You are currently viewing How to Style 5 Casual Chic Outfits – OOTW 9/13-17

I think I identify mostly with the description “casual chic” in terms of my personal style. No matter what types of items I’m wearing, or how much color/pattern, I think there’s a casual and comfortable element to the majority of my outfits and I feel like they can be applied across a lot of situations as well.

I definitely have a pretty casual lifestyle but I also like to dress up and wear fun things, because what’s the point in getting dressed if you can’t have a little fun. Well, aside from the whole indecent exposure thing.

If I’ve had a week where I really enjoyed all my outfits, I like to document it here. So, here are the 5 outfits that I wore this week + a really great consignment shop find + a newly sewn outfit!

Monday 9/13

Temperature: 87F / 31C

This is a casual chic outfit combo that I fall back on whenever I wake up feeling crappy and I don’t have the energy to think of a more clever combination – my old black bodysuit that I’ve worm a million times + pants/shorts + a shirt left open.

Here I selected a pair of jeans that I found at a local consignment shop over the summer. I had actually pulled them to include in my upcoming fall capsule wardrobe, but after wearing them on this day, I decided that I won’t be including them after all. They feel more like a summer jean to me at the moment and since I have a pair of solid black jeans in the capsule, I don’t think I’ll miss them. It also frees up a space for a different pair of jeans which I think I’ll fill with the two-toned ones that I made.

I really can’t emphasize the joy of having a silk shirt in my summer wardrobe. It is the absolute most perfect layering piece. It looks great buttoned up and tucked in, knotted at the waist or left open. I don’t like to tan and so this shirt is always in my tote bag during the summer. I can easily throw it on if I end up outside without an option for shade.

Mirror selfie of a small blonde woman who is wearing a black silk shirt over a black top and black jeans with white longitudinal stripes. She is holding a black tote bag in her right hadn't and wearing black leather slides.

Since I was wearing an all black outfit, I decided to add some fun jewelry. I have 2 vintage bolo ties but this one is the most recent addition. I think I bought it back in the winter. And this padlock chain is something that I’ve had for a really long time. It’s actually a souvenir from a trip that I took back home to Newfoundland once.

The last time I was back was 2015 and I think I bought it then. Which seems so long ago now. We were supposed to go back this summer but were unable to because of the border closings and also because we’re not comfortable with air travel yet.

Closeup of the woman in the mirror to show the silver padlock necklace she is wearing and the black bolo tie with a silver horseshoe design.

// vintage silk shirt

// everlane bodysuit

// preloved packsun jeans

// preloved Tory Burch tote bag

//secondhand clergerie slides

// vintage bolo tie

// obey padlock chain

Tuesday 9/14

Temperature: 77F / 25C

I found this dress about a month ago in a local consignment shop. I really like to wear it but I also feel a little sad whenever I do. It’s from Target and since this prairie dress style is a fairly recent trend, I can’t help but think that this dress is less than a year old. Which means that somebody bought this dress and quickly discarded it.

Was it an impulse purchase? Did the person need to make more room in their closet for more purchases? It feels like everything that’s wrong with consumerism and fast fashion.

But, it’s lovely and made of an airy cotton gauze and I will love it and wear it for many summers. So there’s that.

This dress styled with platform sandals feels very “casual chic” to me but I could easily add a pair of sleek heels for a more dressy vibe.

Mirror selfie of a small blonde woman who is wearing a long black wrap dress with short sleeves and tiers with a pair of black and white platform sandals and a grey satchel handbag.

I didn’t bother with any jewelry as I think the handbag and shoes make a big enough statement on their own. I’ve noticed that I’m much more willing to invest in footwear and outerwear. Even though I enjoy prints and color, I still have a lot of neutrals in my wardrobe and I feel like a great coat or pair of shoes can make such a huge difference.

I’m sure that people feel this way about other things, such as handbags and jewelry, but I have such a weakness for a cool pair of shoes or an amazing jacket.

Also, owning really cool jackets is what gets me through our horrible winters!

I also put my floor mat back down but then decided to take it up again. This is actually the bottom of the mat (it’s got a blue design on the other side) and it’s a pretty lightweight cotton one that my cats tend to crawl under so I’m constantly adjusting it. Honestly, I want to leave the floor bare but I also think that a mat makes the room cozier too. I guess I just need to find the right mat.

Closeup of the wrap part of the dress.

// preloved universal thread dress

// botkier satchel

//preloved stella mccartney sandals

Wednesday 9/15

Temperature: 80F / 27C

OK, let’s talk about these shoes! I found them on Tuesday when I went to a local consignment shop. I went there looking for hand sanitizer…a weird thing to intentionally go to a secondhand shop for, I know. But, ever since the pandemic, they had been stocking some (new!) bottles near the checkout and I really liked the bottle size/face that it was unscented.

Sadly, for me, they didn’t have any. But I figured that since I was there and I had a few minutes to spare, I’d have a quick look around. I wasn’t in the mood to try on clothes so I headed to the homeware section to look for home textiles to repurpose into clothing. Nothing. Then I looked in the shoe section. My expectations were pretty low. I hardly ever find shoes at this particular shop. The only pair I remember finding there was a pair of black Swedish Hasbeen clogs a few years ago.

But low and behold, I found these very cool, if a little ugly, shoes. I loved everything about them…the unique style, the colors. And they fit. And they were in like new condition.

I could see “MAR” beneath the price tag that was stuck to the insole, and I immediately thought “omg these might be MARNI!” And when I pulled the tag back, I saw that it was. And they were $8.99!

I get excited by a lot of the things that I find and decide to buy at consignment shops, but my excitement level over these shoes was off the chart. Marni for 9 bucks! And even if they weren’t real, they were still really cool!

I posted about them on IG once I got home and someone who works in luxury goods reached out and said they could authenticate them if I sent them photos of the insole (with the brand name) and the bottoms. I did and they authenticated them! So, I managed to luck into a cool pair of Marni shoes for 9 bucks after all!

My daughter wasn’t as excited about them though. The first time she saw them was when I picked her up from school. She looked at them, screwed up her face, and said “I don’t want those when you’re done with them” lol. [I put certain things in storage for her to wear when she’s bigger if she wants them when I’m finished with them.] I told her that was “fine, because I’m never going to be done with them” lol.

Mirror selfie of a small blonde woman who is wearing a long sleeved black tiered dress that ends just below her knees. She is wearing it with a pair of cream shoes that have 2 brown tabs on each side of each shoe. a black lace goes through the tabs and criss crosses over the shoe and then laces around the leg before being tied into a bow. She is holding a black leather satchel with brown handles and gold hardware.

I wanted the shoes to be the standout of the outfit so I went with a black tiered dress that I found on eBay last year. I added in my old Michael Kors bag that I have barely ever worn. I think my husband gave this to me as a Christmas gift over 10 years ago. I had picked it out at the time and I loved the mix of the black and brown leather with the gold hardware. I think I didn’t really use it because it wasn’t a crossbody bag.

Even now, I wouldn’t use this if I were going to be out walking around but it’s really cute for going out for lunch or running errands.

Here’s a closer looks at the shoes. I love the lacing detail. The are elasticized around the top and they had made an indentation by the end of the day and there were a few tender spots but there was no chaffing. They should be easy to break in.

Closeup of the shoe showing the tabs and lacing.

// preloved zara dress

// michael kors satchel

//preloved marni shoes

Thursday 9/16

Temperature: 85F / 29C

Tuesday was a good day for me because I took a few hours that night to finish this matching set. This is the Wattlebird Cami from Common Stitch and the Pomona Pants from Anna Allen Clothing. I used a secondhand cotton shower curtain that I had found last fall.

I initially cut a size 10 for the cami, but realized that it was too big after initially putting it together. So I took it apart and recut a size 8. I didn’t add the bust darts but would do so if I were working with a solid colored fabric. I also didn’t do the back ties for the straps. I simply sewed the long front tie directly to the back of the cami.

As for the pants, I made a straight size 6 with a size 8 waist for a higher rise. I didn’t add any of the pockets after debating it for a day. I’m not even sure that I would have enough material left!

Sometimes I get sewing paralysis over what fabric/pattern combo to use. I think that’s why it took me so long to decide what to do with this shower curtain but I really love how it all turned out.

A small blonde woman is standing in front of a white wall and wearing a blue/green/white checkered cami with a pair of matching wide legged pants. She is wearing silver snakeskin boots.

I think that a plaid matching set can read a little pajama-y, so I added a pair of cool silver snakeskin boots to funk it up a little bit and give it the casual chic vibe that I’m going for. I also pulled out my small silver crossbody bag that I’ve had for years. It felt like a really fun combo!

A mirror selfie of the bottom part of the checkered outfit but also showing a small silver crossbody bag that the woman is wearing.

// handmade wattlebird cami

// handmade pomona pants

// coach handbag

//preloved j. crew boots

Friday 9/17

Temperature: 81F / 27C

I call this look “how to dress up your gardening/hiking/dog walking/general beat around pants”.

I’ve had these pants for years! They are a definite favorite but I don’t generally wear them unless I’m doing one of the aforementioned activities. But, I felt tired and bloated when I woke up and I wanted nothing more that to wear my comfiest pants that I could also dress up a bit. They are the epitome of casual but I had a feeling that I could make it feel more casual chic with the right top and accesories.

So I grabbed this gorgeous, vibrant blue vintage silk shirt that I found last weekend and threw it on over these pants, which basically look like black dress pants styled like this!

A mirror selfie of a small white woman who is turned slightly side on to the mirror. She is wearing a vibrant blue long silk shirt with shot sleeves over a pair of black straight leg pants with black leather slides. She is holding a black tote bag.

I paired the outfit with my sleek black leather slides and my large black tote bag. I’ve been really into this bag lately…it holds so much!

After washing my hair, I let it air dry and left it down…a serious departure from my most recent go-to hairstyles. It is pulled back into a low ponytail as I write this though.

Closeup of the shirt.

// vintage silk shirt

// athleta pants

// preloved tory burch tote bag

// preloved cleregie slides

Now, I’d love to hear from you. Have you ever found something that you were super excited about?

And how would you define your style?