Thrift Style: Men’s Dress Shirt

Last week in my Thrift Store Haul post I showed you a men’s dress shirt that I scooped up for less than $6. I’d been eyeing button up blouses, but not really sure if the look was too ‘preppy’ for me. I figured that by trying to style a thrifted shirt I could try the look out without too much commitment.

First things first though, it was a bit too big on me. Now, let me tell you, I am NOT a gifted seamstress at all. I have a sewing machine and I know how to sew a straight line. That’s about it. So, knowing that the arms were a bit too loose and the body could be a little more fitted, I put the shirt on inside-out and threw some pins in to make it a little smaller. Then, I put it on the machine and stitched four straight lines. That’s it. And the lines weren’t even that straight.

Here’s after I spent a few minutes sewing:

Men's shirt before and after

Not a huge change — you can mostly tell around the arms– but I’m no longer swimming in it.

So now that the shirt looks a little better on me, I decided to try styling it in a few different ways. Oh, and forgive me for the crappy pictures. It was too cold to go outside and I just set my camera up for some casual shots and didn’t even bother getting my whole body. What can I say, I’ve been busy!

Look #1: Paired with a Grandpa Sweater

Look 1

For my first try at wearing the men’s shirt, I was inspired by the layering in this pin. I really liked the loose shirt, loose sweater, cute cuffs and skinny jeans, so I decided to try it for myself. I’ve had this sweater for a couple years, but hardly ever pull it out of my closet. By pairing it with the button up shirt, I feel like it makes it a little less stuffy and I’m kind of loving the mix!

Look #2: Office Chic

Look 2

For my second look, I decided to try it with a more fitted three-quarter sleeve sweater. Instead of just folding the cuffs up once, I doubled the over on themselves again to match the sleeve length of the cardigan. The more fitted shape gives the whole look a more preppy look and I can see pairing this with a pair of trousers and wearing this to work.

Look #3: Masculine + Feminine

Look 3

Janice from Mom Life & Style really rocks this look (you can see her version here) and this was one of the first outfits I wanted to try to recreate with my men’s shirt. I tried it both with a belt and without, but I still don’t think it’s quite a winner on me.

Look #4: Paired with Sassy Pants

Look 4

I love these coral colored skinny jeans that I got from Stitch Fix, but I find them really hard to style. I mean, they basically scream LOOK AT ME, so I want to tone them down a bit to leave the house. Mouthy pants. I kind of like the mix of topping the bright pants with the men’s button up and a peek of my black tank top.  What do you think?

I have to say, I definitely got more than $6 worth of fun out of this shirt and it hasn’t even left the house yet. While I’m still not sure if I’m really a ‘button up’ type girl, I can see myself wearing it in so many different ways that it has earned a space in my closet.

Oh and I didn’t forget about Susan’s comment on the Thrift Haul post suggesting I try styling it like Audrey Hepburn, it just didn’t work. I think once I tailored it a bit smaller it didn’t have enough extra fabric to make the wrap work well. Or, my boobs where the problem.

Now I want to know… which look do you like best?

Like what you see? Share me with your friends!

11 thoughts on “Thrift Style: Men’s Dress Shirt”

  1. You fancy thing, you. Such a renaissance woman. I like it best in Office Chic and Paired With A Grandpa Sweater. And I’m a fan of the mouthy pants.

  2. I’m with Jessy, I love the button up with both sweater styles. And you rock the mouthy pants! It’s great to see you try the various styles and share them with us. I’m so neutral with my wardrobe, I look to you for ideas on how to switch it up!

  3. I agree with you! It looks good with the sweaters and Inlike it with the coral pants, but not a huge fan of the skirt. I wasn’t a button up girl either, but after I bought my first one I was hooked. I think I have 5 now. Ironing has become such a pain!

  4. I like it with both the cardigans! Good find! Not all Goodwill stores are as good as others. I found one in my area that consistently has good stuff. One of my favorite finds was a really cute Michael Kors top for $5. It’s so fun to go hunt every so often!

  5. Thanks for liking mine and linking to it! I also got mine at the thrift store, great find. I honestly like how you styled it in all four pictures. I also like to wear mine under crewneck sweaters, peeking out a bit, and even under sleeveless dresses or tunics. You are lucky, mine needs ironing every time!

  6. I can’t believe you were able to get so many different looks from that one mens t shirt! It looks wonderful on you, and I love how polished all of your looks are, especially knowing how incredibly inexpensive it was! Thank you so much for sharing, you look great!

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