5 Fall Outfit Formulas to Look Casual but Chic

Today, we're gonna do some math, and it is gonna make you look oh so fashionable. I've got five fall outfit formulas to help you look casual, but oh so chic. I don't like math. I haven't had any math since my junior year in high school, but today we're doing a different kind of math. I'm calling it fashion math. We're going to learn five, you know what, there's actually seven, I'm just gonna go ahead and tell you, but really I've got five great formulas to help you look casual, but chic this fall. I threw in two more because I have one ultra casual one, and then I have one that's a little bit more dressed up for you ladies who don't really care for jeans. So we're gonna get going here and try to run through them, but here is why you want to watch this all the way through. We are gonna do basic one plus one plus one equals great style. So in almost every outfit, I'm featuring like three pieces because it's fall y'all, and we like to layer on the fashion but with every outfit, I'm going to give you a factor and when we multiply that great outfit by this particular factor, it increases the style quotient by exponential points. So hang with me and I'm gonna tell you what to do with each of these formulas to really amp up the style. Ladies, if you're new here, let me introduce myself real quick before I get going. My name is Kay and I blog at dressformyday.com and both here and there, my goal is simply to help you look the very best you can, especially for those of us who are 50 and above. Hang with me, I know you're gonna love this video and when you get through, if you haven't subscribed, I think you'll want to. All right, let's get going on style formula number one. Outfit number one is a classic white button-up shirt, a pair of great jeans and some great shoes. Now you could, there are so many different variations on this, of course, that you could pull from your closet. I bet you have every piece here, but I so often forget about this particular formula. Maybe it's so basic, but it can really look stellar. Now I've used a white shirt, you could swap in a colored shirt or a print shirt, but I think one of the keys, one of the factors that is gonna really raise the level of this outfit is to make sure that your shirt is indeed fitted to your body, that it is crisp and clean. So I've chosen here this shirt from Chico's that is fitted, but it has a lot of stretch to it, so that's like a cheater. And then secondly, it's a no iron shirt, so I don't have to worry about ironing it for it to look crisp and great. I'm wearing some straight leg mid-wash jeans. I think they look really great with the white shirt. Could have gone with a darker wash, but then you've got that high contrast and intensity. I think keeping the contrast intensity a little closer is great for me. And then I finished off this look with some loafers from Paul Green that I bought last year, and they're still available at Nordstrom Rack for a much discounted price. They're still pricey, but these are like walking on clouds. They are great shoes. And the key here, though, really, is just to wear some great shoes, great shoes that feel good, also some great shoes that don't detract from the outfit, but they do bring a little something to the game. Another key to this look, of course, I think is to really keep things kind of paired back. So don't overdo this by adding a lot of jewelry or anything. I think just some nice earrings, maybe a necklace if you want to. You could add in a scarf, but I'd really just kind of keep it paired back, keep it really elegant and refined, and make sure you wear a great lipstick with this. Now, if I need to add a third piece to this outfit, let's say you're going out to eat and you're gonna be eating outside, instead of adding what you might consider first, like a jacket or a cardigan, why not add a great wrap, like this cashmere wrap from Garnet Hill? I have chosen to use the one I have in this really great green color. It just adds a little bit of luxury to this outfit. It's a little unexpected, and it's a great way to add a splash of color. So that is formula number one. All right, outfit formula number two is one I know you have in your closet, and that is just a great pullover sweater and jeans and boots. Okay, but what are the factors that are really going to elevate this style quotient here? First of all, I suggest you keep the contrast and intensity small. So what I've done is I've worn dark wash jeans with this dark chocolate colored sweater, and I've also worn some dark chocolate brown boots. The boots are from last year from Talbot's, the sweater's from Ann Taylor, the jeans are from Talbot's. I will have links to everything. Ladies, every single thing I'm showing you, I'm gonna give you a link below for, and if it's sold out, I'll give you a substitute, and if it's pricey, I'll give you a more economical choice, because I want you to have everything to work these formulas if you don't already have them in your closet, which you probably do. But the key here to this particular outfit is to keep that contrast and intensity low with that dark color, the dark sweater, dark jeans, dark boots. Now, if I do need to add a top piece because it's cold outside, I'm gonna add this navy quilted jacket, and it has that same dark hue to it, so it's a dark color, also really keeps this look looking oh so chic. Now, my third formula, I'm gonna show you two different variations on, and that is a formula that is really trending this year, and that is to wear a vest, a pullover vest over a shirt. Now, you can do this over a tee also, but today, the formula I'm sharing with you is jeans, a great blouse or button-up shirt, and a vest. Now, for the first one, I'm showing you some mid-wash jeans. I have a denim shirt or a chambray shirt that's also in a mid-wash. They don't exactly match, don't need to. And then I have my camel cable knit vest from Talbot that I'm wearing over that shirt. So I love this look. It just looks very kind of rough and rugged, but just really elegant too. I'm wearing some brown leather boots. These have a squared-off toe, so that really gives it that modern element to this outfit. Love this. Now, I've done the same, it's the same combination, the same one plus two plus three here with this next outfit, which is another, the same pair of jeans, but this time wearing a white ruffled shirt. It's got a ruffle with a ruffling edge shirt. It's just like the one I'm wearing, but it's in white. It's from Loft. This shirt is so soft, but I think it's sold out. I'll try to find you one similar to it. This vest is also from Loft. It's actually the one I'm wearing, but it's kind of a dark slate gray. I just love this look over these medium to light-wash jeans. I wouldn't wear dark-wash jeans with this. So here, I think you do want a little contrast instead of just having all the same color or same tone here. But I'm wearing those same chocolate brown boots with that edgy squared-off toe there. I really love this formula. So I think some of the keys to this formula, once again, are adding some interest here with some jewelry, with the ruffles in the sleeves. Just that vest alone is so modern. All right, my next formula is to wear jeans and a button-up shirt and a blazer. Now, I love a blazer. But this time, I've done a little something different. I'm wearing actually the same plaid shirt that I'm wearing today. Has the little ruffles around the collar and around the sleeves. It's a button-up, has a little ruffle there too. It's a nice, bright blue and green plaid. And I've worn it with my green, it's kind of an olive green blazer. Now, they don't match, but guess what? That's kind of the beauty of this formula. That's one way to elevate this very simple formula is to wear things that kind of match, but kind of don't match. And really, ladies, they don't have to match. All things don't have to match. If you check out, for instance, some of the catalogs, I don't know, the Talbot's catalog, the Ever Eve catalog, you'll notice them wearing some prints and some solids and all. They don't match perfectly. They're not geranimals, okay? So there are things, though, that kind of work together. So I encourage you, if you want to achieve this kind of look with this one, two, three formula of just jeans, shirt, and blazer, is to just try some things on that are in your closet. You look at something, you think, well, that doesn't exactly match, but it kind of goes together. Put it on, look in the mirror, take a picture. You might be surprised at the looks you achieve when you just mix some things that are in your closet. I love the way this turned out. What makes this work is that it just looks like you pulled some favorite things from your closet, threw them on, and darted out of the house, looking just effortlessly oh so chic. Once again, I'm wearing those great squared-off toe boots, just loving this look. My next look is jeans and a T-shirt and a cardigan. I love that combination, that formula for fall, because I love graphic tees. Now, here I'm actually wearing a graphic tee that is sleeveless, but I don't care. I'm not gonna take the cardigan off. I love when it says, it says, create kindness. I'll see if it's still available. If it's not, I'll link you to some other great graphic tees. But I love this with just a cardigan over it and a nice pair of jeans. Now, the key here, I think, is to make sure that things fit. I'm wearing some cropped jeans here. These are my frame jeans. I don't think they're available anymore, but I know a lot of you bought them, so I wanted to go ahead and show them. I wanted you to see how to wear these with boots in the fall. The key is simply to let a little bit of ankle show. So these particular boots are hit right at the ankle, so a little bit of ankle, a little skin is showing, so it works. Now, if my boots were a little bit higher, then I would just cuff these up just one turn up, that raw edge, just let that show there in that one turn up, and these boots would still look great. So you absolutely can wear these cropped jeans into the fall. Looks really great with this. Another factor that elevates this look is that the sweater has a nice drape. It fits me nicely. This is actually a small. I sized down in this to get a better fit, so that's key. Let's move on to the next look. All right, we're getting into the bonus looks now. I have one really casual look, and that is just jeans and a T-shirt. I'm wearing a long-sleeve T-shirt from Madewell. I love this tie-dye shirt, really just fun. It's so soft and easy. You can wear it tucked, you can wear it untucked, you can wear it kind of a partial front tuck. Just some great jeans. These are my Madewell jeans. They are also kind of a cropped jean, and I'm just wearing it with my Madewell sneakers. So nothing big here going on. If I needed to, I could add a vest, a quilted vest, or I could add a jacket. Just really casual. This will serve you well. The key to this outfit is to choose some interesting separates. Make sure that that T-shirt, it looks modern, it looks fresh, and there's something fun about it, like this tie-dye effect. And my last bonus look is a little bit more elevated, but still very casual. I am wearing these navy ponte knit pants from J. Jill. So they're a little dressier, but they still feel casual because they're so easy to wear. And I'm just wearing a sweater over this, just a cashmere sweater, so easy, and some nice loafers. They have a heel, but they're still very comfortable. These loafers are from Sarah Flint. They're a little pricey. I do have a coupon code I'll give you below, but I'll also link you to something less expensive. But I love this outfit because it is casual in that it feels casual. It feels so comfortable, but it's a little bit more elevated simply because of those ponte knit pants. I hope you enjoyed all these outfits as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you. If you enjoyed today's video, please give me a thumbs up below. That really helps my channel. Also, I'd love it if you'd share my video by pinning it on Pinterest or sharing it on Facebook. Thanks so much, ladies, and have a great rest of your day.