The model in this picture should look a little happier, right? After all, she is wearing one of the coolest items of clothing ever invented: the mock-layer sweater! Why wear a shirt under your sweater when you can wear a sweater that looks like you are wearing a shirt under your sweater? C'mon!
Lots of people layer clothing items. Oftentimes we put outerwear over inner(?)wear. We wear a jacket over a shirt, a coat over a sweater, or a vest over a top. There are a few downsides to this layering, though: it can fit poorly; it can get bulky; it can be hot.
I have experimented with layering sweater over shirt before. I have worn cardigan or grandfather sweaters over short-sleeve or long-sleeve Ts. I have worn these sweaters over a sleeveless denim shirt. I have tried to layer button-up shirts with pullover sweaters, but they always seem to show the contour of the buttons underneath, or they have an ill fit as the shirt underneath sticks out awkwardly. It's really difficult to find the right combo of button-up shirt and button-less sweater.
I could write a post telling you how to find the right combo--that is, how to properly layer these items--but I won't. Instead, I tell you to cheat. Get the mock-layer sweater.
A couple of years ago I started seeing these mock-layered shirts in stores. The sweater has the appearance of having a shirt underneath, but alas the collar of a button-up is sewn to the top of the sweater; the bottom of the blouse hangs out of the bottom of the sweater. Groovy, right?
Maybe. I tried a few on a few times, but couldn't find one that fit the way I wanted it to. The sweater part was too short or too tight, or the sleeves were too short; sometimes the mock blouse part underneath was some awful, wrinkly material. I had almost given up. A few weeks ago I finally found my dream mock-layered sweater on sale at my favorite Texas department store: Dillard's! I liked it so much, I bought two. I have one in black, and one in teal.
I wore the black one yesterday with a pair of dark emerald green skinny slacks, and I felt great! I even got a compliment from my boss! ;)
Here's the top part (simple collar):
and the bottom (ooh, fun lace!):
Put together it looks like this:
If you can get your hands on one of these mock-layer sweaters, buy it. Do not pass it up. They come in all colors, shapes, sizes, patterns. You'll look cool and put together--no too-tight or too-loose shirts underneath. No bulging top to tuck in or have to fan out. If you get the right mock-layer sweater, it'll do all the work...and that's the kind of clothing I like. No accessories even needed, and I love accessories! ;)
