Mix and Match Teacher Outfit Ideas

It’s that time of year for teacher outfits. Here are some brand new fresh ideas for some cute and functional teacher outfits.

I’ve heard from my teacher followers that dressing as a teacher can be hard! You want your outfits to be exciting but professional and comfy enough to be on your feet all day. I’ve had tons of requests to put together more teacher outfit ideas after I shared THIS POST last year and THIS POST the year before (you can still copy these outfits but most linked items will be out of stock).

I wanted to put together some outfits with basic pieces for all the teachers – and I asked my teacher readers for their most tried and true clothing items. And instead of showing you 10 pieces and making 10 outfits with them, as many capsule wardrobes do, I wanted to share the essentials you need, and then outfits with many of them.

Here are twenty essentials from actual teachers that you should have in your wardrobe.

20 TEACHER CLOSET STAPLES

1. No show socks
   • My favorite ones are RIGHT HERE!
2. Rothy’s
   • They have discounts for teachers
3. Casual dresses (not too short and work with a sneaker)
   • There are lots of good ones out there, but MERRICK WHITE COLLECTION are some of my favorites! They’re like pajamas, but so cute and super good quality.
4. Comfy sneakers
   • These are my all time favorite sneakers. So comfy, perfect cut, and easy to wear with dresses or skirts.
5. Biker shorts for under dresses
6. Layering (always cold in classrooms)
7. Colored pants (not jeans)
8. Comfy blazers
   • If you’re not into regular blazers, a sweater blazer is a great idea that’s soft and comfy.
9. Cardigans
   • There are lots of great cardigans out there, but this one from Target is affordable and cute!
10. Tops with higher or tighter necklines so you can lean across a table
11. White jeans
    • My three favorite pairs (skinny and wide leg) are linked in this post
12. Black jeans
13. Dressy joggers
    • These aren’t especially dressy, but they’re my go-to joggers and CAN be dressed up! See them four ways RIGHT HERE.
14. Button up shirts
15. Ankle length pants
    • I have two pairs that I’m showing in the outfits below – THIS ONE and THIS ONE. Both are great!
16. Mules
    • These ones are extremely comfy.
17. Better than basic tops
    • These are tops that are nicer than a basic tee. I’m sharing a few good ones in the outfits below!
18. Jean jacket that allow you to move your arms
    • Look for one with elastane or spandex in the fabric so it has a little stretch! THIS ONE is great.
19. Big tote bag
    • This Madewell tote bag is my go-to, but this bag from Old Navy is so cute too.
20. Tops long enough to cover your stomach when you raise your arms

I found this darling dress at LOFT and it’s a perfect teacher dress! It’s crisp and cool cotton, very flattering with the accentuated waist. I’ll show you a few other ways to wear it in the rest of these outfits, but you can see that it’s great by itself with some flats or loafers.

LOFT DRESS (wearing size XS)| BUCKLE LOAFER MULES | OLD NAVY TOTE BAG

These are some of my all-time favorite dress pants. They’re super stretchy and comfy, and come in neutral or dark colors (navy or black would be awesome options if you want something more subtle), and the waistband makes them really fun and interesting.

You could dress these up with a blouse and boots or flats, but I dressed them down with a comfy denim shirt and sneakers, both of which are perfect and super versatile for a teacher’s wardrobe.

AMAZON PAPER BAG PANTS (wearing size small) | STEVE MADDEN SNEAKERS FROM NORDSTROM | LOFT DENIM SHIRT  (wearing size XS) | OLD NAVY TOTE BAG

As soon as I found this ruffle sleeve top, I knew it was a win for a teacher outfit. It’s super comfy and chic, and can be worn with dress pants or jeans or a skirt. I’ll be wearing it a ton this fall. It also comes in white, but I love this bark color. It’s also a piece you could wear outside of teaching on date night or girls night or a baby shower or anything!

AMAZON RUFFLE SLEEVE SWEATER (wearing size XS)| MADEWELL JEANS (size down one size) | POINTED FLATS FROM NORDSTROM | OLD NAVY TOTE BAG

I bought this cute tiered dress this summer in cream and grabbed it in black for the fall. It’s easy to wear by itself if your classroom is hot, or toss a jacket over the top for a little layer. I paired with fashion sneakers, but you could wear it with flats or boots and it would look amazing.

Also you could switch it up with a belt for a totally different look!

AMAZON DRESS (wearing size small)| SIMILAR DENIM JACKET | GOLDEN GOOSE SNEAKERS | AMAZON WOVEN TOTE BAG

These pants are super stretchy and comfy for work. They are a great length that you can wear with flats or sneakers or boots, and the color is perfect for fall (although other colors are available). I paired with a cute sweater for an easy outfit, but you could pair with a blouse or a tee or anything.

OLD NAVY PANTS (wearing size 4)| GRAY NORDSTROM SWEATER | POINTED FLATS FROM NORDSTROM

These linen pants are some of my all time favorite pants. I’ve worn them this summer with a tee, but pairing them with a button up and pointed flats makes them super chic and easy to wear for work. They’re so versatile and SO comfy.

LINEN PANTS (size down one size) | J.CREW FACTORY STRIPED BUTTON UP SHIRT (wearing size XS) | POINTED FLATS FROM NORDSTROM

Here’s that floral dress again! Look how amazing it looks with a blazer and ankle boots. You could wear this for parent/teacher conferences or meetings with principal, or anytime you need to dress up your look.

LOFT DRESS (wearing size XS)| OLD NAVY BLAZER (wearing size XS)| NORDSTROM SIDE SLIT ANKLE BOOTS

How fun are these printed pants?? Since they are wide leg and have pleats, I added some nude heels to elongate my look and keep me from looking squatty. I paired them with a cap sleeve sweater, but they’d look amazing with a basic tee, bodysuit, or another kind of blouse.

LOFT CAP SLEEVE SWEATER (wearing size XS)| TARGET PANTS (wearing size XS) | J.CREW FACTORY HEELS (wearing size 8)

Here are those rust colored pants again! I paired with a denim shirt and loafers for a casual but professional feel. I love this simple look for fall!

OLD NAVY PANTS (wearing size 4) | ANTHROPOLOGIE DENIM SHIRT (wearing size XS) | MADEWELL LOAFERS (true to size)

My favorite ribbed dress in all the land! This ribbed dress is MADE for teachers. It’s so comfy and easy to wear, and you can layer or not over it. I paired with my favorite ankle boots that can be worn with pants or dresses or skirts.

MW COLLECTION RIBBED DRESS (wearing size XS) | CHELSEA BOOTS | BLACK WOVEN AMAZON BAG

If you’re not much of a blazer person, have you tried a cardigan blazer? It is SO comfy and looks like a blazer but feels like a sweatshirt. I paired with a chic button up and the same pants as the previous rust colored ones.

J.CREW FACTORY SWEATER BLAZER (wearing size XS)| ANTHROPOLOGIE WHITE BLOUSE (wearing size XS) | OLD NAVY DRESS PANTS (wearing size 4) | BUCKLE LOAFER MULES

Here are these linen pants again! They’re great with a blouse and a jacket too, and see how good they look with ankle boots? They’re the best cropped wide leg pants. Make sure you size down!

LINEN PANTS (size down one size) | LOFT BLOUSE | NORDSTROM SIDE SLIT ANKLE BOOTS | OLD NAVY TOTE BAG | SIMILAR DENIM JACKET

I am absolutely obsessed with this skirt. It is so pretty and unique, and looks great with a bodysuit or a tee or a blouse or a sweater. I paired with the same cap sleeve sweater that I wore in an outfit above. You could wear with flats, but you can also wear with ankle boots or heels!

LOFT CAP SLEEVE SWEATER (wearing size XS)| ANTHROPOLOGIE SKIRT (wearing size XS)| NORDSTROM SIDE SLIT ANKLE BOOTS | OLD NAVY TOTE BAG

This is a combo of two pieces you’ve seen in other outfits above…this great gray sweater, navy dress pants, and then a little curve ball…sneakers! Adding sneakers are the best way to make an outfit feel casual and these are my all time favorite most comfortable sneakers.

OLD NAVY PANTS (wearing size 4) | GRAY NORDSTROM SWEATER | ECCO SNEAKERS | OLD NAVY TOTE BAG

Here’s that dress one more time, this time with a denim jacket! It was more dressy with the blazer, and now more casual with a denim jacket and sneakers.

LOFT DRESS (wearing size XS)| SIMILAR DENIM JACKET | ECCO SNEAKERS

I hope this helps you put together some great teacher outfits and gives you some good inspiration. I have more teacher teacher outfits in the links below, if you need more ideas!

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• Teacher Capsule Wardrobe

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