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Favorite Spring Wardrobe Basics

Greetings, and hello Monday! Today I’ve got a casual mom-on-the-go outfit that’s made up of some of my favorite spring wardrobe basics.

Sometimes I like creating an outfit around a signature piece that is the focal point of the look, but sometimes I like to put together a few of my favorite neutral basics and see what new combinations I can come up with. That’s what I did for this post.

This casual outfit is made of some of my favorite spring wardrobe basics -- white denim jacket, grey v-neck tee, Rag & Bone skinnies, and Veja sneakers!

This white denim jacket is one of my most-worn wardrobe pieces in the spring. It’s either this or my blue jean jacket — one or the other seems to go with almost every spring outfit I create.

Isn’t it interesting how a denim jacket can elevate a casual look or keep a dressier look from feeling too fussy? I definitely feel like it can go both ways, depending on what else I’m wearing with it.

For this look, I wore my white denim jacket over a grey tee. I love white and grey together — it’s an obvious combination in a way, and yet I don’t often think to pair the two.

I especially like how the grey tee looks with the silver hardware on the white jacket and my silver accessories.

I was asked if there are any white denim jackets without silver hardware, and this one is the best I could find. I can’t tell for sure, but the buttons look darker. If you know of one, let me know. Meanwhile, here are a bunch of white denim jackets I rounded up at various price points.

Shop Denim Jackets:

Since the white and grey on top are both neutrals, pretty much anything goes on the bottom. I would wear olive cargo pants, pink jeans, black jeans, or any colored denim or khaki pants with this.

For this post, I went with dark wash ankle-length skinnies to add some contrast but keep the look to all neutrals, and then I wore sneakers for a super casual look. I also like how they bookend the outfit with white on top and bottom.

These Rag & Bone raw hem ankle skinnies have a great fit, and I love the wash. They’re slightly blown out in these pictures; I’d say they’re darker in person. They’re thick and soft and really mold to your body as you wear them, and the rear pockets are super flattering.

I found this exact pair at Nordstrom Rack for over 50% off, and they also have a lighter wash that’s really nice too. If I didn’t already have a new pair of light wash jeans with pretty much the same specs, I’d snap them right up.

This casual mom-on-the-go outfit is made up of some of my favorite spring wardrobe basics -- white denim jacket, grey tee, blue jeans, and white sneakers.

I grabbed my new ivory bucket bag because it’s what I had with me that day, but I think I’d prefer a bag in a cooler tone and silver hardware with this look — or maybe even a pop of color.

I wish I’d brought my R Minkoff shoulder bag to the shoot. That’s what I will most likely carry when I wear this outfit. You don’t have to match your bag hardware to your outfit — if you’re the type to carry one bag all season, I totally wouldn’t give it a second thought.

But I do change out my bags frequently, and I have a bag that would compliment this look better, so that’s what I’d prefer to carry.

Tory Burch McGraw Hobo

This is a fool-proof outfit formula that you can recreate in so many different ways. When you’re bored with your closet or don’t know what to wear, just pull out a bunch of your favorite basics and see what you come up with.

This look is proof that not every good outfit needs a focal point. A combination of pieces that fit well and balance each other can work just as well.

This casual outfit is made of some of my favorite spring wardrobe basics -- white denim jacket, grey v-neck tee, Rag & Bone skinnies, and Veja sneakers!

Outfit Details:

white denim jacket (option) | v-neck t-shirtskinny jeans (option) | hobo | sneakers | necklace (sold out)

This post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, it helps support my business (at no additional cost to you) so thank you!

photos: Alison Cornell

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29 Responses

  1. I love this outfit! So simple yet very classic! I imagine every single one of us has this already in our closet!

  2. Can’t go wrong with an outfit like this:) I saw your pic on Instagram. Where was your black maxi dress from? I love pairing a denim jacket over my t shirt dresses and maxi dresses. Had beautiful weather yesterday. Got some sun on the back deck… some loud thunder this morning and some rain moving in  later I guess. Have a great day😀

  3. I found a white denim jacket with polished gold hardware at TJ MAXX. It is made by Michael Khors. Thanks for the outfit inspirations!

    1. Thanks for the tip on the jacket with gold.  I’m the one (or one of the ones) that asked Jo-Lynne about it.  We have a TJ Maxx opening just 5 miles away.  I’ll check it out!

  4. Love this look! Is the denim jacket soft? Or at least soft-ish? I find denim jackets to be so stiff that they feel stuffy to me. I’d love a white one though. What size did you go with? TY!

  5. Love the look. I guess i have missed something. You said daughter and husband . I don’t remember ever hearing about a grown daughter that was married.

  6. Love this outfit….they grey tee with the white jacket looks great. And to be honest I think the dark skinny jean looks amazing and emphasizes the white jacket. Love it.

    Sorry your husbands flight got cancelled…not. I’m sure it’ll be nice for him to work in town. Enjoy. 

    Have a great day…our temp here today is warming up to 86. Oh yes.

  7. Cute basic outfit but works great in the spring. This is something I wear often. My white demin jacket is from Macy’s because I was able to find it in petite and it’s by Charter Club. When I first bought It I didn’t wear it that much but when you started styling yours it really helped and now I wear it often. I actually wore mine to church yesterday because it was a bit chilly in the morning and our church is casual. So I just added a cute Loft blouse, jeans and wedges and I was comfy all day. I almost bought a grey tshirt from JCrew last week when they were having 60% off but my daughter came to grab me because I was supposed to be helping her bra shop next door at Soma. So I didn’t get to get it and I will have to go back. I love grey and a basic Tee is just what I need.  

  8. Great casual look that I can shop my own closet from – have all the key pieces. Thanks for the white jacket feature. Sorry about your husband’s flight being cancelled and pushed back to Wed. Flying is such a pain nowadays. Have a great day!😄

  9. This is such a great outfits we are all able to recreate. Thanks for the tip! I do have a question….I am short waisted and wondering if denim’s jackets should ideally hit at the waist or can they be a little longer? Because I’m short waisted, mine are longer on my body frame. 

    1. I’m super short waisted too, and not terribly tall (5’5″) and mine definitely do not hit at the waist. In fact, I don’t know that they should on anyone. Typically the bottom of the jacket should be around hip length. Some are intentionally cropped, and intended to hit closer to the waist, and some are made to be longer and more relaxed (those are trending at the moment) but a traditional jacket would hit somewhere around the hip bone. I hope that helps!

      edited to add: I’m looking at these pictures, and my jacket does end near the waistband of the jeans, but they’re low-rise jeans. My natural waist is much higher, where the jacket curves in.

  10. I tend to stick with the same purse for a season because switching is a pain! What are your tips to make a simple purse switch? I have small pouches/make up bags I organize my purse with – that helps, but still…I only bother to match my outfit if it’s a special occasion where I’m using a fancy purse. Haha!

    1. I do that too — have a few small pouches. I keep one large tote that is my go-to and it holds everything. If I’m using a smaller bag and don’t need everything, I leave the remnants in that tote. When I get home, in my perfect world, I’d empty out the purse I’m using into the tote, and put that purse away, but usually I end up with one or two sitting around the house. At any rate, whenever I do switch a purse out, I empty it out completely. That’s my biggest tip. I don’t leave odds and ends in different bags — I used to do that and I was always without something I needed. Plus it helps me keep it cleaned out that way b/c I throw away trash and store receipts in my office when I make the swap.

      When I’m done with a purse and ready to put it away, I empty everything into the tote. That way I always have one bag ready to go at a moment’s notice. It sounds like a pain, but it takes less than a minute to switch a bag, because with everything in pouches, there are only a few things to move. Plus I tend to use one bag a lot during a season. Like right now, it is this ivory TB tote. I probably carry it 4 or 5 days a week.

      1. Gotcha! Good tips! I always forget something important if I make hasty switches but an always-ready tote is a great idea. It really would not be a big deal to purchase a second set of basic things – lipstick, compact, mints/gum, etc. and just move a wallet and anything else there’s only one of, too.

        1. Yeah, I just keep one pouch with lipstick, powder, hand sanitizer, a mini dental floss, and tums. LOL! And then my wallet, sunglasses, a purse pack of tissues, and my car keys. That’s it in my TB tote right now. I have another pouch in my big tote with some meds, a wireless charger for my phone, and my earbuds. I like a big bag in the winter b/c I will often toss scarf and gloves in there when I’m not wearing them, but for this time of year, this mid-size is really all I need.

          1. I’m still trying to recover from years of having diapers, wipes, snacks, etc. in my purse (my kids are ages 7-16) and adjusting to not needing QUITE as big of a bag. LOL!

  11. Love that you are featuring the white denim jacket! I l, however have a black one that I seldom wear. I got it at the thrift store for a couple bucks and it is like new. Do you have any ideas? I also have a soft lime green one, but have no problems styling it. Thanks!

    1. I would wear a black one with blue jeans (medium or light wash – not too dark) or khakis or white jeans or a bold colored pair of pants… Really anything you would pair with white, you could pair with black. Like, how about a black denim jacket with white jeans, neutral shoes, and a pretty floral top that has some black in it, or a black and white top, or a pastel or bold color tee, or even a grey tee like in this post? You could do something similar with blue jeans. Oh, how about this. Think about my black leather jacket outfits and wear the black denim jacket instead with similar color combos. https://jolynneshane.com/tag/leather-jacket

  12. https://www.costco.com/Buffalo-Ladies'-Knit-Denim-Jacket.product.100461989.html

    I know this isnt high end or designer but I bought this knit denim jacket and it sooo soft and not heavy but not too light, kinda goldilocks!
    I got blue and white. I am a size 10, short waisted and I can wear the small for more fitted or medium to layer a light sweater or long sleeve shirt, if you are really tiny (size 2-4) this might not work for you. You can order from costco w/o a membership and it ships free.

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