearing jeans and a t-shirt:

1.  Graphic Tee + Skirt

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This is definitely my favorite way to style a graphic tee!  Instead of pulling on a pair of jeans, just throw on a skirt instead!  I've found that tucking the tee into the skirt looks best because it defines your waist.  And in terms of choosing a skirt, almost anything will work!  I've matched a color in the tee to the skirt, I've chosen a bold contrasting-colored skirt and I've even gone with patterns!

2.  Graphic Tee + Dress

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The key to this look is to wear the graphic tee over your dress to create a t-shirt and skirt look!  I find that this works best with more fitted tees and dresses that have a-line skirts.

3.  Graphic Tee + Over Layer

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If you really are just a jeans and tee kind of a girl, that's alright!  You can spice up your outfit just a little bit by adding a layer over your tee.  This works with patterned tops (plaid, gingham, etc.), chambray shirts, cardigans or blazers!  Here are a couple of other over layer looks for your inspiration.

 

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And now let's talk a little bit more about the Style Perspectives series!  You can find the schedule below and we hope that you will play along and link-up your looks every Wednesday!

Here is how the ladies of The Blended Blog styled their jeans, tees, cardis and statement necklaces from last week!

ONCE UPON A TIME & HAPPILY EVER AFTER : Library-Lovin’-Lady

DAILY STYLE FINDS: The Personal Stylist

FOXY’S DOMESTIC SIDE: The Crafty Engineer

SIMPLY SHAUNACEY: Reformed Frumpy Mommy

TWO TEENS AND THEIR MAMA: Stylish Midlife Mama

RSQUARED: The Not So Nerdy Accountant

SHOES TO SHIRAZ: The Shoe Hoarding French Teacher

PUPPIES AND PRETTIES: Cube Dwelling Fashionista

MISHAPS AND MAYHEM OF SOLITARY LIFE: Single Girl, Simple Style

A LOVELY LITTLE WARDROBE: A Casual Petite

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERYDAY Classic Yet Current Over Forty

NICKANDNIK: Mama with Curves

LIVING ON CLOUD NINE: Blissful Fashionista

WHITNEY À LA MODE: A book-loving French Teacher

An InLinkz Link-up

Where I'm linking-up!

Create28: My Graphic Tee Look

Welcome back for Day 2 of Create28: Lovely Summer Looks!  Today it's my turn to show you one of my favorite ways to style a graphic tee!

Graphic tees are a great way to express your personality or interests (like my love for Hop Cat in East Lansing) through your clothing.  On top of that, there are so many ways to style a graphic tee.  You can wear one simply with a pair of skinny jeans or boyfriend shorts.  For a little bit of interest, you can add a vest or cardigan.  If you want a more glamorous look, add a sparkly necklace and a pair of heels!

I really like to create a feminine look by wearing a graphic tee with a skirt.  However, when I was putting this outfit together, I felt like I had exhausted all of my skirt pairings.  Where did I look next?  To my dresses!  If you aren't feeling excited about your skirts, try layering a shirt over dress to create a faux-skirt look!  When I wore this outfit to a get-together with friends, a girlfriend of mine complimented me on my skirt...so I think I pulled this one off!

Need some more inspiration?  Take a look at my graphic tee Pinterest board:

Follow Whitney R.'s board Graphic Tee Looks on Pinterest.

Are you playing along with Create28?  Snap a photo of your graphic tee look and share it with us on Instagram (#Create28SummerLooks) or during our Monday link-up!

Come back tomorrow to see how Casey styles a maxi dress!

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Target (similar, similar)

T-Shirt: Hop Cat 

Flats: LOFT (similar, similar)

All Things French

I've mentioned before that I am a high school French teacher.  At this point, I've spent more than half of my life learning and teaching the French language and la culture française.  What started as a choice in 8th grade classes has become a lifelong love of mine.  I have traveled to France five times, including a study abroad trip and school year teaching English in Bordeaux.  When I'm not in France, part of me will always long to be there!

Along with the love of a beautiful country and its culture, my passion has also found me wanting to buy every single shirt, necklace and tchotchke sporting the Eiffel Tower or other French-related things.  Having already purchased a significant number of these items, I now have to stop myself and ask a couple of very important questions: "Do I need this?" and "Is this cool Eiffel Tower or cheesy Eiffel Tower?" (because there is a difference, mes amis).

I own several graphic t-shirts featuring French phrases, including this "Bisous" tee.  And now for your French lesson of the day: "bisous" means "kisses" en français!

I loved mixing the grey stripes of this tee with the printed polka dots of the skirt!  One handy trick to fail-proof pattern mixing is to keep your patterns in the same color scheme...like I did with grey!  Très chic, non?

And if you love French tees as much as I do, take a look at all of the lovely ones I've found below.  If you happened to send one of these to your favorite blogging French teacher, she would send you a great big "merci" right back!  (Click on the image to be taken to the store.)

What I'm Wearing:

Tee: Banana Republic (see above for similar)

Skirt: LOFT (similar)

Sandals: DSW (similar, similar)

Linking-Up:

Cha Cha the Fashion Genuis and Pink Sole- #HowISummer

DC in Style- Monday Bloom

Elegance and Mommyhood- Skirts Link-Up

Fizz and Frosting- Mix It Mondays

Greater Than Rubies- Remix Rewear Restyle: Patterned Bottoms

The Modern Austen- Sunday Best

Perspective- What I Wore to Church

Style Elixir- Style Sessions

Life is Great

I've been feeling particularly into graphic tees lately.  T-shirts are obviously comfortable, can be dressed up or down, and graphic ones are such a fun way to express your personality.  If you love something, why don't you tell us about on your shirt?!?

Me, for example?  I adore my home state of Michigan!  I mean, I'm pretty obsessed.  So many miles of beautiful coastline along the greatest of lakes, four very different seasons, Michigan State University AND the nicest people around...it's my kind of place!  That's why, when I spotted this Michigan tee at an art festival, I knew I had to have it!  Because life is great in Michigan (not to mention we are surrounded by the Great Lakes...did you pick-up on that play on words?).

As I mentioned above, a graphic tee can be dressed up or down!  I wore mine with my new scalloped shorts and some pop-of-color flats for a casual Saturday spent at a wine and beer festival in Washington D.C.  My t-shirt gave me an instant conversation starter as I wandered around the festival...not to mention it attracted all of my fellow Michiganders!  I'm looking forward to pairing it with skirts and cropped pants for the rest of the summer!

If you could express something that you love on your tee, what would it be?

What I'm Wearing:
Michigan Tee: Smitten Designs Studio (exact)
Shorts: Anthropologie (exact)
Flats: Aldo (similar, similar)

Linking-Up:
Cha Cha the Fashion Genius and Pink Sole- #HowISummer
Fizz and Frosting- Mix It Monday
Greater Than Rubies- Remix Rewear Restyle: T-Shirts
Style Elixir- Style Sessions