more lna lovin'

Real Simple magazine apparently wants to know:

Who's got zip tees and is awesome?

Yeah. WE ARE.

Come for the LNA Zipper Tee... stay for the Three Dots, C&C California, James Perse, LA Made, Michael Stars & Velvet! (Really, they could have just done an article called "Tee-Zone.com has it All!" Take note, fashion editors!)

Frugal Fashion

The article above is taken from this week's New York magazine, from a multiple page cover article entitled "Live Well, Spend Less."

What we have here is a simple, great idea in an economy has no budget for lookin' good. "You hate everything in your closet, but you don't want to buy anything. Easy to fix," the article says, and recommends holding a clothing swap with a couple of your fashion-forward girlfriends. Voila! You've got the makings of a new wardrobe!

Unfortunately, we don't all have the same size, shape, or style. Which is why it's important to see each piece in your pal's closet as a base, a blank wall to be decorated how you choose. And by looking at your closet in the same way, you can make the most of a few choice pieces- saving you from blowing your budget on a billion seperates. To demonstrate this, we chose a pretty basic Sleeveless Cowl Neck Shift Dress by Michael Stars, and set it up for three different tastes.

LEFT: Daftbird's Attached Scarf Sleeveless Cardigan over the dress paired with bold HUE tights and a pair of slouchy boots gives this dress a funky edge.

CENTER: A colorful long sleeve tee by LNA, a skinny belt to cinch your waist, and conservative tights and heels and you're all set for a casual workplace or an easy night out.

RIGHT: Splendid's super versatile Wool Blend Wrap Cardigan, warm tights and suede boots prep this dress for the colder months. Perfect for class on cold days!

And if nothing else, a great pair of tights and a cool cardigan will turn last season's tunic or mini dress into something your friends will fawn over!

Dressed on Dexter

I may be ashamed of the amount of television I watch, but at least I can justify it: I'm WORKING! I'm doing research! I swear it has nothing to do with all the cute boys!


For instance, the above is a snap from this week's Dexter. And that's Deb (much more fashionable this year than last year) wearing Michael Stars. I got a little excited when I saw that. She's got on the Striped Elbow Sleeve Deep V in Macaw Stripe, and we've got it on sale. Now you too can look like an aspiring Miami PD detective with an homicidal sociopathic older brother!


Shop more Michael Stars at tee-zone.com!

tee-zone gets LUCKY!

So this is super exciting. When asked, Lucky Magazine named tee-zone.com as the best place to buy your basic tees. We're gonna have to go ahead and agree with them!

Shop for the best basics and more at tee-zone.com!

Stars & Stripes

OK! magazine this month was chock full of
goodies that we loved- including previously noted celeb-friendly Daftbird tanks.

Jessica Alba's wearing a wide striped tank, but we love our Daftbird basics, like this Deep V tank with contrast stitching.

To get the striped look, you can try this Striped Beater by Michael Stars or Splendid's new Rayon Rugby Striped Top.

Shop Daftbird at tee-zone.com.

The Shorts List

So it's summer again: the temperatures are rising and it's time to pull out the shorts! For me, finding the perfect pair is always a task (I usually just end up cutting my own from last season's jeans).

Then I tried on the new James Perse shorts and fell in love. With a wide ribbed waistband and light weight fabric, these shorts will keep you cool and comfy all summer. Think of shorts as those cryptic bottoms reserved only for supermodels or (gasp!) the beach? Don't be so hard on this ever-rebuked summer staple (or yourself).

Velvet's Crew-neck Wide Tunic

Even the most shorts-phobic will find themselves looking great when pairing them with a loose, flowy top while walking around the city: think Blue Life's Best bum tee (below, left). For the beach, a cool sleeveless tee like Juicy's Sleeveless Ruffle Front Top (below, center). And if you're feeling really frisky, try them with a Sexy Ella Moss (below, left) top for a night out on the town!

Some more shorts-friendly options:
Michael Stars' Flutter Sleeve Square Neck Top
Young Fabulous & Broke's Logo Boyfriend Top
James Perse's Linen Blend Racerback Tank
Susana Monaco's Cross-back Babydoll

Tying the Knot

Flipping through this month's Lucky magazine I found this style detail on knotted blouses. I love this look- a little business casual, a little retro-chic.. versatile, and less fussy than you think.




Parker Blue's cap-sleeve tie collar top (left)is a great, tee-shirt version of this. Lucky paired their blouses with an A-line skirt and heels, but this number looks just as cute with leggings or jeans and your favorite flats.




For a less traditional tie-top, Sweet Pea's Banded Tie-Neck (right) has a looped drawstring neckline with a single side bow.. and it comes in two great prints. (And if you like those prints, have you checked out our new Mixed Prints collection?)

Michael Stars' Cropped Tie Cardi (below, left) turns any tee into a tie-neck. It's also a great day-to-night dress-up-your-tank-top and cover-those-chilly-shoulders cardigan. And if you love this look but can't be bothered with the bow, Velvet's Bow-Front top (below, right) has all the flair and none of the frill.

Looking for more? Click here for Tee-Zone's favorite ties.

Spring Items Sale

Isn’t it fabulous when we realize that adding substance to our closet in preparation for the new season doesn’t mean draining our wallets? We start building our wardrobe from the bottom up by first cruising Sale items- there are plenty of Spring-friendly basics (and more) at great prices for awesome quality. Take for example this ­tank top by C&C California ($18.00): a perfect staple for layering or to wear alone. And it’s not just basics that can be fancy finds. Dressier items like this glitzy tank by Zooey ($37.00) or this free flowing dress by Velvet ($30.00) take you right into those first warm nights of Spring!

Here are a few more of our favorites:
Michael Stars Stripe Cami ($19.00)
Zooey Short Sleeve Ruffle Neck Tunic with Pockets ($29.00)
So Low Cropped Leggings with Snaps ($27.00)
Splendid Long Sleeve Ruched Double V Neck Top ($31.00)
Free People Strappy Knit Tie Front Dress ($42.00)
Rebecca Beeson Short Sleeve V-Neck ($30.00)

Introducing...

So welcome to Tete-a-Tee-Zone, a brand-spankin' new blog for the website tee-zone.com and our NYC location, Basic Basic. Here you'll find information about new brands, our favorite new items, and behind the scenes scoop from our photo shoots and in-store shenanigans. With that said, some brief introductions are in order..

I'm Rachel. I've worked at Basic Basic for a lifetime. Currently I'm in charge of store styling (those mannequins are heavier than they look!) and web-site odds and ends, which is what led me here, writing my first blog.

My two co-authors are Mary and Megan. Mary does web-site styling. You know those catchy phrases on the front page? Those intuitive style collections? That's all her, and she's great at it. Megan (lucky girl) accompanies our photographer on photo shoots and creates the product pages for all our items. In fact, she's standing behind me as I type this, preparing outfits for tomorrow's shoot. We're all a little jealous.

Anyways, on with the show..

On the L-train to work today, Megan found a picture of Michelle Williams in this month's Elle magazine wearing a Michael Stars Striped Tank (see left). You can get a similar look with this Michael Stars Striped Beater in delicious candy colors, or take a look at the Stripe 2-button Cami, currently on sale for a skimpy $19.00!


And check this out: Jessica Alba wearing the LA Made Full-length Trench. Celebritystyleguide.com added a handy Link to our product page on tee-zone.com. We're almost famous!

That's all we've got for today. Be sure to check out Susanna Monaco, as featured on our home page.. we're all dying for that Amy Halter Dress. Until next time,

rachel rose