Restyling the classic Oxford shirt.

There’s not many fashion items that you could legit find in everyone’s wardrobe, but the white button down shirt is certainly one of them. We all have at least one (or in my case, a few dozen) making it arguably one of the most essential pieces in our styling arsenal, you know, along with denims.Come to think of it, the shirt and jeans combo are the bread and butter of our wardrobes and over the last few years, we’ve discovered many new ways to tuck, twist and button our shirts to reinvent the fashion wheel. Turns out, the sky is the limit to what a good quality shirt can do and this look from LFW proves it.

Not to be confused with the piece you use exclusively for job interviews and work days, the classic Oxford shirt is quite simply the only item you’ll ever need on those WTF to wear days. Maybe you still have a hard working one from school, pinched one from a man in your life or invested in your own, it’s not shocking everyone has one but it is surprising how much you can restyle it into something a lot less ordinary! I’ve always been quick to turn to my favourite all time blogger Manrepeller for some serious fashion inspo, and after spying her inventive ways of completely changing the shirt as we know it,  I had to give it a go myself for day 2 of London Fashion Week.

So how do you do it I hear you holla?  I took my size M mens shirt from Gant and put one arm in, wrapping the neck underneath the other arm. I played around to find which button felt comfy to secure it, and buttoned up the one below too. I then took the left side and tied it together with the other arm around my waist, leaving the rest to hang down. It really did open my eyes to the possibilities that were still left to explore, so I would definitely expect another restyle to come to the blog soon!

To keep in with my classic meets quirky overhaul, I gave my face a fresh look with a pair of rose gold aviators from IOLLA. The aviator style sunglasses are designed to bring out the innermost explorer; for those days that you want to channel your inner Barb. First launched in the late 1930s, aviators were designed to provide glare protection for  men but by the 70’s, the ladies officially took over! Really, they are one more item for just about anyone and everyone in a sunglass – opticals just take it that step further!

Shirt: Gant*, Jeans: Topshop, Shoes: Ego*, Bag: ASOS, Earrings: Toolally*, Glasses: IOLLA*, Lipstick: Illamasqua*

Pairing it with my favourite high waisted jeans from Topshop and some colour popping orange accessories for good measure – obvs – I honestly felt a million dollars – in jeans and a shirt – who’d of thunk it?! I used the newly launched Illamasqua Lip Lures on my lips in the brightest orange ever – embers. I think I’ll be quick to snap up the rest of these bad boys as the formula is a DREAM! Putting liquid matts to shame, the lure glides on leaving a slight gloss that lasts for HOURS without re application. Non sticky and packed full of punch, expect to see a lot of me in this lippy!

I tried a few tying techniques on a handful of shirts, but the perfect mens oxford shirt really does come from Gant. The soft fabric made it a dream to tie and it creates it’s own natural slouch when wearing. I loved surprising people with the fact it was just a restyling of an original classic, and not a Zara shirt I picked up this way. Gant have been at the top of the shirt making game since 1949 and their new online shirt guide is proof to that! Packed full of tips from how to roll your sleeves to getting the perfect iron, Gant’s rich history of shirtmaking is testament to their quality, so best get the most of it, eh?  How would you wear your Gant shirt? All I know is that you are bound to get the cost per wear.

Mega thanks to Comb from the Apartment for the photos.