For years, my mum has emphatically espoused the virtues of the white shirt. As she’s one of those people who miraculously manages to look polished while on holiday and not as if she’s thrown a few drab cotton gypsy dresses and baggy t-shirts into a suitcase (guilty), I should’ve paid heed.
Lesson learned: mum is always right. A white shirt is truly a summer essential, hitting the magic spot of making the wearer looking relatively pulled together while feeling breezy. It’s timeless, slightly masculine and, when a touch loose and in a lightweight fabric, looks effortless. This, of course, is a lie: a white shirt requires a degree of care while wearing – drink white wine, red would just be silly – and a light iron before flinging on.
Despite it being a bit of a diva, I’ve discovered and embraced the joy of the white shirt while out in the countryside in Austria owing to the fact that it’s scorching but I’m catching up with relatives (ergo don’t want to look like a slob). These photos are taken at sunset in Bad Blumau, where we’re celebrating my uncle Helmut’s 70th birthday and spending the requisite amount of time bounding around in the fields among the haystacks pretending to be a von Trapp (side note: the sweet smell of hay is completely and utterly delightful). Right – there are some freshly-laid eggs for brekkie calling me – see you tomorrow for a beauty blast //
Shirt / Oska
T-Shirt / Splendid
Jeans / Topshop
Sandals / Loeffler Randall
Rucksack / Alexander Wang
Necklace / Annina Vogel