When it comes to barbies, al fresco concerts and impromptu long lunches, you can’t beat the tried-and-tested Nice Top and Jeans (NTAJ) formula.
But you can update it. When the NTAJ system became a go-to in the early 2000s, I don’t remember anyone giving much thought to proportions. Unless you were a professional stylist, it’s not a word that was a regular part of our dressing vocabulary.
That has changed as we see more full-length photos of ourselves and it has continued to evolve with the revival of minimalism and the gradual arrival and departure of so-called “quiet luxury”, both of which helped make silhouette and line much more of a focus. Slim on top, voluminous below or vice versa. Glam below, more rustic above. And so on. This is always going to be a study in contrasts.
The new rules of the Nice Top and Jeans
These days, a “nice” top doesn’t just mean something sparkly or otherwise embellished. How it frames your jawline, what the straps do for your shoulders and upper torso, where it ends on your hips and whether it complements what you’re wearing below are all considerations.
For instance, with high-waisted sailor trousers, a shorter cut, like this Wiggy Kit squiggle top, looks beautifully thought through, which in turn makes whatever you’re wearing look more polished.
A “nice” top can be a crisp shirt (collar maybe turned up; sleeves almost definitely rolled to the elbows, a styling tip that has transcended cliché to become a classic). Or it can be T-shirt shaped, and as textured as Liberace’s shagpile (like the one I’m wearing here).
Meanwhile, the Hansine kimono (featured below) expands the definition of “top”. Wear it long, providing a slimming, contrasting outline over a vest and trousers, or tie it at the front to make it shorter over a dress.
If spindly-strapped camis are firmly in your past (I still love them under a jacket), then you can achieve that high-summer, care-free look by wearing something that looks as though you might be braless and flashing a lot of arm without having to do either. I’m here to serve.
The brands getting it right
This drapey, linen-mix M&S top below, which comes in a peachy pink and indigo, is a case in point. I like how it’s pretty but no-nonsense. There’s a hint of the way we wore it, circa 1999, but it’s better. If you want to draw the clearest blue water between then and now, don’t try it with jeans, but with soft harem pants, or even a voluminous skirt.
M&S really is having a moment. Other British labels worth supporting are included below: Hansine, Wiggy Kit, Suzannah London and With Nothing Underneath (WNU), for instance.
WNU began with shirts and is steadily fleshing out a thoughtfully designed wardrobe. The boyfriend shirts are just the right side of oversized. This patchwork version below is playful but can also read smart, depending on jewellery, shoes and the lower half.
You could wear it buttoned over pink silky capris or these fabulous architectural Cos trousers (definitely not your basic jeans, yet just as easy to wear). Alternatively, unbutton it over a bandeau and shorts. With strappy sandals, it’s lovely for hot outdoor evenings.
Asceno does the work of putting a top and trousers together for you. Their pieces are simple and minimalist but in lovely silks or linen, and the colours are subtly memorable.
Suzannah London’s stunning ladybird silk blouse (from a 1960s archival print) is the indulgent moment here. It comes with matching pyjama pants but you could equally wear it with high-street green denim. Or try it with a maxi skirt that puddles slightly at the bottom, bow done up – very Cate Blanchett. Even if you don’t normally wear prints, this one’s a winner – the vertical lines work like stripes to elongate, and the ivory background makes it look clean and contemporary. Not cheap, but think of the joy per wear.
Lisa wears
Fringed knitted top, £95, Cos; Linen blend trousers, £225, Me+Em; Leather shoes, £129, Boden; Gold plated earrings, £50, Lines & Current; Gold plated bracelet, £140, Sezane
Photography: Sarah Brick; Hair and makeup: Ariane Young at Joy Goodman; Styling: Sophie Tobin; Stylist assistant: Alice Dench