I Wear This One Item More Than Anything Else In My Wardrobe – And It’s Just Had A Chic Upgrade

There are clothes you have for a season, and then there are lifers. A 'lifer', per se, is what I like to refer to those absolute failsafes in your wardrobe as. Those items you know will always be on hand to save any outfit dilemmas (or consequential breakdowns). The best example of a lifer? A basic t-shirt. In fact, I wear a white t-shirt so often that if you were to bump into me on a Sunday morning coffee run, Thursday evening supermarket dash or Saturday evening on the sofa, chances are, I'd be wearing one. But, you don't need to take a peek into my wardrobe, an It-girl's suitcase or an A-lister's styling rail to know that we all have one item in common. The beauty in a t-shirt, of course, lies in its versatility. Whether you're planning on pairing it with an oversized blazer and trousers, or (my favourite), with a pair of COS jeans, a t-shirt will pull any outfit together, with no need to even think about it.

There are a couple of requirements that said t-shirt has to meet, however, before becoming a permanent fixture in my wardrobe rotation. It must have a round neck, for example, it must also not be see-through (you wouldn't believe how many white tees I've tried on and had the disappointing reality that I wouldn't be able to wear it out of the house), and it must also have that perfectly oversized fit. If it ticks all three of those boxes, then yes, you will see me in it for the next 10-15 working days.

Lately, the humble t-shirt has had a little bit of a quiet reinvention. While scrolling the high street, you might notice that t-shirts now come with additional elevated details - a considered fold, or a boxy bagginess. There's a gentle architecture to a draped t-shirt, the kind of shaping you'd expect from a statement dress or tailoring, yet it retains all the ease of a throw-on-and-go basic. & Other Stories' Draped Asymmetric T-Shirt has an asymmetric hem and comes in an array of different colours, from a classic white to a more transitional mole brown.

Zara's iteration, its Washed Cap Sleeve T-Shirt, features softly draped sleeves that make a white tee look infinitely cooler (take your usual size, however). Both of these high street picks are proof that draping isn't necessarily a one-size thing - it can be more structured, or more flowy and romantic, all while keeping the familiar comfort of a t-shirt intact.

Just when you thought fashion couldn't possibly reinvent anything else, along comes the draped t-shirt. It's a subtle change, yes, but one with carefully placed folds, knots and ruching that brings a fresh shape to a piece we all know and love. And isn't that just the best thing about a draped t-shirt? You already know you're going to love it, as it holds the same qualities as a classic t-shirt, but it's just a little more exciting, and a little more, well, fun - I call that shopping smarter rather than shopping harder. You'll thank me later.

Shop: The Best Draped T-Shirts

Main image credit: Instagram/@valentina.fanu, @claudia_berresford, Grazia/Gemma Lavers

Gemma Lavers is a fashion commerce writer at Grazia, where she tracks down viral pieces and is as comfortable navigating the M&S new-in page as she is dissecting the latest celebrity look. When not writing, shopping or at Reformer Pilates (a cliché but she's hooked), Gemma will likely be planning her next holiday (and what she's going to wear). For a glimpse into said travels, outfit inspo and life as a journalist, follow her on Instagram or TikTok.