Welcome to Dressed for My Day! As I looked back over blog posts from last summer and the summer before, I realized that I have been missing out on wearing some of my favorite outfits. Sometimes I just need my memory jogged when it comes to outfits. Anybody? And many of my favorite summer outfits from summers past included one of my linen button-up shirts. I know many of my readers enjoy this summer wardrobe basic, too. So today I’m sharing oh so many ways to wear your linen button-up shirt this summer.
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Honestly, my hope is that you already have a linen button-up shirt. The supply is definitely diminishing as summer wanes. My white J.Jill linen shirt is long ago sold out, as is the blue chambray linen shirt you’ll see here. However, after scouring the Internet I did indeed find an impressive amount of button-up linen shirts, and, of course, many of them are now discounted. But if you find one you love and it’s not discounted, I’d snap it up. I’ve worn my white one over and over and over again for three summers now, and it’s been well worth the price. I’d actually like to have a second one on hand, so I’m thinking about buying one today myself.
I’ve pulled together about 20 different outfits I’ve created with my linen shirts over the past few years. But we did step into the studio and snap a few photos of additional looks that I hadn’t previously documented. I think you’ll be a little amazed at the variety of outfits you can create with this summer wardrobe staple.
Let’s get going!
Button-Up Linen Shirts and Shorts
We’ll start with my white linen button up shirt over a white reversible tank and shorts, since this was the very first outfit I ever wore with my linen shirt. I still have everything in this photo from two years ago in my wardrobe. Well, not the sandals. Ha!
As with jackets and cardigans, one of my favorite ways to pair my button-up linen shirt with a top or tank is to keep the colors the same. I think this coupling looks so smart and cool.
The outfit above is from this year and it’s one of my favorite outfits of the year. I love the combination soft linen fabrics and the quiet tones of this outfit. I do think metallic sandals and boho cuff bracelet give the outfit a little life.
I’m pretty sure the print shorts above are sold out, but this outfit is a reminder that keeping the contrast in intensity low can look really smart. Love this outfit!
In a couple of the previous outfits I wore fitted tanks under my linen shirts. And I do like those J.Jill reversible tanks. But I think my preferred shirt to wear under a linen shirt is a loose fitting tank or sleeveless shirt like the one above. I’ve learned to grab them when I see them because they look so pretty under a shirt or even a blazer. Both of mine are from Cloth & Stone. You’ll see this one later.
The look above on the left is from a recent video. It’s one of my favorites because I love how the chambray blue linen shirt softens those bright orange shorts. The look on the right is with a cotton shirt, but of course you could recreate it with a linen shirt just as well. And most of the looks I’m showing you could also do with a cotton shirt.
Now there’s a blast from the past! But it’s a good reminder that you don’t always have to wear another top under your linen shirt, especially if yours is a pretty bold color like this blue or the following green.
Because linen is so quintessential summer, I like to accessorize with other very summery textures like raffia and straw or novelties like sea shells.
I like the look above because it’s tonal. Keeping the contrast in intensity minimal just really works nicely for me, and it makes this look cohesive.
Linen Button-Up Shirts with Jeans
I love wearing my linen button-up shirts with jeans. Such an easy breezy casual vibe.
The striped linen shirt above is from last year (I still have it), so it’s no longer available. But I have seen similar ones this summer. I think wearing that white tee under this sand and white striped shirt looks so smart. I also like the proportions in this outfit. The jeans are not skinny jeans. I just don’t do those anymore. But they are slim fitting straight leg jeans. So they work nicely under a blousy shirt.
I like the combination above of white on white with light wash jeans. By the way, those cute metallic LifeStride sandals are some I picked up for my next Kohl’s collaboration. They are sooo comfortable and really look much cuter than they appear in the photo above.
The outfit above is not one of my favorites, but it does work really nicely for just an ordinary summer day look. It’s from yesterday’s YouTube video.
In the next photo I created a column of white under a sand colored linen shirt. The color shift is very subtle, but I think it works really nicely. It’s a very soft look. I do think the metallic touches keep the outfit more interesting and vibrant.
And here’s another column of white under my chambray blue linen shirt. The contrast is higher here so it looks a little different.
And here’s a column of white under my longer espresso striped linen shirt.
The longer length striped linen shirt above is a bit of an exception. But I included this outfit and the others with it because you can absolutely somewhat duplicate these outfits with shorter shirts. Of course I do love this long shirt. It’s very slenderizing and I love the espresso color. Below I’m wearing an espresso colored linen tank with it, but below I created a column of white with a white tank and white jeans above.
Linen Button-Up Shirts with Other Pants
Of course you can wear your linen shirts with other pants, too, including linen pants.
The linen pants above are from last year, but they do still have them this year. They just don’t have that khaki color anymore. They are extremely comfortable. And I love the ultra relaxed and soft vibe of this loose fitting outfit. Yeah, I think that is one of my favorite outfits in the collection.
Of course the pants above are pretty unique. But you can create a similar look with other easy breezy full leg pants. I think the fitted tank underneath works best with these.
I’ve mentioned many times before that one of the best ways to “tame” floral print pants is to wear them with a solid shirt. So this chambray blue linen shirt really tempers these pants. I’m wearing the linen shirt over a white linen tank that is no longer available. But a white tee would work, too.
Above is another real life outfit from last summer. So I doubt any of this is still available. But this is one of those that many of us could recreate from our closets. These cropped length chinos look smart and pulled together with the beige henley tee and the striped linen button-up shirt.
Again, the shirt above is longer. But I’ve seen other longer offerings, too. I think the key to this rather overall blousy look is to make sure everything fits the way it is supposed to.
Linen Button-Up Shirts with Dresses
The next two look are some I haven’t actually worn, but I threw them together for us to see how a linen button-up shirt can work with a dress.
Above I’m wearing a Clara Sunwoo black dress with my sand colored linen shirt. I did take a photo with the shirt untied, but, trust me, it wasn’t worth posting. Ha! I think the trick to wearing a linen shirt over a full skirted dress like this one (and it is a great dress!) is tying it at the waist for definition. By the way, you can use code KAY10 when you shop Clara Sunwoo for 10% off your purchase.
The casual dress below is straighter and has less fullness, so the untied shirt works fine here.
It’s definitely a very casual look, thus the sneakers. But I think this is a great option for keeping up with the grandkids or just puttering around the house.
I have a feeling I’ll find more photos after I post this. But I think we’ve covered most of the bases. What’s your favorite way to wear a linen button-up shirt? Thanks so much for dropping in today. I hope you got a little summer style inspiration! Is there another summer wardrobe essential you’d like to see styled multiple ways? Let me know.
Blessed for My Day
I listened to a sermon by Dr. David Jeremiah yesterday and he reminded us that God does indeed discipline His children. He disciplines us to punish us (like a good parent should), protect us and purify us. But we can always trust that God’s discipline has a purpose. He is doing something good in our lives. He loves us too much to just let us go astray without disciplining us so that we come back to the center of His will.
How should we respond to God’s discipline? Dr. David Jeremiah said we should not ignore it, be intimidated by it or be ignorant of it. Instead, we should be instructed by it. We should learn from it and respond with obedience and repentance. As you examine your life, is God trying to do something in your life through His discipline? This can be a sobering question, but we are wise to occasionally examine our lives from this vantage point.
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
So many choices to wear our linen shirts. Thanks for reminding us of our many options. Helped jog my memory on things to wear that are in my closet.
Great to hear! thanks so much for sharing, Sherry.
I thoroughly enjoyed this post Kay and you created so many pretty outfits. I have a white linen blend shirt that I enjoy wearing. Your outfits have given me some inspiration for pieces I can wear mine with, that aren’t linen. I haven’t worn my wide legged linen pants as much as I thought I would, but that is about to change, thanks to you!
Wonderful! yes, you can absolutely swap in linen blends, cottons and gauzes here. Thanks for reading, Ginger.
Thanks for the reminder! I have the same Chico’s beige and white striped shirt and coordinating linen shorts and haven’t worn them yet this summer. I’m pulling them out along with some other forgotten pieces. Also, have you ever discussed prints that age you? I’m asking because I read somewhere that polka dots are aging, but then again, someone else mentioned beige and nuetrals were as well and now we all are praising the “coastal grandmother” vibes!
Hahaha! Yes, those are all things we get conflicting messages on. After talking with my Nordstrom stylist a couple of weeks ago I’m really just tossing all those “thou shall nots.” She assured me that really nothing is off base for us as we age, and this reminded me that we are all still very unique, even if our coloring and shape and hair are changing. I think we do need to be careful with some choices, but those are really on a case by case basis rather than rules. If we’ll just keep in mind the mission of looking modern rather than young, I think that helps, too. We’re going to look older. We ARE older. But we can make some modern choices that will help us look more vibrant and engaged. Sorry for getting on a roll! Good questions!
Excellent, Kay. I’m saving this one for summer. Still winter where I live.
Perfect! Thanks for reading, Penny.
I love seeing color on you! I’m light skinned and light hair and I find it hard to wear whites and beiges near my face. Do you find it difficult too? What’s the trick to not looking washed out?
Hi Kathy. I shared a few tips in this recent blog post. https://dressedformyday.com/wear-neutrals-over-50-and-look-vibrant-not-washed-out/