If you are anything like me, every time you open your closet full of clothes, you feel like you have nothing to wear. I finally realized that I just needed to work harder at putting thought into outfits, rather than buying more clothes. I found once I started buying the basics, things I could mix and match—I really got more creative with my outfits. I truly think the most important part of planning the perfect outfit is finding clothes that you are comfortable and confident in. I often find myself searching Pinterest or other blogs for outfit inspiration and decided that I would pull something together to share some of my favorite styles for this summer.
I typically shop at the same handful of stores. Once I find a store or brand that I know fits me well and is good quality, I’m sold. The most common places I tend to shop are J.Crew, Lulus, No Rest For Bridget, Bobbles and Lace, Target, Old Navy, Abercrombie and American Eagle. For the most part, I try to shop sales and focus on items that I consider affordable, versatile, and practical. I definitely had my days of buying an entire outfit for one event and never wearing it again. Now that I am a professional, I typically buy pieces that I can mix and match with other items to be worn in the office and out in the city for the night. Another tip I try to keep in mind is to not buy a piece of clothing that I don’t have anything to wear it with. Overall, I would say I’m more intentional when I shop than I used to be.
In general, neutrals and blue tones are typically what I wear most. However, I definitely wear a lot more color than I normally do in the summer months. If you are similar, I find that it’s easier to add color with accessories and other things—whether it’s jewelry, purses, shoes, or even lip color. For me, it's important to be able to turn a day time look into a night out with the girls ensemble. Sometimes, changing your bottoms or shoes is all it takes to bring your outfit from "running errands" to "date night".
Some pieces that I consider must haves in the summer are body suits that you can easily wear with pants, shorts, and skirts. Body suits are so versatile and allow for the smooth, tucked in look without the pain of constantly having to tuck in your shirt. I have been loving Abercrombie's body suits this season. They fit really well, are true to size, are thick material, and snap at the bottom (we all know how important this is). When I look for body suits I try to find ones with thick enough straps that I can still wear a real bra with. I also love finding short sleeve or crew neck body suits because I can pair them with linen pants and a blazer for work. Another article of clothing that is a must have for summer are bralettes and bandeaus. Nothing ruins a cute summer top or dress like bra straps. Bralettes add a cute, dainty look to low cut, open back, or sleeveless shirts and still provide the coverage you need. I normally buy these items from Abercrombie, No Rest for Bridget, American Eagle/Aerie, and Target.
Another key piece for the summer are a few really great pairs of white jeans. White jeans are great for daytime and night and it's super easy to pull a cute outfit together with white bottoms. I own a few pairs of high waisted white jeans, distressed, and flare. The other thing that is great about white jeans is that you can throw on a jean jacket for a layered look. The only thing to keep in mind with white jeans is that they are typically going to run smaller than blue denim. With white jeans, the dye process is different and results in a tighter fit, generally with less stretch. Also, because white jeans show everything, you want to make sure they're not too tight. You generally need to size up one size, but sometimes even two sizes to ensure the perfect fit. It definitely depends on the brand, I find that with Abercrombie and No Rest for Bridget I am the same size as I am in regular denim.
Another great piece that is key for the summer months is a good denim jacket or two. I have one that is more fitted as well as a loose fit, distressed denim jacket. These are great in the summer to have as an outfit add-on once it gets cooler at night. I always bring a denim jacket out with me since it's easy to tack on to any outfit, especially if you're wearing white bottoms. One item I currently have on my wish list is a white denim jacket. J.Crew has some really cute ones right now if anyone is looking!
The next item that are must haves for summer, are shorts. I personally have a love hate relationship with wearing shorts. For me, shorts are the article of clothing that I always have a hard time finding. Whether it's the fit or the comfort, feeling too covered up, or not covered enough, too tight on my butt and loose around the waist. I always struggle with finding the "just right" with shorts. However, J.Crew always delivers on their shorts. They have the best cotton chino shorts that vary in every color and length imaginable. I always end up buying new colors every season. J.Crew also really delivers with their paper bag and scalloped detail shorts. The blue shorts with the pom-pom details and the navy shorts above are also from J.Crew.
Okay, let's talk shoes and accessories next. To me, this is the most important part of making a look stand out. Like I mentioned, I tend to gravitate towards neutrals when it comes to clothing. However, I am a bit more adventurous when it comes to accessories. I have a lot of bold colored earrings, sandals, and necklaces. Having a neutral outfit allows you to play around with color a lot more freely when it comes to accessories. I think a lot of people feel tied to making their accessories match their outfits, I personally do both. Sometimes I like being matchy matchy and sometimes like adding a necklace to an outfit that is totally off hue to add a pop. I like playing with patterns and colors and think it's an easy way to bring any outfit to the next level. I also think it's really important to have a variety of shoes, I always get bored just wearing flats or sandals so I like keeping a good mix. Since I'm only 5'2, wedges and platform sandals are a must have for me. I also think wedges are an easy way to add so much to a simple outfit.
I'll walk you through my thought process for the four outfits above. All four looks are pretty casual but could all be worn to different events. The first outfit is something that I would wear on the weekend when I'm running errands, grabbing coffee with a friend, or going to the grocery store.The top and sandals are both from Target. Since the T-shirt is a big pop in terms of pattern, I decided there wasn't much else needed. I threw on some cutoffs and low platform sandals to add a bit of color. I didn't add jewelry here because I normally wouldn't for just running around the city. The sunglasses add just enough for my liking. The second look is something I would wear for numerous things. I have worn this outfit for happy hour, lunch, and shopping with friends. Since the jeans are so distressed, I chose those to be the main point for this look. Meaning, I kept the rest very simple. The top is a body suit from Abercrombie and the nude sandals are from Target. I threw on nude earrings to add a simple touch and pull in the sandals.
The third look is a good example of playing with color in the easiest way. I picked the shorts as the main point of the outfit. It's hard to tell but the sandals are red and hot pink. The top is a short sleeve, crew neck body suit from Abercrombie (can you tell I love them yet?). The denim jacket adds a different hue in the color scheme so I felt it was a good addition. Lastly, I threw on some red earrings to pull in the strap from the sandals. This is going against my typical move of not matching my jewelry to outfits, but I thought it was cute in this instance. The fourth look is as easy as getting dressed gets. That's what I love about dresses and rompers—minimal effort needed. The dress speaks for itself (from No Rest for Bridget) so all I added was nude earrings and my Tory Burch Miller sandals.
This is something that a lot of my girlfriends have asked me, so I decided to outline the steps I take when pulling together an outfit, regardless of the occasion. I always pick the "center piece" whether this is intentional or not, I'm not sure but this is what I've always done. I decide what part of the outfit is the focal point and go from there. For example, if I bought a new top that I want to wear, I will make that the article that I base the rest of the outfit around. When picking your main piece, which might be a top, pair of shoes, or your new favorite jeans, you always have to keep in mind comfort and the weather. In New England it's always important to be prepared weather wise, even if it's planning the outfit to allow for an outer layer if need be. Overall, I find it's easier to pick one item and base the rest of your look off of that, but that's just me. Sometimes it makes pairing things together a lot easier. I also find that I come up with more combinations in my wardrobe. Meaning, I don't wear this one blouse with the same bottoms every time, or I only wear this body suit with jeans rather than a skirt, etc. In general, it makes me more creative which is good. You always want to set yourself up to have a wardrobe that lends itself to a lot of mixing and matching.
All in all I think that pulling outfits together is always fun. I find it is definitely one of the best ways for me to be creative. I have lived by the phrase "look good, feel good" my whole life and think it's important to not only feel comfortable, but confident in whatever you are wearing. I am thinking about doing another post similar to this, focusing on work attire. This is a topic I love because I realized very early on in my professional career that I refused to let "office clothes" dull my style. Comment below to let us know what you thought about this post and if you'd like to see something similar geared towards business casual/professional.