My monthly makeover post today includes a common outfit I see around our areas that includes a t-shirt, leggings, and flip flops. And it’s not just the young girls that wear this out and about.
I wanted to think about how to complete an outfit from this basic look and make it more “me.”

Quote of the day: “Many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little.” Quintus Sertorius

My inspiration was an older woman seen at the Japanese Friendship Garden when we were there this spring. The quote reminds me of when women say that how to complete an outfit is too overwhelming. Sometimes taking baby steps is the answer. Even one of these ideas I’m showcasing can be a great start.

I’m not here to judge what other people wear. If it’s one thing I’ve learned during this blogging journey is that our style is personal, so we shouldn’t try to dictate what others should and shouldn’t be wearing. There are many factors why we wear what we wear.

Instead, I want to be an inspiration to be open to new things and to evolve not only our thinking but our fashion choices.

In one word: CHOICES. I want to give you ideas of choices that you could use for how to complete an outfit.
Even a very simplistic, casual outfit like leggings, a t-shirt, and flip flops.

I have showcased other basic outfits with a tweak here and there to change it up.

• How to wear an oversized shirt
• How to make an outfit better with jeans and black sweater

The Original Makeover Outfit

I tried to copy the inspiration outfit with what I had in my closet. You might laugh at the fact that I don’t have many black or dark solid leggings anymore. My style has changed 180 degrees from 10 years ago.
So this pair of mesh leggings was all I could find. They may be too risky for many of you, but I thought it played well into the monochrome dark look of what the other woman was wearing.

You might notice that the other woman has grey hair and has what would be classified as an apple shaped body. Neither of these details should make a difference in how to complete an outfit.
Finding items and styles that create an appearance that fits in with our personality, is the true goal of this Exercise.

You should definitely sign up for the emails below. Besides the free eBook, my email family gets personal tidbits of what’s going on in my life along with other happenings, sales, information, giveaways, extra photos, and interesting articles.

While in reality, I might have changed out the pieces for an everyday look for me, I wanted to show how just adding items either to the top half, bottom half, or as accessories could make the look seem more intentional.

Insider tip: Intentional is one of my favorite words (along with sass and pizzazz) for outfits. To me, it means taking the time to create a look that looks anything but frumpy.

1-Layer Over the Top Half

With the first idea of layering on the top half of the outfit, the options are endless. I’m showing 3 examples below, yet you may have other pieces that would work too.

Insider tip: Don’t forget you could also layer under the t-shirt especially if you are looking for warmth.

How to Complete an Outfit with a Long Kimono

Any kind of longer topper would be a wonderful option of how to add to this all black foundation.

Other items that would be similar
1-Shirt dress worn as a duster (as shown here)
2-Long cardigan
3-Men’s shirt unbuttoned (as shown here)

Flowy Top

I chose a flowy top for my shorter option of adding something to the top half to change up the look.
Since I was wearing tight leggings, I thought it would be nice to create volume for the upper portion.
Adding color was the other thought behind this top to counteract the overall darkness of the look.

You’ve seen this floral, kimono-like top for what I wore in Puerto Rico. I know most women comment that they only wear leggings if their bum is covered, but this could be an easy option going to and from workouts.

Adding Sleeves

If you didn’t want to cover up the entire top half, but were looking to add sleeves, you could easily don a wrap.

Don’t have a wrap that would work? Then I have a great hack for a sweater or sweatshirt. In fact, I created a short video to show how I made this wrap with a normal sweater and my Maggie’s Magnets.

Insider tip: Maggie’s magnets are one of the five essentials in my fashion styling kit as talked about here. I’m using the bigger magnets from my combo pack for this wrap.

You could create this same look in a couple of other ways:
1-Layer under the t-shirt with a long sleeve shirt or Halftee (for Halftee orders use code Jtouch20).
2-Use a scarf to create a wrap as shown in this video.

2-Bottom Half Layering

It’s just as easy to layer our bottom half yet most of the time we don’t think that way. I wanted to show 2 different options of how to complete an outfit with skirts.
That’s not to say you couldn’t add a pair of loose trousers over the leggings too. Palazzo pants or any loose trousers could give you coverage.

Short Skirt Over Leggings

Wearing a short skirt over the leggings is a great way for how to complete an outfit. You are having the leggings act as tights and the skirt covering your bum.

I realize that most older women don’t buy short skirts anymore. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have one or two already in your closet.
Usually, I end up wearing them more in the winter with tights and tall boots, but this is one way to wear them in the warmer months.

In fact, I’ve written two articles on how to style short skirts, one for the summer and one for the winter.
1-Summer version: Wearing a short skirt modestly. The last option will blow your mind.
2-Winter version: How to wear short skirts.

Layering a Maxi Skirt

If you don’t want your leggings to be seen, then just throw a maxi skirt over them, and no one will know they are there.
Heck, this is a wonderful trick if you just worked out, and want to run to the grocery store on the way home without looking like a gym rat.

Related post: How to style the after-workout look to run errands

3-Accessories and Extras

Adding different accessories and shoes can be another option for how to complete an outfit with this t-shirt and leggings look.

Adding a hat to the mix is always a great way to change the focus of your look. And then I tied a scarf around my bum. It’s not as much coverage as the skirts, but it does the trick.

In addition, I also put on a colorful pair of sneakers.

Insider tip: All of the Converse sneakers I’ve tried don’t have enough arch support for my feet, so I wear Sole Insoles with them.

Facts: Jodie’s Touch of Style is supported by my readers. I partner with affiliate platforms where commission may be earned based on your purchases. If you decide to buy anything I’ve promoted, I appreciate you using my link. These links help bloggers like me to fund the content that we provide, plus it tells companies that blogging marketing works. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Photo credit: Rob Filogomo

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Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.

It’s not just about me on this blog, but also my mother and friend. We get to showcase not only different decades of life but also different body shapes and unique personal styles.

The post Monthly Makeover: How to Complete an Outfit T-Shirt & Leggings appeared first on Jodie’s Touch of Style.

Jodie Filogomo Fashion Stylist

Jodie's Touch of Style showcases how it's never too late to look great including other older women and myself talking about fashion, beauty, and lifestyle issues.

As a retired dentist, Jodie takes her love of clothing and shopping and has come to find her superpowers in styling the same item in many ways. She is also a huge advocate for embracing our age and bodies. Getting old is a wonderful thing and learning to love ourselves while it happens is very freeing.

Looking great can happen no matter what age, shape or budget, as we show on Jodie's Touch of Style.