This European chain—which was best described by a friend of mine as the Madewell of France—mines a very ladylike/gamine vein, and is a little pricier than Madewell while still staying reasonably affordable I think you can probably guess that I am mad for the print on this button-down.

I don’t usually like such a high neckline, but this is just so pretty.

A camel coat that looks insanely versatile.

These jeans are the perfect grey—any lighter and they’re not always flattering.

A good mood in a blouse.

I like that these pants are skinny but not too skinny.

This is a rather simple blouse, but I feel like it would go into heavy rotation pretty quickly.

I like the little peplum detail on this windowpane plaid top.

A leather skirt that’s pretty well-priced as these things go, and the A-line shape is as close to universally flattering as a garment gets.

The Swiss dots on this button-down are fresh.

I think the shape of these wide-leg trousers is very becoming.

And I love the tuxedo vibe here.

I dig the deep cuffs and overall slouchy feel of this H&M peacoat.

And the gold buttons here are really good.

I’d wear this red plaid number with a black and white striped sweater.

The knit sleeves here are a nice touch.

This is just rather spectacularly well-priced.

You can’t go too far wrong with L.L. Bean’s classic model.

This is just the right amount of cropped—which is to say, not too much.

I will preface this post by apologizing for the fact that so many of these tees cost more than what a tee should cost. But when you’re talking about an investment tee—and let’s just go out on a limb here and act like such a category exists—sometimes I do think it’s OK to splurge. Because, at least in my life, nothing does as brilliantly on the cost-per-wear front than a well-loved tee does.  One can hardly argue with the sentiment here, and you get that itsy bonus Bella Freud dog logo on the sleeve.

The off-kilter lips here are pretty dear.

I don’t know why this Star Wars tee appeals to me so much—maybe the fact that it looks authentically old.

This old-school Levi’s logo really pops.

I really want this snake tee: the graphics are so gracefully badass.

The Great makes a very good, soft, extra-slouchy tee, and this one looks like a beaten-in favorite.

This tee is a tribute to the late great fashion zine of the 90s, Cheap Date.