Welcome to Addressed, a weekly column where we, ahem, address the joys (and tribulations!) of getting dressed. So far, we’ve unpacked how to wear shorts at the office and beyond, how to pack a carry-on bag for a work trip, how to dress with style in your third trimester, and even how to layer without looking like that chair in your room (you know the one). Download the Vogue app, and find our Style Advice section to submit your question.
A Vogue editor asks: I have lots of band and concert tees, but I never know how to wear them IRL other than during a night out or a casual weekend hang. Balenciaga just made a Britney T-shirt, and Loewe did those feather classical music ones, which make me think they now have real fashion bona-fides—but how can I make them look like a fashion choice as opposed to a lazy choice?
I love this question because literally all the T-shirts I own are band or concert tees. But I also understand this question because most souvenir tees are usually relegated to the gym or co-opted as nightgowns (and there are more than a few in my drawer that are strictly won within these parameters). Plus, there’s just something about wearing a T-shirt that can make you feel like you rolled out of bed and left your house without bothering to change.
The way to make a humble T-shirt look like it’s part of a considered ’fit rather than just a thing you happen to be wearing is to pair it with more “elevated” pieces. The “elevated” bit can be whatever nice-ish garment you may favor, especially if it creates a bit of contrast with the tee itself. Think of your favorite vintage tee, washed to the point of being almost see-through, maybe even with a few holes in it—this, you’d want to wear tucked into high-waist pleated linen trousers with a belt (and if the shirt is actually sheer, then by all means layer a tank or another tee—à la Michael Rider’s Celine—underneath it). I think belted trousers are the perfect pairing for tees because nothing is un-lazier than wearing a belt! The bulk of my closet consists of skirts that can be dressed up or down, and I find that they can stand up to a band tee without leaving me looking disheveled—especially when paired with a Mary Jane, ballet flat, or lace-up oxford.
An AC/DC tee and a fabulous skirt, seen outside the fall 2025 ready-to-wear shows in Paris.
Photographed by Phil Oh
Hari Nef in a Diana Ross tee layered underneath a structured jacket in Paris, 2017.
Photographed by Phil Oh
It’s also important to take the fit and the condition of the shirt into consideration when putting together a look. Like I mentioned above, a raggedy-but-delicate shirt can take on the visual symbolism of a very thin knit, if you’ve layered or accessorized accordingly; while oversized band tees (because they were only ever available in size XL or XLL back in the day), can be easily cropped to a little below the natural waist and then worn over wiggle skirts or high-waist narrow trousers, playing with big-on-top/small-on-bottom proportions. (I like to cut them with scissors then wash them so the hems roll up a little, but you can also get them properly cropped at a tailor to keep a nice crisp seam. Make sure to leave the sleeves oversized tho!) Shirts that fit close to the body but are on the longer side are better off left as is, and tucked into pencil skirts, or trousers with paperbag waists.
