Trending in denim shirts

A. For a semi-casual look, pair with coloured tights such as these. Notice how she completes her look with a non-denim jacket. It is faux pas to wear a denim jacket over a denim shirt.

B. For a funky work look, the print pencil skirt works well.

C. When you wear denim on denim, do not exceed two pieces. It is also best you wear them in the same colour.

D. Denim may ordinarily be a casual outfit, but you can style the denim shirt to make it suitable for work, especially on Thursday or Friday.

Accessorising your denim shirt
You need neutral accessories, like a tan belt, a necklace, but it has to be something structured. Stay away from pearl necklaces when wearing a denim shirt.

You could get a collar necklace to wear over the denim shirt, buttoned down. For the earrings, pick something understated. For bags, go for brown bags because brown and blue compliment each other.

NB: Layering is one of the styling tricks you can use to add character to your look. You can wear your denim shirt and wear a dress over it, then complete with a structured belt.

Solomon Tazibone, a fashion stylist who operates an online fashion website, Kredibility, explains:

The do’s
A denim shirt is a very versatile piece that can be dressed up or down. You can take it to work, to a night out, and you can still wear it to the beach. But you cannot wear it to a very dressy affair.

Denim shirts: The do’s and don’ts

So, its versatility has a limit. For instance, for a work place, wear your denim over a pencil skirt, and then have it tucked it. You can then either layer it with a jacket, or just wear it with the sleeves down. To offset the casual bit, have a structured neckpiece going on.

For a casual look, there are many options. Wear it on a skater skirt, over a maxi dress, booty shorts, or with jeggings.

The don’ts
The biggest error is opting to wear the double denim look. You have to make sure that the two pieces have a similar wash, blue on blue, black on black etc. The textures can vary, but the wash has to be the same.
You could want to be creative and want to experiment with other hues, but the blue always works the magic when it comes to wearing denim.

The common mistakes
Matching a denim shirt with pants in a different shade is wrong.
If the bottom is not denim, there are a couple of things you could wear with a denim shirt, such as printed bottoms or coloured chinos.
Also, some people wear a denim shirt, with a denim bottom, and then a denim jacket. This is overdoing it. The minimum you should wear it is two denim pieces in one look. Then, wearing pearls on a denim shirt is also wrong because they belong to different worlds; extreme glamour and extremely casual.
Which is the easiest way to pull off a denim shirt?
For a beginner, the best way to wear a denim shirt is over the basic black pencil skirt or pants. Take baby steps, and slowly, you will discover more fun ways of wearing your shirt.

Model: Rachel Kasula