5 Tips on How To Dress Casual Without Looking Sloppy

Jacket - Blank NYC (sold out but similar here and here) | Tank - BP | Scarf - Club Monaco (old but similar here, love this one and this one) | Joggers - Zella (sold out in gray - available in black here and similar style here) | Sneakers - Golden Goose (old but similar here and here, this style is $200 less!) | Sunglasses - Illesteva | Water bottle - S'Well (so many colors! also available here)

I was at lunch the other day with a girlfriend wearing an outfit very similar to this and she remarked at how comfortable I looked but not messy. I think her exact words were "how can you manage to look so relaxed yet still so put together?!!" Not that I wanted this post to be me tooting my horn (though I'm never against some positive self talk - I did look cute that day LOL), but it gave me an idea for a post! When approaching a more comfy and super casual outfit, I instinctively look for certain things, add particular elements and find ways to elevate the look without sacrificing on the comfort factor. So I thought I would narrow it down to 5 specific tips on how to dress casual without looking sloppy: 

1. Add accessories - Sunglasses, a big scarf, hats - all of these are great to add to a casual look. It helps make the outfit look more interesting and put together.

2. Stylish sneakers - Wearing athletic sneakers is fine, but unless you just left the gym there are much better options out there for a casual daytime look. And my Nikes or  Adidas sneakers are harder to dress up, but a more fashionable type of sneaker is easy to wear to dinner with jeans and a leather jacket, shorts and military jacket in the spring or a breezy dress in the summer.

3. Hair/makeup - Choose one or the other (or both if you feel inclined). I find that doing my hair can make me look more put together, or doing a bit of makeup with a cute hat achieves the same level of polish.

4. Pick a slimmer fit - The oversized look can be cute for certain body types and certain styles of clothing (ex. big chunky sweater, skinny jeans, pointy toe pumps), but when dressing casual I like to stick to a slimmer more tailored fit.

5. Look for fun prints - A simple gray sweatshirt and joggers is fine, but without adding in some of the other factors I discussed above, the combo can quickly look messy or sloppy. But a gray sweatshirt with a fun star print or joggers that have a striped detail on the leg help to elevate the look without creating the appearance that you are wearing sweats.

Like I've said before numerous times on my blog, I'm not reinventing the wheel with my fashion and beauty suggestions or dropping never before heard bits of knowledge. Sometimes though it's helpful to have someone map it out with suggestions or tips because for some it's not as easy to "see" the finished look in their head. For me, I struggle with envisioning home decor design and cannot see simple ways to put a room together. And when my close friends that are excellent with interior design give me their advice, it sounds like common sense but for me it's a challenge.  

To get you started putting together some chic laid-back looks, I rounded up a handful of pieces that I loved and felt would easily achieve this vibe. Scroll through the widgets below to see all my picks!

Shop more casual pieces I'm loving: