What The Women of Wear + Where + Well Are Wearing

Happy Monday to you all! We have a special treat for you today: the second edition of What the Women of Wear + Where + Well Are Wearing, featuing this J.Crew striped shirt. Every few months, we pick a reasonably priced, versatile piece that we all agree would make a good addition to our closets. Then, we style it in ways that we would naturally wear it for each of our unique lifestyles.

If you recall, the first installment focused on this white midi skirt which was perfect for summer. Keep reading for more info on what we chose and how we styled it this time…

J.Crew Striped Cotton Shirt

This season, we were drawn to this J.Crew striped cotton shirt – available here and here. We can’t resist a classic with a twist! And that’s exactly what this one is.

In J.Crew’s words, “We resurrected one of our best-selling men’s styles from 2014 just for our women’s collection. It features four of our favorite striped shirts in one.” This classic shirt with a fun striped twist creates a cool mismatched look that we love!

Keep reading to see how we each styled this top. Plus, I thought it would be fun to do a fall Q&A with the team. I hope you enjoy getting to know this fabulous group of ladies a bit better…

Q&A with Carrie

Carrie Colbert, founder and editor-in-chief

1. What’s your favorite fall memory?

I’m probably going to catch some flack for this unpopular opinion, but I’m actually more of a spring girl. Maybe that’s because it’s still over 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Houston right now, so I’ve never had that quintessential fall experience. After reading Ashley and Hannah’s responses below, I’m more convinced than ever that I need to travel north for a true fall experience.

However, if I had to pick a favorite fall memory (outside of the cliche football and Thanksgiving memories), I’d probably pick last fall! Actually, it was this exact week last year that my guy and I traveled to Europe for a multi-purpose trip to celebrate our anniversary.

We started the trip in Paris to do things that each of us love. I, of course, love fashion, so we went to Paris Fashion Week. And he loves horse racing, so we attended the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse. Then, we took the train to Amsterdam. It was my first time there, and I absolutely fell in love with it. It’s such a casual, charming, walkable city.

2. What are you most excited about for this fall season? 

Later this fall, I’ll be traveling to my favorite city London once again. This time, it will be to attend a business school! I love business, and I love learning, so I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity.

3. Tell us about how you styled this shirt.

I wanted to give the shirt a fun, quirky look. So I started by layering it over a tank, leaving it unbuttoned, and tying it in the front – giving it a bit of an 80s vibe. Then I paired it with some boyfriend jeans, some statement heels, and a clutch that’s bound to make you smile.

Style tip: A little more insight on why I chose those bright orange pumps… It works because orange is a complementary color to blue. Complementary colors are those which are exactly opposite each other on the color wheel. The high contrast nature of complementary colors creates a vibrant look, which I of course love.

4. Where might you wear this outfit? 

I will wear variations of this look a ton this season. For this specific styling, I will wear this out to lunch with girlfriends and for an afternoon of shopping.

Q&A with Ashley

Ashley Cardoza, resident graphic design guru and photographer 

1. What’s your favorite fall memory?

Growing up in Connecticut, fall is my absolute favorite season ever. My favorite fall memories include going to the apple orchard and picking apples, eating fresh cider donuts, and drinking fresh pressed cider. Seriously, I really love all things apples and New England falls. I just wish I could hop on Route 8 and drive up to Massachusetts and just look at the colors of fall. Also, my other favorite memories include all the soccer that is played in the fall up in New England.

2. What are you most excited about for this fall season? 

I am desperately excited for cooler weather here in Houston. I can’t wait to wear jeans and not feel like I am punishing my legs. Also, I also can’t wait to load my babies into their carseats and not melt. It’s the little things, right?

3. Tell us about how you styled this shirt.

I am the casual one of the bunch. I styled this shirt with a tank top, my favorite olive green shorts of this season, and my everyday Chaco sandals.

4. Where might you wear this outfit? 

We just spent a week camping in Colorado. This was an easy outfit for me to wear around Estes Park, away from the campsite. I also imagine myself wearing this around town this fall with my girls.

Q&A with Hannah

Hannah Lyons, college intern and all-around cool kid

1. What’s your favorite fall memory?

I chuckled to myself reading Ashley’s favorite fall memory, because mine is almost identical. I spent most of my childhood in Michigan, and it is absolutely gorgeous during the fall. My mom and grandparents would take me to Uncle John’s Cider Mill in St. John’s, Michigan. There, we picked out pumpkins and ate apple cider donuts along with drinking my forever favorite beverage, fresh pressed cider. There is no other place I’d rather be for the season of fall.

2. What are you most excited about for this fall season? 

I can’t wait to be able to wear scarves, hats, boots, and sweatshirts. I am all about comfort and there is nothing better than cuddling up during the colder weather season. Also, as basic as it is, I love all the pumpkin-flavored foods. Just recently I bought some pumpkin chai tea.

3. Tell us about how you styled this shirt.

I was hesitant about the top at first, but it’s now a favorite of mine. I actually love the  I decided to pair it with some cropped orange pants and some bold shoes. Because of the top’s many patterns, I paired it with bold but solid statement pieces (e.g. orange pants, platform sneakers, layered gold necklace).

4. Where might you wear this outfit? 

I’ve worn this this outfit on busy days where I had to meet with professors, do blog work, and run errands. After the shoot, I actually wore this outfit for the rest of the day. I like that the shirt has a business professional feel – it definitely adds some sophistication.

Q&A with Maritere

Maritere Rice, photographer extraordinaire and wall and color lover

1. What’s your favorite fall memory?

Fall is my favorite season, so overall this is a happy season for me. But my favorite fall season must be the one that included two special occasions: my civil wedding in September many years ago, and a beautiful trip to the Mediterranean that my brothers and I did with my mom and Dad shortly after my dad recovered from an open heart surgery. It was a celebration of life, love, and family!

2. What are you most excited about for this fall season? 

I’m excited about several trips, including the one I’m currently enjoying in London, and an upcoming trip to New York with several of my lifelong friends.

3. Tell us about how you styled this shirt.

I love layers and dresses, so this was no brainier! I so much liked the stripes and different patterns on the shirt, and wanted to showcase these details, so I picked a plain color dress that wouldn’t take attention away from it. I also wanted this to be a transitioning outfit for fall, given it is my favorite season and I was looking into updating my wardrobe with fresh options for the season. Blue and black are one of my favorite color combos, so I picked a great and comfortable black dress and pair of over the knee almost-flat blue suede boots which I had just recently bought and have been using non stop!

4. Where might you wear this outfit? 

I would wear this outfit for lunch or coffee with friends, a work meeting, even running easy errands, as all the pieces are easy to move around with. I also plan to wear this look during my trips, as the boots and dress are extremely comfortable and have already taken me from morning till night exploring in London!

In Closing

So, how did you like this feature? Our hope is that you gain inspiration from seeing how different women with different styles, lifestyles, and bodies all wear this piece. We certainly all think this shirt has been a great addition to our closets!

Finally, we wish you all a great week! Stay tuned for much more here on Wear + Where + Well this week.

Photos by Maritere Rice and Ashley Cardoza; Graphic design by Ashley Cardoza

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