These Are The Only 10 Shirts You Actually Need To Look Chic Daily
Own these. You’re done.
by The Candidly Team
Most of us have more shirts in our closet than any other piece of clothing.
And yet, how many times when we put on an outfit, even one we’re excited about, do our shirts just seem off in some way?
The length is wrong. The fit is askew. They’re not flattering. They cling uncomfortably. They hang stupidly.
Maybe it’s because we weirdly don’t pay as much attention when picking out our shirts as we do our other clothes. Most of them fall into the category of “basics” and therefore might not inspire as much excitement as say our shoes or coats or bags. Even our pants, have to pass through painstaking hurdles to be deemed worthy of daily wear.
But our shirts just get thrown in the cart and end up disappointing. And there is one primary reason:
Fit.
Because our shirts are basically the focal point of everything else we wear, we need them to create perfect proportions. To layer gorgeously. To tuck smoothly. Our outfits should be built around them.
And what this means is that we don’t actually need 47 different tees and tanks and turtlenecks and blouses. We really only need the single best fitting shirt in every category. So no matter which one you pull out on any given day, you know with absolute certainty that you will look as good as you can possibly look in this type of shirt.
Well friends, these are those shirts.
1. The Relaxed Tee
In order for a t-shirt to not just be a sad old sack that turns us into stiff rectangles, three things need to happen. 1. They need to be whisper-soft. 2. They need a swooping neckline that frames your chest and arms with gusto. 3. The sleeves need to be loose enough to not cut into the thickest part of your arm. At long last, we found a very special tee that meets these criteria and that we’re happy to toss on every single day. It’s long enough to tuck but has a pretty, skimming shape that comes off just as polished when untucked. It comes in every neutral color we require and sizes in plus and petite.
Price: $48
2. The Button-Down
The Bennet Buttondown Shirt by Maeve
We’ve tried so many starchy, boring button-downs over the years, and none even mildly excited us until this one. You can even spy on one of us wearing ours HERE. It has a very smart way of letting you tuck, half-tuck or tie just the front, so you have the option to leave the back long. Anthropologie makes it in every stripe and solid color, we suspect because they realized they’d mastered a fit that looks great on everyone, so now they just had to cater to each person’s personal taste. We rotate 3 of their striped prints as an everyday neutral, but white is a natural necessity.
Price: $98
3. The Turtleneck
Spanx Better Base Long Sleeve Turtleneck
There’s no chicer base layer than a thin, fitted turtleneck in winter, almost like a torso bra that keeps everything in place. It up-levels our entire look, peaking out from under a sleek coat or a drapey cardigan. This one is a shoo-in for being so soft and breathable. And the cute notches on the wrists! Plus, it sizes up to 3X.
Price: $78
4. The Knit
Quince Mongolian Cashmere Crewneck Sweater
There’s nothing better than buttery cashmere for this price. We wear it like a shirt with cropped jeans or wide-leg pants. It’s slim enough to layer under everything, which means in addition to owning it in the most universal creamy oatmeal shade, we have around 4 other colors in our closets as we speak. It is our staple knit piece for fall and winter. Staple.
Price: $50
5. The Shirt you didn’t know you needed
Everlane The Pima Micro-Rib Scoop-Neck Tee
You shouldn’t hate your arms. We shouldn’t hate our arms. We all need to collectively stop hating all our arms. But some of us are just never going to love showing our arms. And we’re never going to enjoy the way most t-shirts cut right into the fleshiest bit of them. But what we will love is this 3/4 tee from Everlane. It’s like actual magic in how it gives us such a lovely silhouette. Also, and this is equally important, it feels amazing.
Price: $40
6. The Mariniére
J. Crew Cropped Boatneck T-Shirt
This is that foolproof French lady tee that turns an outfit into a “look.” Don’t be afraid that the word cropped is in there. It hits at the exact right, flattering spot to create the exact right, flattering shape, especially with a high-waist pant. Not a sliver of midriff in sight. And fun sidenote: because it’s J. Crew, it’s almost always on sale.
Price: $59.50
7. The Fitted Tee
This is another one of the most purchased items on our site this year, and we completely see why. We all want a fitted tee that’s practically a second skin, smoothing and shaping us but also balancing really well with any flowy bottom or baggy jean we pair it with. This tee hits at the exact right spot on our waist, so again we don’t have to tuck it to look put-together. It’s perfect on curves and sizes up to 4X.
Price: $48
8. The Silk Blouse
Lilysilk Basic Concealed Placket Silk Shirt
This one is for those of us looking to fulfill a lifelong dream of dressing like Katharine Hepburn on a daily basis. Or for anyone who just wants to own one chic silk blouse that doesn’t pop open or come off shiny and cheap. Because it’s real, soft silk, it’s a dip into splurge territory, but it’s a piece that dresses up anything we wear with almost zero effort. So our laziness is honestly what sold us. Even more than Katharine.
Price: $155
9. The Tank
This is for a hardcore tank-top person who is also a hardcore lounger and dreams of a pajama they can wear in daily life while looking like the best dressed person in every room. It truly is the most luxuriously soft tank we’ve ever put on our bodies. But if you’re like, I just want a good, basic, tank top, THIS one is extremely flattering, washes great, and hides all bra straps.
Price: $75
10. The Going-Out Top
Alice & Olivia Willa Placket Top With Tie
Whatever happened to the going-out top? They were so … easy. We don’t, however, remember any of them ever being this chic.
Price: $210
Bonus: The Bra
We all know that any shirt we wear is only as good as the smooth, no-show bra beneath it. It took decades, but we think we’ve found THE ONE.
Price: $70
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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