8 new ways to wear jeans and a white t-shirt this season

As far as wardrobe staples go, few pairings are as quietly dependable or deceptively versatile as a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. Worn well, it’s the everyday equivalent of a perfectly tailored suit – considered yet uncomplicated. When styling indecision sets in and nothing else feels quite right, I often reach for my favourite wide-leg jeans and boxy Uniqlo T-shirt. And despite the formula’s unassuming reputation, I’ve come to learn that its simplicity is where its strengths lie.

Of course, eternal outfit inspiration comes from Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the face of the clean-lined minimalism that defined much of the ’90s. Today, we like to call it “quiet luxury”, yet there was nothing quiet about how Bessette-Kennedy put an outfit together. She understood the power of restraint and how a pair of perfectly cut jeans and a simple T-shirt could look intentional, too.

Modern-day savants include Katie Holmes, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, whose off-duty wardrobes all regularly feature iterations of the classic pairing. Whether worn baggy and tucked in with a sharp blazer, cropped under an oversized coat, or tightly fitted with slingback heels, the look endures, season after season.

And while the jeans and white T-shirt formula might be foundational, I’m a firm believer that it doesn’t have to feel formulaic. If anything, I see it as a blank canvas for fashion’s more expressive flourishes, be it a well-placed accessory, an unexpected silhouette or a great layer slung over the shoulders.

Really, what makes the combination so enduring is that most of us already have some version of it tucked away in our drawers – it doesn’t rely on trend cycles or spending a small fortune to work. A simple shift in silhouette, a different denim wash or a subtle tuck can make this universal uniform into something entirely your own.

Scroll to discover eight tried-and-tested ways to breathe new life into jeans and a white T-shirt.