Summertime should be an easy, breezy, carefree season. But dressing for summer isn’t always as simple as it could be. In this article you’ll find some of the best casual summer outfits to make getting dressed stylishly in warmer weather easy everyday.

I’ve teamed up with Nordstrom to bring you the best casual summer outfit ideas. All of the clothes, shoes and accessories below are from Nordstrom Made. That means you get good quality at affordable prices.

You’ll find a casual summer capsule with 16 clothing items, plus shoes and accessories that you can easily create your whole summer wardrobe from.

With the world spending more time at home and less time in a formal office setting, you’re likely to want to expand your casual closet. So, let’s take a look at how to choose the best casual summer outfits.

Casual summer tops

Let’s start at the top! Depending on the weather where you are, you may want options with or without sleeves. A tank top, t-shirt, lightweight long-sleeved top and a button-down shirt should cover most eventualities.

You’ll see I’ve been inspired by the tie-dye and graphic pattern options which are among the spring and summer trends for 2021.

Casual summer outfits - tops | 40plusstyle.com

Nordstrom scoop rib tankHalogen cowl neck topCaslon dip dye asymmetrical shirtHalogen V-neck top

jackets and coats

All of the jackets (below) are on-trend yet also totally timeless. You’d be able to wear a blazer, moto jacket, denim coat and drape jacket for many years to come without them ever being out of date.

Casual summer outfits - jackets | 40plusstyle.com

Halogen twill blazerTreasure & Bond denim jacketCaslon drape collar knit blazerTreasure & Bond leather biker jacket

pants and jeans

When it comes to your pants and jeans, choose your favorite jeans style. A pair of skinny jeans can be useful for layering. A pair of leggings are a comfortable stylish option, and are particularly useful if you want to pop on under your summer dresses to make sure you are warm enough.

A pair of print pants will add texture and depth to your outfits.

A pair of tracksuit bottoms will be good for lounging in or running errands, and you can easily elevate them by combining them with a smart jacket.

Jeans and pants from Nordstrom | 40plusstyle.com

BP. high waist ankle jeansZella high waist leggingsCaslon knit ankle joggersBP. straight leg pants

casual summer dresses and skirts

Do you tend to wear more dresses and skirts when the weather warms up? A black dress is always a great option, no matter what the season as you can dress up or down for any occasion.

You can wear a t-shirt dress over your skinny jeans or leggings, and a shirt dress can be worn as a dress or as a duster jacket. A pencil skirt can be worn formally, or you could dress down with sneakers and a t-shirt.

Dresses and skirts from Nordstrom | 40plusstyle.com

Chelsea28 shift dressChelsea28 sleeveless twist detailTreasure & Bond stripe poplin shirtdressTreasure & Bon ruched skirt

casual summer shoes

When it comes to your shoes, you’re likely to want flat options for your casual outfits, rather than heels. Choose sandals, sliders, slip-ons and sneakers to go with everything from your jeans to dresses.

Casual summer shoes | 40plusstyle.com

Treasure & Bond slide sandalBP. flat form slide sandalCaslon soft suede flatBP. platform sneaker

casual summer accessories

Even though you are dressing casually, you will still want to finish your outfits with the perfect accessories.

Good choices include tote bags that you can fit all your day-to-day essentials in, a crossbody that leaves your hands free while you sightsee or run errands, and a clutch bag so you can turn your daytime outfits into evening looks.

A belt is handy not just to keep your skirts and pants in place, but also to cinch your dresses to create different looks. Lightweight scarves will add interest to your outfits while a little jewelry will add some polish to even the most casual outfits.

Casual summer accessories | 40plusstyle.com

Nordstrom leather tote Nordstrom clasp minaudièreNordstrom leather crossbody bagTreasure & Bond leather beltBP. square sunglassesNordstrom double link collar necklaceNordstrom wide huggie hoop earringsTreasure & Bond silk scarfTreasure & Bond two tone panama hatNordstrom eyelash trim print scarf

Your casual summer capsule

Below are some of the clothes from above together in one capsule.

You can see that there are plenty of other ways you could mix and match these clothes, shoes and accessories to create countless different outfits.

You could, for example, try a bit of pattern mixing by teaming the graphic shirt with the stripe pants. You could wear the t-shirt dress with the leggings, the shirt dress open as a duster coat over any of the outfits, or the dip-dye top with the track pants, for example.

Take a look and see how you would switch the outfits around.

A summer capsule wardrobe | 40plusstyle.com

Shop all items above here:

What are your favorite casual summer outfits to wear?

like this post on casual summer outfits? share it on pinterest!

Casual summer outfits: 16 pieces of clothing to create countless outfits | 40plusstyle.com

This article was sponsored by Nordstrom

Want to get more articles from 40+style in your inbox, subscribe here.

You can also connect with 40+style on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

Support 40+style by using the links in our articles to shop. As an associate for Amazon and many other brands, we receive a small commission (at no cost to you) on qualifying purchases which enables us to keep creating amazing free content for you. Thanks!