Chic and casual style is a semi-informal fashion that is refined but combats traditional standards of elegant dress to allow for the integration of leisure. This is a balancing act of elements and codes of dress. It’s the art of dressing down, yet acquiring a dressed-up look in the process of styling. These days casual fashion is one that many have opted for and has grown to be a common norm in the spirit of the times. But this way of dress does not mean a sacrifice of style or comfort, but rather allows for endless possibilities on the spectrum of casual to be infused into a chic style that produces a spontaneous elegance for everyday life so that one may be truly in the moment. With this current way of life, many have been focusing more on wellbeing and life’s moments than image. Clothing can be very motivational, a sartorial visual therapy that can aid in establishing purpose, personality, and concentration.
Chic is defined as elegantly and stylishly fashionable while casual is relaxed and unconcerned, typically quite gentle. Both are suited for everyday use, but these two terms are not usually found together, yet when they are chic and casual allow for the unexpected to be very fashion-forward, unique, and truly embracive of oneself.
Style is a result of the combination of attitude interests, genetics, views, and experiences. Clothing is physical, style is the conversion of a concept into a visual interpretation. With everyday life-altering and times of low morale, it can be very empowering and aid in mood, confidence, and mental wellness to dress in clothing that is aesthetically and physically embracive. Stone GP: in Appearance and the self. Human behavior and social processes: states on selecting items of dress to communicate a desired aspect of self “conduct may be expected to move in the direction of some redefinition of the challenged self.” with the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer’s psychological processes, in critical times or off days dress can be very beneficial.
In this video, I will be focusing on specifically attaining a look that is chic with a casual lenient through developing an understanding of how garments can function together to create this look to form a chic look that acts as a foundation and builds up through one’s concept of choice. Both the terms chic and casual will produce different images in one’s mind, so there are many ways to bring this style to life. For instance, some may have a sportier lenient while others are drawn to one of comfort that is agreeable. Marrying chic and casual fashion together transforms any outfit that might seem trivial at first into one that is much more fashionable, sophisticated, and effortless while remaining composed, functional, and comfortable.
This is a combination of classic elements, along with refinement when needed with a dash of duality that comes from a variety of style lenients since chic fashion is a very wide range of dress. What makes this style so interesting and personal is that casual is also such a wide range since it is so relaxed, and occasional, and ultimately curates a look of poised solace.
With this in mind for casual and chic you will choose your lenient depending on your preferred look and which will serve best for your lifestyle at the moment because What is deemed casual is very subjective, formality is measured by social value and varies depending on location, age, and occasion. Previously, I’ve touched on how to curate a wardrobe of everyday wear that is chic and effortless, going over key pieces for a wardrobe to ensure they create and can fulfill needs within the spectrum of casual to formal in order to suit any occasion. There I go over the staple garments and essentials that serve as the foundation of a chic wardrobe. This will also be a modern approach that has elegance but now with a casual lenient consisting of different elements to elevate the look.
Rather than a full-on look chic and casual look focused on either of these lenients or making a point to showcase a certain aesthetic, it is better to not constrain yourself to a specific look and allow for variables to come together naturally. In the words of fashion editor G. Bruce Boyer “The style of studied nonchalance is the psychological triumph of grace over order.” Recognize not only your style preferences and taste but also what your lifestyle demands and allows for realistically. It’s best to keep in mind casual clothing can be chic, but chic clothing cannot be casual. Obviously, with this style, the immediate response is to combine garments from both styles, but for the execution to meet its full potential, there are a few light guidelines to keep in mind to combine with your innate sense of style.
Rather than being overdone and throwing in a casual piece that clashes or forcing chic pieces to become too much when integrated into a casual outfit, recognize the purpose and aesthetic offering of each piece to understand what it has to provide to an outfit. Through the harmony and balance between the chic and casual pieces, the outfit emerges as one that is more fashionable and truly personal.
With the range of clothing from sweats to suits, there are endless ways to work with different garments. It’s important to keep garments at close levels of visual and aesthetic offerings balanced. Going to extremes with contrast or not enough will result in incompatible styling. A very safe approach is to rely more on staples to compliment statements or use adornments on staple garments to elevate the look until you feel confident in mixing bolder pieces.
Traditionally when it comes to casual styles of dress, people turn to clothing with almost a sportier lenient or one of high comfort, so I will be focusing mostly on these since they are the most accessible and favored at the moment. There is a definite overlap between the two, but the design of the specific piece will determine where it falls on the spectrum. To understand this, think of athleisure, while very cool and stylish, most wouldn’t wear a true athleisure piece to play sports because it functions and is made differently than a true sportswear garment. The look of casual differs greatly, so this is an overview of what casual clothing may be and you can determine your type based on what you’re drawn to. This is where you can choose how you will strike your own personal balance of casual & chic to create your own personal look.
If you want to opt for a sportier lenient this sense of style will often take notes from vintage leisure, specifically of the 1930s to 1950s, and true athletic pieces typically those with this lenient will have blazers, trousers, shorts, etc in their arsenal. These will be more vigorous lively pieces that typically possess structure and intellectual undertones within their visual offering.
For a more true leisurely, calm, and embracive Casual is very broad ranging from loungewear and practical options to upscale or even an afterparty chic type look. The lenient wardrobe foundation to style outfits can consist of relaxed pieces like t-shirts, sweaters, denim, flowing dresses, boots, etc this offers a more carefree sentiment with looser designs and liveliness in a garment.
Another option is one that combats the traditional casual to formal spectrum and combines these concepts into one. This is produced by formal pieces made to be informal, such as micro tuxedo shorts. Typically the tuxedo is very dressed up and chic, altering this design into one that is more casual it keeps the integrity of it’s aesthetic offering intact. This piece remains chic and can be paired with more casual pieces for everyday wear. This same piece is styled in a variation of ways both up and down, we can see in this look it has been styled down which allows for its degree of formality to be heightened rather than decreased when- like when it is paired with another formal piece. This same technique can be applied to
More true formal or professional wear to produce a similar effect. This is what gives that nonchalant attitude that is casual yet chic. Many formal pieces are modified into ones that are better suited for everyday use, it’s best to ensure that the original piece can still be deciphered and has not been so altered that it loses its visual strength.
The integration of fabrics with different textures will create Additional tones to a look as well as this added degree of comfort just from the feelgood factor on the skin. Different fabrics offer different types of visual interest which you can use to your advantage based on what you find most comfortable and what will be flattering. For instance, pieces with embellishments or ruffles will create visual depth or interest, which produces new focal points on the body.
The contrast of differing materials can draw the eye in and elevate the look through the subtleties. It’s best to hold a great respect for quality fabrics and good craftsmanship, the pieces that possess these traits are the most versatile and durable.
How you mix and layer can be used to your advantage as well to achieve your coveted look. To do this you must know yourself; understand proportion; color palette; understand prints patterns; and textures, and then be strategic with accessories.. I speak on this more in the previous video, but the color scheme is also an aspect that needs to be taken into high consideration. Overly saturated ones are not off-limits but are to be applied strategically. Neutrals, whites, and blacks provide the base of the style.
Layering will often add degrees of visual weight, you can do this very strategically to highlight features, balance out proportions, and create leading lines to the face. This doesn’t mean achieving a certain size, but learning how to apply clothing to the body in a way that produces harmony. Think of the Vitruvian Man, the drawing represents Leonardo da Vinci’s concept of the ideal human body proportions. The body is broken down into sections of shapes and produces ideal proportions using mathematics and art. So for example if you like a more shapely silhouette you can increase visual weight on the shoulders, bust and hips or if you prefer a more androgynous silhouette you can work to create straighter body lines by bringing out the waist and ensuring balance of the hips and shoulders. You can use clothing to shift visual weight around the body to produce balance with clothing so that the garments suit the body and are liked or are true to size and are not ill-fit. It will not only balance out the look but also elevate and bring personality to an outfit through the different essences put together.
This particular style will lean towards a relaxed yet elongated silhouette that is one more of experience and tiredness. This is a very laid-back look that is produced more by how they live their life rather than a focus on being done up or glamorized, yet still, both have very chic looks.
In this section, I will be going over garments that can be styled into your wardrobe to achieve this style with a high focus on remaining chic, yet still holding the casual aesthetic offering’s potency intact. Considering the subtleties of design than the actual composition that it is presented in will allow for it to be styled to potential rather than how it is traditionally done. Not being Overdone but rather recognizing and stripping things away to their essence and then applying them to the outfit creates great freedom and opportunity to truly be embraced by clothing.
For example, baseball-style cap offers a sportier lenient that refers to activewear and a conscious lifestyle while a beanie is laidback and cool. Both offer varying degrees of formality based on color, fabric, branding, etc. but at their roots will retain a certain purpose due to the original concept of the design. This doesn’t mean that the piece has to be paired with one that is the same, the endless possibilities of how this can be paired is where the chic part of the style comes in.
You are stripping things away to their pure essence by pairing and balancing them with another piece that is casual to ensure the style of the chic piece remains intact and isn’t lost within styling. This contrast creates visual contrast and strengthens each piece to be equally compelling. This allows for the outfit to be elevated through personality and form a more eclectic look in order to ensure comfort without sacrificing style in a look rather than forcing pieces together.
Going More into accessories, no matter how they are worked with they revitalize a look, but how they do so is up to your personal eye for visuals and styling skills.
Adding on jewelry, sunglasses, bags, watchers, sweaters, scarves, and belts are to be functional and act as adornments for these specifics. For casual looks, fewer statements should be made. One or two statements are a safe maximum because this style needs to be polished and practice restraint.
With this said, accessories are very personal and will most likely express the most personality because these types of pieces often will have more intrinsic and sentimental value. Items that are too utilitarian such as a backpack or office bag, don’t work, but sensible and refined bags will for instance. Nothing should be too loud or forced, pleasingly simple, neat, and unfussy is the best approach.
Outwear such as trench coats, blazers, jackets, etc allow not only for the exploration of added color or texture, but also stylistic variables that elevate the look.
Clean and sleek loafers, boots, heels, and trainers work well for this style. coordination and how the shoe interacts with the rest of the silhouette is crucial. Footwear allows one to make the most of an outfit and solidify the look through fashion and function.
There is this common misconception that to be stylish you must sacrifice comfort, but this is not the case at all. Comfort is actually a key component in looking stylish. Proper fit, function, and ease must be present in order to create a chic look otherwise the garment wears you rather than you wearing the garment.
This allows for the outfit to look natural, sleek and polished while you feel comfortable and embraced. A classic example is to go for a lower heel if you know you will walk better than them in a higher one. This is crucial when it comes to this style because without it the chic parts of the outfit will look forced or ill-assorted.
The style is meant to encompass yourself in order to allow your fashion to serve as a sense of an extension of one’s character rather than being for show, for oneself. This is a time where style has blurred boundaries and can aid in the exploration of oneself as an exploration of the world around us to provide a canvas of who one is and who one would like to be moving forward.
