A Splendid Tee!

Grey tee. Ticked. Finally.

Well it's been a long time coming but I finally got one. A grey marl tee. You'd think something so basic would be so easy but no it's not. It's got to be the right cut, the right shade, the right fit, the right material. The right everything. I think I've got it cracked with this tee from Splendid.

Splendid Tee

I've been looking for an age but somehow the perfect grey tee had eluded me. Yes there were grey tees out there in abundance but if I found the right colour, it was the wrong cut, if it was the right cut, it was the wrong colour, if it was the right colour, they didn't have my size, if they had my size ... well, you get the picture.

I was browsing the NAP sale and started looking through the tops ... and stopped at this tee from Splendid. It had the right scoop neckline (not too deep), it was the right colour (a classic grey marl) and it looked deliciously soft and stretchy! Basically, it was perfect! But what size? I know that Splendid make splendid (pun intended) jersey tops - I've just not had the privilege to come across any in the shopping flesh so had no idea what their sizing was like. I parked a size small (my usual size) in the basket and went off to make a cup of Earl Grey and came back ......  the following day. 

It was time to press 'pay' but alas I'd taken a tea break too long. It had sold out in the small! Regardless, I crossed my fingers, said a prayer, popped a medium in the basket AND hit the pay button. 

The tee arrived the next day courtesy of the nice DHL man. I unpacked the black tissue paper and shook out the tee. First impressions were it looked good and upon trying on, it was the perfect size. The Shopping Gods had helped me to buy it in the right size by making sure all the size smalls had sold out!

Yeah - I'm sucking my tummy in!

Just pretend it's July and not January, okay?

New Look Ballet Pumps (old)

Boyish but girly!

At full price £75 is not cheap for what a lot of people would call a basic grey tee and even at more than half price at £30, some people would still say it was too much but to me this was a bit of an investment buy because if you get the right one - it will be the perfect foundation for so many outfits. You also need to understand that a lot of my clothes tend to be on the plain side so sometimes, I pay a little extra for a good basic. This one is a smart enough cut to wear dressed up with a blazer and slouchy enough for a relaxed day at home. 

Splendid Tee (new)

New Look Jeans (old)

Miss Selfridge Belt (old)

Susie Ho Bracelet (own design)

I personally don't think you can beat a grey tee and jeans combo especially for the summer months. For a change, I've put on a cream distressed leather belt instead of a tan one to give everything a lighter feel against the grey. The belt was not this distressed when I got it but after ragging it around, screwing it up and just messing it up - I managed to give it an aged look. The bracelet is my own design and has a little sterling silver chilli charm on. The Grumps has set me a challenge of seeing if I can bring some income in this year with my jewellery. We can but try.

Now having found my perfect grey tee ... I have also located a second grey marl tee from H&M for £7.99 which I intend to also have a look at. This is quite different to the Splendid tee - a more relaxed fit which means extra flattering for bagel bellys and being significantly cheaper, I really would prefer to wear this on the days when I'm hanging out with my boys so I can save the Splendid tee for the more grown up days. I have a good hunch about the H&M tee as it looks to be the same style as an existing H&M white tee which I really like and wore in a post last year where I was lamenting why they couldn't do a grey one. Well they must have been listening because this year - they did!

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Last note.

• What are your views on simple tees like this? Are they worth the money or do they need to embellished up to the hilt for you to think they are worth their salt? Am I a little mad for spending £30 on something which is so basic or would you prefer to buy 5 tees for this price? I confess - I'm a little bit of both :o) 

• If you like the H&M tee - size down (they are cut very generous).

• If you like the Splendid tee - size up (they are cut not so generous).

• Last but not least - make sure you wear a well fitting tee shirt bra (no lacy ones!) under tees like the Splendid one - they skim the bust and show lumps and bumps. I'm talking about the unintended lumps and bumps!