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.
Nordstrom scoop rib tank – Halogen cowl neck top – Caslon dip dye asymmetrical shirt – Halogen 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You’d be able to wear a blazer, moto jacket, denim coat and drape jacket for many years to come without them ever being out of date.
Halogen twill blazer – Treasure & Bond denim jacket – Caslon drape collar knit blazer – Treasure & 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.
BP. high waist ankle jeans – Zella high waist leggings – Caslon knit ankle joggers – BP. 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.
Chelsea28 shift dress – Chelsea28 sleeveless twist detail – Treasure & Bond stripe poplin shirtdress – Treasure & 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.
Treasure & Bond slide sandal – BP. flat form slide sandal – Caslon soft suede flat – BP. 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.
Nordstrom leather tote – Nordstrom clasp minaudière – Nordstrom leather crossbody bag – Treasure & Bond leather belt – BP. square sunglasses – Nordstrom double link collar necklace – Nordstrom wide huggie hoop earrings – Treasure & Bond silk scarf – Treasure & Bond two tone panama hat – Nordstrom 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.
Shop all items above here:
What are your favorite casual summer outfits to wear?
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This article was sponsored by Nordstrom
Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page.
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