What do you think is the most common occasion I dress clients for? It’s not for hanging out at home. It’s not for job interviews. It’s not for a professional office environment. And it’s not for weddings or parties (or any other super dressy event). It’s for their regular, every day Monday-Friday (and casual weekend) life.
Because my clients want to feel good about what they’re wearing the majority of the time – and not just for special occasions. They want to feel good for dropping off the kids and then meeting friends for lunch. And for drinks with the girls. And for their business casual office. And date night. And family gatherings. And anything that lands between athleisure and a cocktail dress.
One of my clients framed it in a great way. She said, “I know how to dress for the grocery store. I know how to dress for a wedding. But I’m lost everywhere in between.” Which basically sums up a very common client dilemma - getting stuck on what to wear when you don't need to dress up, but you don't want to be too casual. In other words, when you need ‘polished casual’ outfits.
So, I thought I’d share 5 secrets to creating stylish polished casual outfits - so you can feel stylish for your everyday life.
BALANCE DRESSY WITH CASUAL
Pairing contrasting ideas is a great way to make fun, interesting and dynamic outfits. And it’s also a great way to create polished casual looks that are ideal for your everyday. Here’s how to do it: wear a dressier item with a more casual piece. It strikes a balance that ends up being perfect for so many occasions and environments.
A few ideas:
A blazer and blue jeans is the epitome of balancing dressy with casual. The jeans tone down the seriousness of the blazer (and the blazer elevates the casualness of blue jeans).
A dress and a denim jacket. You’ve probably worn this a bunch of times – and for good reason.
A cute top, trousers and sneakers. The sneakers add a sporty element to an outfit that would feel totally different with heels.
A utility jacket and midi skirt. Especially if you rarely wear skirts, this makes it feel a little less ‘I’m dressing up’ and a little more ‘I could wear this all the time’.
Like I said - a blazer and jeans is the epitome of balancing dressy with casual, for a great polished casual outfit. And it can be as simple as this - a plaid blazer, a solid top or sweater and dark blue jeans. And then add sneakers if it’s a more laid back occasion. Or booties if you want to crank it up a notch.
ELEVATE YOUR FABRICS
If your go-to at home outfit is a cozy cardigan, old t-shirt and leggings, here’s how you can update your look for leaving the house. And the best news is that you don’t need to come up with an entirely new outfit idea. You just need to elevate your fabrics.
Trade your cozy cardigan (that’s really just a glorified bathrobe) for a more structured cropped cardigan or sweater blazer. Trade your t-shirt (that you’d never leave the house in) for a modal or other sleek knit top. Trade your leggings (that you actually worked out in) for woven joggers. And you’ve totally updated your look, but in way that feels completely comfortable and authentic.
And conversely, if you’re more used to dressing up, you can take your fabrics down a notch. Switch a structured suit blazer for a knit one, skip the silk blouse in favor of a lightweight sweater and swap your trousers for jeans. Read this for 5 simple swaps to make dressier outfits more casual.
Here’s a great example of elevating your look for everyday running around. Instead of wearing a hoodie, plain t-shirt, leggings and workout sneakers - create an intentional outfit that’s just as easy to pull together.
SHIFT YOUR ACCESSORIES
Sometimes, you don’t even need to change your clothes to create a polished casual look. Because the same outfit feels totally different when you update the accessories.
Think about it – you can run summer errands in an easy t-shirt dress with flip-flops and barely-there jewelry. And you can go to a school function in the same easy t-shirt dress with a pendant necklace, a couple bracelets, a cute bag and your favorite metallic wedges.
And if you like the idea of playing with accessories, check this out for 3 outfits I took from drab to fab with a change of accessories.
A fun black top & white jeans are a dependable spring/summer go-to. You could wear this with slip-on sneakers during the day. And then shift to attention-getting jewelry, a fun belt and leopard shoes for a nice dinner with friends.
COMBINE STRUCTURE WITH EASE
It’s not only about how you put things together to make a polished casual outfit. Because there are certain items that sit on the border between super casual and kind of dressy. Like a blazer, but in a knit or sweater fabric. And tailored trousers in a stretchy or athletic fabric. And a structured dress, but in a light knit fabric.
I like to think of this as combining structure with ease – the item still has the structure and polish of its dressier counterpart. But the fabric gives it ease and a more casual vibe.
If a regular blazer feels like a little too much for you, a knit or sweater blazer is an ideal in-between option. This outfit can take you from a business casual office to lunch with your besties to a networking event to your kids’ spring concert.
SHIFT YOUR LOOK BY DEGREES
I touched on this earlier, but I wanted to call it out a bit more specifically. Here’s the idea: start with a reliable go-to outfit that you wear regularly. And then shift the pieces to create different levels of polished casual.
For example – let’s say your ‘running to Target’ outfit is a white t-shirt, jeans, sneakers and a neutral jacket. Step it up for a girls’ brunch by trading your jacket for a casual blazer. And your basic t for something that feels more like a top. And your sneakers for easy loafers or slides. And then if you’re heading to dinner with the in-laws, keep the blazer - but elevate your top to a silky blouse, your jeans to trousers and your loafers to point toe flats (or heels).
I know – it might be easier to see this in action than to read it. So, click here to see this exact idea in an article I wrote close to a year ago (that was also based on my client’s comment about the grocery store and a wedding!). And I also share how to take the notion of what you’d wear to a wedding, and tone it down for a backyard party or casual date night.
Are you finally ready to feel great in what you’re wearing for your everyday life? I’ve worked with hundreds of clients over the past 10 years to create outfits that make them feel amazing. And they spent less time and energy (and money) than if they tried to do it alone. Read what my clients have to say about working with me. And click here to set up a free consultation to talk about how we can create the style you deserve.