How To Dress Classy But Casual

How to Turn Your Personal Style and Casual Wear Into a Smart Casual Look

The casual look is agreeably among the most common dress codes anyone can wear. From moving about to do daily tasks or meeting with friends, casual outfits are the majority of our go-to looks.

However, some of us may feel like our day-to-day casual style may start to feel a bit redundant, boring, or even sloppy. We’re here to tell you that casual clothing doesn’t have to be this way and that dressing classy is an everyday affair. 

From different ways to wear and style your favourite t-shirt to opting for upgraded silhouettes, here’s how you can feel high fashion and get great style out of your casual wardrobe without having to buy a whole set of new clothes.

What is Casually Elegant?

Our idea of daily casual outfits is often very laid back and consists of simple clothing such as a pair of jeans, a plain t-shirt, and a good pair of clean shoes. While this is certainly a reliable style of outfit to lean on and can suit most dress codes well enough, it isn’t necessarily the most stylish way to dress.

One of the best things about the casual dress code is how much room there is within it to play around, and it’s important to note that dressing casually doesn’t mean you have to dress plainly. You can opt for a business casual look and even incorporate formal wear alongside your everyday staples. An elegantly casual outfit often looks put together and makes the person wearing it look effortlessly stylish, confident, and expensive.

How Do You Dress Classy But Not Boring?

Know Your Own Personal Style

The best part about upgrading your casual wear into more classy casual clothing is that it can still stay entirely dependent and unique to your own casual style. If you love wearing t-shirts and a pair of jeans, by all means, continue to wear them. If you love bold patterns, denim jeans, and chunky boots, these can easily be fit into a casual dress code that looks just as classy. All you need is to find other pieces or accessories that offset them, such as simple jewellery and delicate accessories or a button-down shirt.

Spruce Up Timeless Clothing With Accessories

A plain white t-shirt is a favourite in casual outfits because of how we can easily match and pair them into any casual attire. However, you may be looking for ways to incorporate them into your business casual looks or are just looking to style them in a more versatile and interesting manner. 

Mix and match common pieces you wear with both bold and simple accessories, as you’d be surprised how much jewellery or a different pair of shoes can do for your overall casual style. If you often wear sneakers, try a pair of ballet flats or ankle boots instead. Or if you’re not the usual type to accessorise, head out of your comfort zone and see what an earrings and necklace combo can do for your casual outfit.

Turn a Basic Outfit into Something Interesting and Vice Versa

In the same vein as using accessories for more formal occasions, you can turn a simple casual outfit into something more eye-catching by paying attention to details and what you put together. Wearing an all-black outfit is one of the easiest style methods of dressing classy, as well as pairing more elegant outerwear with a simple casual outfit.

On the other hand, you can also turn what would typically be formal wear into something laid back and for the daytime. Wear sneakers with an evening dress that you’d usually wear with high heels and put a navy blue denim jacket on top, style dress trousers or slacks with a band t-shirt, or wear shorts with a collared shirt. The best part of the casual dress code is that all articles of clothing can be fit into it if you have the determination and inspiration.

How Can I Look Classy but Casual?

 Know Your Body Type

While a big part of dressing casually yet elegantly is knowing your own personal style, knowing your body and what flatters it can make quite a big difference too. While cashmere sweaters are certainly a sign of classy style, ensure that these flatter your figure, too. While expensive clothing can express a lot in an outfit, it may not say too much if it doesn’t look good on your body.

Additionally, affordable and everyday pieces can instantly look classy on you when they look good. A simple pair of jeans can look just as stylish as a skirt, t-shirts can be just as good as a button-down with long sleeves, and items from thrift stores can just as easily fit the business casual dress code as they can in the everyday casual look when you style them just right in a good outfit.

Find a Good Tailor

We’ve all encountered stylish pieces of clothing that just don’t wear right on our bodies and, because of that, don’t help us look elegant even in a casual look. While the extra cost of tailoring may be a turn-off for a lot of people, trust us when we say just how worth it it really is. Tailoring your clothing to suit your body and making an ill-fitting outfit hug your body well can make that casual outfit all the more stylish. While we wear casual clothes on our off-duty days, that doesn’t mean we have to look sloppy and wear an outfit that just doesn’t fit us right.

Invest in Timeless Pieces and Well-Made Clothing

While trends are fun to follow and can help us discover what we like and what we don’t in style, timeless and classic clothes are the best kind to own. A lot of clothes nowadays are made with poor-quality fabric and stitching that doesn’t allow these pieces to last for a long time, but owning pieces made with high-quality fabrics and classic fabrics can do so much more for our wardrobes and casual outfits than we realise. 

While you might be tempted to buy that bomber jacket in the store, consider a long coat in neutral colours. Similarly, instead of opting for yet another pair of sneakers, trade them out for a nice pair of ankle boots that suit every casual occasion.

Feel confident in your outfit

To dress casual yet classy doesn’t solely depend on the specific items you put on. While mixing and matching your t-shirts and jeans and experimenting with your outfit and personal style can do a lot, how you feel in what you wear can say just as much. A lot of people who love what they wear carry them even better, even if they are just wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. 

Classy clothing in casual attire can only do so much for a person who doesn’t feel good or confident in their outfit. So whether you’re suited in t-shirts or three-piece suits, it’s important to carry yourself with an air of confidence to make every outfit you wear a classy one.

Final Note

We all wear casual attire, but looking classy and getting that casual attire to fit into different dress codes is certainly an interesting challenge in itself. To dress in and wear something elegant for your everyday is both a common yet unique style, as it turns our everyday mundane style into something upgraded. 

Whether you’re looking for ways to add flair to your everyday style or are trying to add new life to old pieces in your wardrobe, there are so many different ways one can style and dress in a classy but casual look.