Can you pair dressy pieces and casual pieces together? The answer is YES. Let me show you a few examples of how to do this well.

Can dressy and casual pair together?

Right now, as we’re months into a global pandemic, and most of us have been staying at home for the last 5 months, I think we’ve all become pretty accustomed to wearing comfortable, casual clothes. But let’s mix it up a little. Try adding a little dressy to your casual this week.

Let me tell you what I mean.

Last fall, I was wearing a basic sweatshirt around the house, but paired it with fancy chandelier style earrings. That’s a dressy piece and a casual piece, paired together. Why does it work?

Here’s a tip to make dressy and casual work together

Keep your casual pieces SIMPLE and NEUTRAL. Simple and neutral pieces will be most easy to dress up and down.

Let me give you a bad example:

an Adidas hoodie paired with diamond statement earrings would look out of place. The adidas hoodie with an athletic logo looks and feels very sporty, and would look most appropriate with really subtle jewelry. So the sweatshirt is TOO casual, and the earrings are TOO fancy. You need to find a middle ground on both.

Here’s a quick fix:

Swap the graphic sweatshirt for a solid colored crew sweatshirt and swap the fancy statement earrings with some less fancy statement earrings. The solid sweatshirt reads more like a sweater, so it’s easier to wear a nicer pair of earrings with it. I’ll show you an example below!

Check out these outfit ideas for pairing casual and dressy together

1. Try a dress and sneakers

This is one of my favorite options. A cotton, linen, or jersey dress is the easiest option because the fabric already feels casual. But other fabrics can totally work. Just don’t choose a cocktail dress, okay?

Check out THIS POST to get more help with sneakers and dresses.

DRESS MADE BY ME (SEWING TUTORIAL HERE) | WHITE SNEAKERS | LA BASEBALL HAT

2. Sweatshirt and statement earrings

I mentioned this option above, but I want to show you it in action.

Remember, solid, simple sweatshirts will do best with statement earrings, and keep your statement earrings more neutral.

PEARL EARRINGS | DARK JEANS | BLACK ANKLE BOOTS | SIMILAR SWEATSHIRT HERE + HERE

3. Distressed jeans and high heels

Lighter wash jeans, or distressed jeans, are definitely casual jeans. But they can easily be dressed up with heels.

Choose a top that’s a little more dressy so it matches the feel of the shoes.

WHITE SHIRT | SIMILAR JEANS | VELVET PUMPS

4. Graphic tee with dressier pieces

Graphic tees are, by nature, very casual. But you can absolutely dress them up!

Here are a few fun ways to dress up a graphic tees:

Try layering your graphic tee under a classic blazer. Try a solid blazer or a fun plaid one!
Tuck your graphic tee into a skirt, or knot it at the waist. Try a maxi skirt, midi skirt, or mini skirt!
Wear some heels with a graphic tee and jeans. I love boyfriend jeans and a graphic tee with classic heeled sandals or pumps.

POLKA DOT MIDI SKIRT | SHE CAN’T BE STOPPED TEE | LEATHER SANDAL

I hope that helps you dress up your casual pieces!

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September 04, 2020

4 Ways to Pair Dressy and Casual Together

brown sweatshirt with dark jeans and black boots