When I Want My Boring T-Shirt Dresses to Look Elegant, This Is the Bag and Shoes I Wear It With

Let’s be honest: t-shirt dresses don’t exactly set hearts racing. With a shape borrowed from the most basic item in our wardrobes—the humble tee—the t-shirt dress isn’t known for its wow factor. But what it lacks in drama, it more than makes up for in versatility. A true blank canvas, the t-shirt dress is one of the most adaptable, not to mention, comfortable pieces in my wardrobe—and when styled right, it can look surprisingly polished.

While reaching for trainers is the default (and often uninspired) option, there’s one particular combination I always fall back on when I want to elevate my t-shirt dresses: white sandals and a supple suede bag. Recently, I spotted Rosie Huntington-Whiteley pulling off the exact same formula—proof that this quiet-styling trick is really that good.

Wearing a floor-sweeping t-shirt dress with a pretty bouclé texture, Rosie’s look started out simple. But her accessory choices elevated it entirely. Skipping the typical trainers, she opted for sleek white sandals instead, which added a light hue to her muted dress while also nodding to one of the season’s most wearable shoe trends.