Four Way Wednesday: White Blazer

The temperatures around here are finally moving in a positive direction (if you forget about snow on April 16th), and I am beyond excited for the sunshine, flowers and warmer temps. All of this blooming and pollen has gotten me thinking about white. Yeah, white may not be for Memorial Day to Labor Day anymore, but let’s face it…how many of you actually had your white jeans on when it was 4° outside? *crickets*

While I love my white jeans and pretty much live in them during the spring and summer, this season a white blazer is going to be a key wardrobe piece for going casual in the office, hanging out with my girls or on date night. I've been playing in my closet and have come up with so many exciting ideas to make this beautiful piece work. Here are some of my favorite ideas revolving around this white blazer:

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As someone who loves to dress casual, jeans are a staple in my wardrobe. And yep, I am in the eternal search for the perfect pair. Paired with a white blazer and bright accessories the whole look pops.

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Perfect for Casual Friday at the office, this louche yet polished look will bring you from your 8 a.m. meeting to 5 p.m. cocktails looking chic yet relaxed.

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Furla's squishy neon bag puts a smile on my face! The dress is a fantastic figure-flattering shape, and a great pair of flat gladiator sandals is a warm-weather must.

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Black and white always looks sophisticated. Date night restaurant A/C dilemma solved! Don't plan on wearing this out at night? Switch out the fantastic clutch with a tote, slip on a pair of pumps and you're ready for work!

More white blazer options are here, here and here.

Don't Sweat It

The advent of elastic cuff, exercise-wear inspired pants (and pretty much any gym-gear-as-fashion) was a while ago, and this trend isn't going anywhere, thank goodness. I love a comfortable pant, but in the initial stages of sport-to-runway, I was unwilling to splurge on an expensive pair. I didn't want to substitute with a generic pair of sweatpants, because...yeah they're just sweatpants and I wouldn't be fooling anyone. Now, as the harem/track/jogger/sport moves into mainstream fashion, there are so many different looks and price points to choose from that hopping on this trend is both easy and looks great! Here are a few of my favorites:

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1. Slim Leg Pant: Michael Kors is my sportswear go-to, and these pants exemplify his all-American fashion sensibility. The details here, beautiful all-over print,drawstring with gold-tone aglets and the mid-rise waist are what takes them out of the realm of the gym and puts them squarely in my closet. Pair them with a short-sleeve cotton button down and a structured bag.

2. Poison Lover Pant: I saw these MinkPink pants on the NastyGal site and they stole my heart. Floral is a heavy trend this season, and the bright flower clusters on these pants easily make them the focal point of a look. For a night out, a black tank and black mules will work wonders. A bright tee and flat sandals will make them work for day.

3. Lidora Pant: These Joie pants are a bit more structured, with pleats and a zip fly and hook & bar closure. If not for the elasticized ankles and soft silk fabric, these pants would veer right into summer suit territory. Do you need them to act that way? Top them off with a blazer and kitten heel pumps and they're office-ready.

4. Drapey Cinched Pants: Leave it to Old Navy to come up with a covetable pair of track pants for less than $30. All the details are there: drawstring waist with tab ends, pockets, and yes, rayon!  The rayon fabric ensures that these pants will have both a nice drape and nice hand. This pant is available in three terrific patterns, the blue floral is my favorite.

5. Harper Jogger: Looking for black? Anthropologie's Harper pant is the one you're looking for. Slip pockets on the rear, slash zipper pockets in front and easy pull on styling along with a nice, slim leg make these an easy grab for any kind of day (or night).

Welcome!

After spending years following and loving various fashion blogs, I've found that I tend to have a distinct lack of style when it comes to casual dressing. No, not all the time. I don't live in the same sweats or yoga wear all day every day. But I do get into a casual funk every once in a while. I have those days (weeks?) when I fall into the rut of sweater/tee/jeans. Not that there's anything wrong with a sweater, tee and jeans...but I want to make more of an effort to step out of my comfort zone and look and feel more put together when I walk out the door in my casual wear. This isn't an easy endeavor for me. I love fashion and put an effort into my style. But I find that when I stop thinking about it I hit the replay button, because there are days when I'm just lazy. So welcome to Let's Go Casual, my effort at making sure I cut the lazy out, act more deliberately in my casual dressing and hopefully, in the end, feel great every time I walk out of my house. I hope this makes you feel great too!