How to Dress Up a Graphic Tee: Part 1

Here’s a little bit you may not know about me because you haven’t seen this side much. I love graphic tees. And, better yet, I love men’s graphic tees. Mostly, I throw on some jeans and choose from one of my favorite cozy tees and call it a day. However, sometimes you want to be comfy and still look good, put together, a little more dressed up than the mom uniform of jeans and a tee. That’s where skirts come to the rescue. They can dress up a tee in an instant and get this, graphic tees look good with skirts. And, not just casual maxi skirts. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to show you how I have taken the graphic tee and turned it into a dressy, feminine piece. And, while I’m at it, I’m going to give you some ideas for shopping for tees for a cause.

How to Dress Up a Graphic Tee: Part One

First up, my PPD Awareness shirt for our “We are the Face of Motherhood” campaign (all proceeds from the sale of this shirt will go to support mothers in need through my charity, For a Mother’s Love). I bought this style with the intention of pairing it with my Old Navy pencil skirt (they really are the best place to buy neutral, knit pencils). I knew tucked in with a little jewelry, I could transform a basic tee into a chic element of the outfit. Here’s the key to mixing tees and skirts: silhouette. A huge, baggy men’s tee (as much as I love them) isn’t going to look fabulous tucked into a pencil skirt. Look for shirts with feminine shapes (don’t confuse this with thinking it needs to be skin tight- this shirt is actually quite flowy). Pair your shirt with a fitted skirt, add some sparkly accessories, and a pair of cute shoes like these wedges.

Last up, I’m going to talk a little bit about where this shirt was born. Late last year, I teamed up with a fellow blogger to organize a PPD awareness campaign. We wanted to share our stories and help other mothers know they’re not alone. From a simple collaboration, grew the idea of spreading our message by sharing our faces and letting the world see the many faces of PPD. As such, I decided I wanted a shirt to help spread the word. If this shirt sparks one conversation with a struggling mother about PPD, we will have succeeded in our mission. In addition, approximately 50% of every shirt purchased (the entire profit) will go toward helping mother’s in need. I am still working hard on getting my non-profit charity For a Mother’s Love up and running but we have already personally donated to a mother who lost everything in a fire, a mother struggling to pay bills while on leave for cancer treatments, a mother who had a seizure when her diabetes went out of control in the middle of the night and now needs a diabetes alert dog, a mother of six who was losing her battle with cancer and needed financial help for medical care, and more. We hope to continue this work in a larger capacity and the purchase of each shirt will help.

Coming up next week: another Monday, another shirt, another cause!

Shirt: Teespring, all proceeds from the sale of this shirt will be used to support mothers in need through the non profit For a Mother’s Love

Sweater: Old Navy, similar

Skirt: Old Navy, similar

Shoes: Dansko

Bracelet: TJ Maxx, similar