The last time I wore a shirt was probably on my last day at school, so when The Savile Row Company got in touch to set me a bit of a wardrobe challenge, it was with slight trepidation that I took it on! They offered to send me a selection of shirts from their surprisingly vast women’s range, which I would then work into my own wardrobe to suit my style. Given that my usual way of creating an outfit involves picking a dress from the hundreds I own and proceeding to over-accessorise it, doing creative things with shirts was going to be tricky. But I’m always game for a challenge, and it turned out to be very interesting to see how these classic pieces can be taken far beyond their traditional home as workwear…

I decided to start off with what I thought would be the easiest shirt to wear, the long boyfriend shirt in white (£27.50). I didn’t want to go the easy route of wearing it buttoned up over leggings, so I decided to go one step further. I layered the shirt over a navy and white vest with a lace trim, and added a pair of jeans with turn-up hems. This was topped with a tan coloured belt to cinch it in a bit.

The look I was going for was a bit Gallic and a tad gamine. Alas, I am definitely not Audrey Hepburn (!) and I think the result is a bit too ‘done’ and does nothing for my body shape at all. Even with the belt, this outfit makes my waist disappear, though I do think this is due to the fact I unbuttoned it and pushed some of the fabric back to make it look more ‘open’. Luckily, I have another boyfriend shirt to try later, which hopefully I can create a better look with…

Next, I moved on to something a bit brighter. Of all the shirts I tried, the short-sleeved tie-neck (£27.50) was the one I was least excited about when I saw it in pictures. I have big boobs, and high-necked designs, especially those with loads of fussiness at the neck, generally make me look ridiculous.

But then I realised the sash that comes with this blouse is actually detachable, which meant I wasn’t limited to wearing it how it was intended. I tried it tied around the neck, but it was difficult to get it looking as neat as in the photos (believe it or not, I had ironed it before the pic on the right). Instead, I chose to wrap the sash around the waist and tie it at the back, and wear it with a floral stretch skirt from F+F at Tesco. This ended up being one of my favourite looks of the five – the pink is quite bright and girly, and the lack of collar makes the shirt look a bit more casual, which works with the jersey skirt.

Day three’s shirt was a more feminine style with a v-neck and tie (£27.50), so my first thought was to go casual and wear it with jeans. But then I decided I should go for something smarter as this was the least office-esque of the styles and I could perhaps get away with it. So out came the trusty pencil skirt (from New Look). I didn’t really want to accessorise this, but I ended up adding a stretchy belt (from River Island) because it was quite difficult to keep the shirt tucked in and looking tidy because the skirt had a narrow waistband, so I needed something to hide the join.

I like the finished look, but I do wonder if this blouse would look better off on women with a smaller bust. The seaming detail sits directly above the boobs and can give a bit of a shelf-like look if you’re not careful. Great if you’re small up top, but harder to wear if you’re D+.

This narrow satin stripe shirt (£27.50) was my favourite of all the shirts, which surprised me given that it’s the most classic shape. It was the only one I thought looked good without a belt (but I put one on anyway – why change the habit of a lifetime?). I think because I tend to go for slinkier fabrics or more fitted cuts, that I struggled with the more voluminous shirts, while this one fit really well all the way down. It has pretty detailing down the front and is a really nice, heavy fabric that sits well and is incredibly easy to iron.

I wore it with a pair of denim shorts over tights, which is not something I’ve worn before, but I think they work to balance out the smartness of the shirt and make it a bit more casual. The photos were taken at the end of the day, so please forgive the creasing around the belt where I’d been moving around!

By now we’ve established that I quite like belts. So I decided I may as well whack one on for the final day, which saw the return of the boyfriend shirt, this time in blue. I think these shirts work best on my body shape with something to nip in the waist, as they’re quite straight in shape which can end up looking less ‘boyfriend’ and more ‘granny’ on a body like mine. Along with my belt I added an insane pair of Topshop earrings for a bit of bling, and I actually really like how it looks.

The only problem with this blue colour is that it’s exactly the same colour as the shirts that were part of my school uniform as a kid, so the moment I put it on, I’m transported back to being ten years old, bleary-eyed and struggling with my tie every morning! Maybe if I give this look a go in the future, it’ll be with the white shirt rather than the blue!

All the shirts are available on the Savile Row Company’s website in sizes 8 – 16 (they run true to size with generous busts), and are currently 2 for £45.

Disclosure: the shirts were sent to me free of charge for review purposes, however the opinions are my own and I was not paid to write this post.