His and hers not in the cutesy and traditional sense, but more in a what’s yours is mine sort of way. As the youngest sibling of three wandering into other people’s closets comes quite naturally to me. Not quite an enduring quality, but an inherent tendency none the less. Now that I’m (technically) grown up and my mother and sister’s closets are about an hour drive away, my eyes have occasionally wandered over to the Mister’s closet. Fortunate for me, he is a very dapper and obliging man. Fortunate for him, my 5′ 6″ frame swims in most of his 6′ 3″ muscular build clothing, so my options are limited.
Near the end of my twin pregnancy I was practically living in his henley shirts, but it wasn’t until a couple of months ago when he put this classic navy rollneck sweater (that I’ve always loved) into our goodwill pile that I decided I had to give it a go. Sure enough, this tad too short for him sweater was just the right tunic-esque length for me. I’ve always liked the idea of tunics but had never found one with the right relaxed fit and flattering length. With my tunic query finally answered, the Mister’s closet suddenly had much bigger borrowing potential 🙂
This past fall I did a style series on the Seven Sisters style revolution, during which my love for button up shirts was completely reignited. While I was in the midst of writing this series, the Mister bought this oxford shirt and I was uber jealous, so of course I went out and got one in my size which is featured in Part One of the Past of Prep series.
That oxford shirt has become a staple in my wardrobe. The fabric is thick but soft, with a relaxed but tailored cut. We’ve had a mixed bag of weather in D.C. this winter with a scattering of bitterly cold and 65 degree sunny days, so I’ve worn this oxford solo on warm days, and it’s been my go-to layering piece for the really cold ones. It’s fantastic left unbuttoned and layered overtop a thinner turtleneck or under the bulkiest of sweaters because the sleeves and shirt tails are long enough to hang out.
As I’m utterly smitten with this shirt in my own size, I decided to expand my tunic theory and try the Mister’s oxford on for size. The same great fabric, but in a much looser and longer cut that almost has a shirt dress feel to it. Now it’s basically just a waiting game until he drops this one in the goodwill or if I run out of patience and order one for myself. Must be careful not to wear out your welcome by borrowing too much! If you’re interested in trying this out, but don’t have a closet to steal from, head to the menswear section at one of your favorite shops and try a shirt that is 2-3 sizes bigger than your regular size. The shirt I got for myself is a size Small which has a slightly loose fit, and the Mister’s (shown here) is a size XL.
There are many ways that you can style a men’s shirt, but my favorite way to do the borrowed from the boys look is to juxstapose it with feminine features. In this case, I chose a pastel pink blazer, chunky silver jewelry, and saddle shoe-esque loafers. Because this is a more casual look, I paired the shirt with denim and masculine structural pieces in feminine detailing that contrast but still blend with the shirt style. The structural pairings also keep the outfit from looking too messy and lazy.
This borrowed from the boys look can just as easily be dressed up for an evening out by swapping in statement earrings, slim cut trousers (possibly leather or a fun print) and your sexiest heels.
The only items available to shop in this look are the bag and button up shirt, which is almost entirely sold out. Everything else I’ve had for a while which is always my favorite type of look to create. Reinventing and falling back in love with the things you (or your significant other) already have always beats out the newbies. Because these components are all basic tenets of his and her closets (i.e… blazer, button down shirt, denim, and flats) it’s easy peasy to recreate over and over again but always in a fresh way.
- Blazer- J.Crew
- Shirt- Bonobos
- Rings- David Yurman
- Denim- J.Crew
- Bag– Madewell