Sustainable Summer Style With Thom Kelly

This post is in collaboration with Thom Kelly. 

Recently, I’ve been gravitating toward more classic clothing items. In the beginning of my sustainable fashion journey, I wore a lot of the loose, flowing items that seem to be synonymous with the space (think Elizabeth Suzann – though I do still love my Harper tunic – Jamie + the Jones, and the like.) I find that these days I am reaching for more classic silhouettes, and have even begun to part with some of the more flowing garments I once swore I would never get rid of.

I think my personal style has always been more classic, if I ask myself to be honest about the kinds of clothes I love. But, I am someone who can be incredibly susceptible to trends. I’m trying to be better at staying true to myself.

This summer, I had the opportunity to try out a classic button down from Thom Kelly – the Brynn Shirt in peony stripe. Most of you know that pink is my favorite color (you can probably tell from my blog design) but it doesn’t often make its way into my closet. This shirt has been the perfect item to bring a pop of color to my wardrobe. It’s classic and understated, yet feminine.

I wanted to spend some time today telling you a bit about this shirt, and show you how I’ve been styling it since not all the photos have made it onto my Instagram!

The Brynn Shirt is made of a lightweight, 100% Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified organic cotton. It is so breathable and soft that I have been able to wear it with shorts throughout the summer, despite the long sleeves. It has also been nice to throw it over my bathing suit to protect my shoulders from the sun – sadly I don’t have any pictures of that! But using it as a cover up has offered a classic, New England summer vibe to my beach days. And, of course, it’s perfect for the office.

The buttons are made of biodegradable corozo nuts, and the shirt itself is made with love in New York City. Did you know that only 3% of apparel sold in the United States is made here?

What really got me interested in Thom Kelly, though, is the fact that the brand is a member of 1% for the Planet.  Member businesses give 1% of their sales back to environmental causes. Thom Kelly’s shirts benefit the Rainforest Trust.

It can be difficult to find classic and timeless pieces that are sustainably made (given the aesthetic I mentioned earlier), so I believe Thom Kelly is filling a gap in the sustainable fashion space for those of us seeking tailored, timeless pieces.

Earlier this summer, I wore this shirt tied in a knot with my Gigi Pip straw hat for a day of coffee and shopping with a friend. My friend also has a great camera and a lot of patience, so thank you, Patricia, for the lovely photo above and these next two!

Isn’t it cute how you can see the little Thom Kelly logo when this shirt is knotted up? A knotted shirt is also so quintessentially summer.

I’ve also been wearing this shirt to the office quite a bit, and I love that the breezy material lends itself to not looking too fussy. I rarely steam it, instead just letting the beauty of this gauzy, organic cotton shine!

I have worn this exact outfit on several different occasions to the office (I was actually recently even featured on my company’s LinkedIn wearing this EXACT outfit – haha! If you ever doubt that I do wear what I post). I like how the Brynn top makes my denim look more polished, and I’m increasingly a fan of denim with a pointed heel!

I’ve also worn it with my tapered linen pants from VETTA Capsule and these secondhand Eileen Fisher sandals for a breezy summer office look.

Although I didn’t get any photos of this shirt styled over my bathing suit, I did snap some selfies this weekend where I wore it over a tank top for some errands around town.

You can make a button down less “prep” with destroyed denim and a cropped tank for a casual weekend.

Since she photobombed all of my mirror photos – haha!

So, there you have it! Just a few of the ways I’ve been wearing my Brynn Shirt.

I’d love to know if you agree that it can be difficult to find classic silhouettes made sustainably, and what some of your favorite timeless pieces are!

I’m also happy to say you can save 15% off your Thom Kelly purchase with code WHOLEHEARTED.

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