A Hanes shirt is the white tee of choice because the shirt can endure anything. I think of it as a blank canvas: dress it up or dress it down, you can do anything you desire to your plain white tee. The plain white tee should be an essential part of a college girl’s wardrobe. There’s no need to spend fifty dollars on a designer plain white tee, when you can snag a Hanes tee shirt for usually five dollars or less, and that will do the trick. Here, 20 ways to pump up the volume with your plain white tee!
1. Layer it! – It’s always simple and fun to wear the season’s brightly colored tanks (teal, yellow, and neon pink) underneath your plain white tee. The white tee tones down these bold colors, and simply offsets the bottom of the tank top so that your white tee doesn’t look so plain anymore.
2. Dress It Up – Want to wear your plain tee to a party? Just pair it with a classy pair of blue jeans or even a cute black sequin mini skirt, and layer tons of flashy necklaces and pearls as your accessories. Everyone will be so dazzled by your necklaces, that they will have no idea that you’re wearing just a plain white tee!
3. Be Interview Savvy – One of spring’s premiere trends is the military blazer. The military blazer is a great piece to have when you are going on an informal interview. Just put the plain white tee under your blazer and button one button and you’re good to go.
4. High Waist It – All you have to do with this look is simply tuck your plain white tee into a high skirt or short. The plain white tee has a great draping effect. It can look like you didn’t try hard and you threw it on mindlessly, or it can look crisp and fresh.
5. Wear a Vest – Vests are always a great way to layer your plain white tee and can be a great going out look. Look for great vests in the sale section of Urban Outfitters and even the Salvation Army.
6. Belt It – Buy a white tee shirt that is a little bit bigger than you’re used to, and wear a skinny belt that you can find at any clothing store (I personally like the J. Crew skinny belts). This look makes it seem like you’re not trying too hard.
7. Get Out the Sparkles – Think your plain white tee is boring? Get off your butt and pull out some sparkly glitter glue and fake rhinestones. Make your plain white tee a project. Decorate and dazzle it, and your plain white tee won’t be so plain anymore.
8. Make it a Plain White Tank – When summer comes along, I don’t want a plain white tee, I want a plain white tank. Get out the scissors and simply cut off the sleeves. It’s that simple. You can also experiment with the neckline to create your own designs.
9. Make it a Beach Cover-Up – This requires no scissors or glitter glue. There’s no need to buy a fancy beach cover up. Just wear a plain white tee over your bathing suit. That way you don’t have to worry about getting your tee dirty. Dressing for the beach shouldn’t be difficult! This tee shirt definitely provides an easy beach chic look.
10. Transform Your Tee into a Head Wrap – Scared of getting your hair wet at the pool or beach? Don’t sweat it! Wrap your plain white tee around your head! It’s easy! Just take your plain white tee, wrap it around your head, and tuck it in.
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11. Make Your Plain White Tee Your Own Jackson Pollock Painting – This project is simple and fun. Just take your white tee and choose a variety of your favorite colors, then splatter paint your tee shirt, and let it dry. You’ll have people complementing you on your work of art.
12. Make it Groovy, Baby – Blast to the past and tie-dye your plain white tee. It’s an effort, but the end product is definitely worth it. Just go to your nearest craft store where you can buy a tie dye kit, go outside with your friends, and have a tie dying party! It’s easy and fun to do. You may be impatient to let it dry, but the end product is worth it.
13. Wear it With Suspenders – All you have to do with this look is find a cute pair of suspenders, tuck your plain white tee in, and you’ll look fabulous enough to go out to lunch with the girls in a look borrowed from the boys.
14. Wear it Under a Dress – Plain white tees are great to wear under dresses, especially floral dresses (some of you may or may not know how much I adore floral). Plain white tees are great to layer with flimsy dresses or even sleeveless dresses, and a pair of cute boots or dirty Converse sneakers. Dress this look up or down.
15. Pin it Up – Gather your favorite pins (I used to decorate my old backpacks with pins), and decorate the bottom of your tee shirt with them. This look is great because you can change your pins to compliment your mood. You can increase the amount of pins, or decrease it to one. It’s your choice!
16. Layer it Under the Oversized Cardigan – For this look, all you need is an oversized cardigan and your plain white tee. You can wear it to class with skinny jeans and a cute pair of flats, or you can wear it casual with leggings and a heavy pair of boots.
17. Make it Look Messier – Pull out the scissors and fray the edges of your plain white tee to create an even messier look. If you want to go above and beyond splatter a tiny bit of black paint.
18. Pair it With a Scarf – This look is meant to be relaxed enough to wear to class or to go out on a first date. Just wear the plain white tee with an over-the-top bright scarf. The plain white tee allows the scarf to have the spotlight.
19. Accompany Your Tee With Leggings – This look only works with an oversized Hanes tee shirt, because we all know that it’s not in style or attractive to have your booty hanging out of your leggings (HC Contributing Writer Scott Rosenfeld agrees in is his article “Her Gay Best Friend: Fashion Mistakes You May Not Realize You’re Making”). It’s a comfy look that you can wear with boots, flats, or flip-flops when it gets warm.
20. Wear It Plain – Late for class and don’t know what to wear? Just wear the plain white tee shirt…..plain! If you’re in a rush there is no need to get flustered and pick out a fancy outfit. All you need is a plain white tee, a pair of jeans, and a cute pair of boots and you’re good to go!