CASUAL SUNDAY
STYLE
CASUAL SUNDAY
Welcome to the first instalment of Recipe for Style! A new blog series I will be sharing with you guys.
I came up with this idea after nearly seven years of struggling to lose the weight I gained eating pizza and gelato in Italy. I finally found a diet that works. Which is great, because I am looking more like myself, but, it means that a lot of the clothes I purchased over the last six-seven years are too big for me. So…now I am going to have to re-build my wardrobe.
WHat’s the point of these posts?
These posts are meant to help and inspire you on the journey to building your dream wardrobe.
We will start with the basic ‘essential’ pieces everyone needs in their wardrobe that will transition with you from season to season and from year to year (you probably already own most of these or maybe they just need a re-fresh). From there I will provide you with inspiration on how to style your essential pieces and eventually once you’ve built up your basics, we can begin to incorporate trendy pieces into your wardrobe of ‘essentials’ each season in a way that fits into your clothing budget each month/season.
I thought it would be fun to break down outfits like recipes, so that you can begin figuring out the formula to your style and you can create your dream wardrobe by mixing and matching quality, basic, pieces.
In addition to this, I will be profiling some of my favourite style icons who already have impeccable wardrobes that seem to be built off of these same principles. Some of the people I will be covering are: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Alicia Vikander, Selena Gomez, Aimee Song and so many more.
RECIPE FOR STYLE
CASUAL SUNDAY
The first look I am highlighting in this series is perfect for a casual Sunday in the fall. Whether you’re going for a walk in the park, meeting a friend for coffee, heading to the mall or picking out a pumpkin at your local pumpkin patch. One of the things I love about this style recipe is that it can be applied to men and women.
ingredients
** just a quick note **
I will be creating another blog over the next few weeks that outlines all of the ‘essential’ pieces you need to have in your wardrobe and then will come up with a guide on how to style each of those pieces multiple ways with other ‘essential’ pieces.
basic top
(essential)
Preferably a crew neck. It can be any neutral colour with long or short sleeves. I went for a white short sleeve t-shirt and Nick went for a cream knit sweater. You don’t need to invest a ton in a t-shirt. You definitely can, and it’s a good piece to invest in because you will get a lot of wear out of it, but you should be able to find one for about $30 that will do everything you need it to. I’ve linked my top at the bottom of the post. Nick’s was from H&M if you can believe it!
pair of quality denim
(essential + invest)
You can go for a pair of ripped denim like I have here if it’s a more casual daytime look, if you want to dress it up, maybe go for a darker denim, like Nick did. I love high-rise, straight leg jeans but have been on the hunt for a good pair of wide legged denim lately. For this particular look I would probably recommend you stick to a straight leg though. I only buy citizen rockets, they are my absolute favourite, their comfortable, so flattering and they just have so many colours that are all great. If you want to buy a trendier denim, like wide leg denim that’s in right now, you might want to look for a deal at a store like zara, madewell or even aritzia’s own line of denim which is more reasonably priced.
WOOL COAT
(essential + invest)
Wool coats can be quite expensive so I would start with purchasing classic silhouettes in neutral colours like black, tan, grey or navy before venturing out into something a little more bold like red. Neutral colours can just transition from outfit to outfit a little easier which will let you get more wear out an investment piece like a coat. Nick’s coat is Navy and we got it on a great deal at the Bay last year.
(non-essential)
If you’ve already built up your wardrobe basics and have a little extra money to spend you can invest in a coat with a pop of colour or a print that you can wear when you feel like standing out. I have a really pretty red one that I got at anthropologie last year, which I love, but I just don’t wear it as often because the colour is so bold.
SHOES
A little tip, my favourite places to shop for shoes on a deal are saks off fifth, the bay (during bay days) and nordstrom rack.
(essential)
For a more casual, daytime, walk type of look opt for a stylish sneaker or slide like the stan smith’s I am wearing above. I purchased the pair with a black heal but if you want a pop of colour go for the green or whatever colour works better with your wardrobe.
(essential)
If you are meeting a friend for coffee or just want to dress it up a little, go for a causal ankle bootie. Have fun with the colour, but again, always start with neutral colours like black or tan as they will transition easier from outfit to outfit.
(essential)
If you’re taking this look out to dinner throw on a pointed toe heel. I would say 2 1/2 - 3 inch heels are the best investment. They give you height but aren’t so high that they are impractical. These are an essential piece so invest in a good pair. Get good leather or suede or something else that makes your shoe stand a part a little from the generic ones but still keep it classic. Really shop around for this piece, you can get your shoes repaired so this wardrobe essential could be around for a long time if you pick right.
(non-essential)
I have a really beautiful pointed toe, ox-blood coloured, mohair heel by vince that was a bit of a splurge but the red is so dark it is basically a neutral. If you want to spice up your outfit, adding a statement shoe can be a great way to do it. If you’re going for a really bold shoe, you are probably better-off looking for a good deal because you’re probably not going to want to invest a lot of money in a shoe you won’t be able to get a ton of wear out of.
(essential)
As for Nick, He wore a worn, brown desert boot that his step-mom Stella brought him back from Africa. If you want to keep it casual you can go for something more casual like that or a pair of dressier lace-up shoes like white converse or a casual leather slide.
If you want to dress up the look for dinner or a night-out pair it with a simple black or brown leather dress boot or shoe.
accessories
Because this outfit is so simple you can use accessorize to dress it up or down.
(essential)
If you’re wanting to keep it cool and casual maybe opt for gold chains that you can layer (even Timothee Chalamet is killing this right now) and pendants with a pair of classic stud earrings. If layering necklaces is something that you will want to do for years to come, you can invest in this one but, I don’t know how long that trend is going to be around so this may be an accessory that you can search for a good deal on.
(essential + invest)
If you want a more elegant and sophisticated look you can style this look with a pearl stud or pearl drop earring. I wore a pair of pearl drop earrings that Nick bought me four Christmas a few years back. He did not cheap out on them, they were from Tiffany but I wear them all the time and are a piece that I will have and wear for the rest of my life. (Thanks nick! I love you xx)
(essential + invest)
Throw on a beautiful watch, stackable bracelets and rings and you’re good to go. Some accessories can be an investment and others can be cheap ones that you change in and out as they wear out. Mejuri is a great brand to look at if you want simple but beautiful quality jewellery for lower prices. My favourite people to look to for ring stacking and jewellery stacking inspiration are aimee song , negin miresalehi and meghan markle.
(essential + invest)
Invest in great, classic and timeless sunglasses. You will be able to wear them all year long and they can really complete a look. If you find you are always losing your sunglasses then check out brands like Sunglass LA that make cheap sunglasses that look like designer ones. My favourite sunglass brand is Celine and I invested in a pair a few years back that is still my go-to. However, I buy glasses from Sunglass La that look like them to wear out on the boat or in the pool in the summer or anywhere where I worry I could lose or ruin my good sunglasses.
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