Casual Summer Outfits: Helpful Looks for Indoor Activities
It’s no secret that I’m all about colorful casual summer outfits. Since the weather is extremely hot in Arizona in the summers, we tend to find indoor activities to fill our social calendars. Lesley showcased her ideas for a trip to the museum, Charlotte gave her options, and now it’s my turn.
Quote of the day: “When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real. I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.” When Death Comes
Obviously I don’t shy away from color and today’s outfit is no exception. In fact, I wore a blouse and shoes with colors that are NOT even found in the skirt. Yet I believe they all work together in harmony. Maybe it’s too bright for some of you, but it reminds me of a summer day with the flowers growing.
A skirt may not be your definition of casual, but when it’s over 100 degrees outside, you may change your mind.
Other times we’ve experimented with adding in a totally different color
How to Coordinate Accessories: Adding in a Unique Color
Mix and Match Color That Is Not In A Print
Skirt: DIY from a dress by me~~ Top: Banana Republic ~~ Shoes: Open Edit~~ Scarf: Gibbys ~~ Necklace: Alison + Aubrey~~ Earrings: Frannie & Elinor ~~ Purse: Patricia Nash won from an IG giveaway
Planning Your Outfit for an Indoor Activity
Even though you’re going to be inside for most of the day, the reality is you still need to plan for the heat. My summer casual outfits usually have 4 things in common.
1-Loose and floaty
2-Colorful
3-Comfortable
4-Versatility
What you don’t see in these photos is the denim jacket that is stuffed in my tote purse for the air-conditioned museum. Now let’s talk about the details and in what areas I failed!
Insider tip: I always keep a thrifted slightly oversized denim jacket in each car for such occasions. Then it’s there for when I need it and I don’t ever forget one.
Top and Skirt
This skirt is one that I transformed from a dress many years ago. In fact, I wish I had a photo of the dress to share with you. It basically had spaghetti straps and didn’t have much coverage. While I did wear the dress quite a bit, when I turned 50, I wondered if it wasn’t appropriate.
So I cut off the top of the dress and created a waistband so I could still wear the skirt. I love all of the colors in it. And when you analyze the different colors, it’s surprising how there are bright colors and more muted colors in it. Yet it seems to work!
Since the skirt is floaty you might think you need to pair a tighter top with it if you follow the “style rules.” However, my casual summer outfits don’t usually incorporate “tight” items.
This wrap top (which is a great deal and comes in different colors) has a little bit of “shaping” with the waist tie, yet it’s adjustable so I don’t have it tied tight.
Personally, some wrap pieces end up being too low in the cleavage area for my comfort, but this one has a nice closure. And I love the floaty sleeves.
Insider tip: If you do need more coverage with your wrap pieces, then the Halftees are a fabulous option. They give coverage where you need it but not the extra material around your belly. Here’s a blog showcasing many reasons to wear them.
The Accessory Game
Even with my casual summer outfits, I feel the need to add in accessories. This v-neck top is perfect for a layered, delicate necklace like this. Since the outfit is so colorful, I thought I’d stick with metals for my necklace and earrings. I wear these Frannie & Elinor earrings quite a bit because they are the perfect neutral earrings since they have both silver and gold in them.
I even added a colorful scarf to my purse. It may be too hot to tie a scarf around my neck in the summer, but tying it on purse handles is the next best option.
This orange purse is one I won from an Instagram giveaway. I even taped a video to share the “rules and terminology” for these kinds of giveaways if you are interested.
Insider discount: This skinny scarf is one of Gibby’s twilly scarves that I adore. I do have a discount code as an ambassador for the company. Use this link for 20% off. For under $15, I consider these very versatile and they aren’t as overwhelming as bigger scarves.
Summer Sandals
My husband and I have a joke about shoes and our vacations. For some reason, I seem to N.E.E.D to buy new shoes on many of our trips. For our recent Seattle trip, I was wearing heels when we went out to lunch. And an impromptu shopping trip was decided. So of course, I had to buy some comfy shoes for the rest of the day.
I found these slides at Nordstrom and was shocked they were within my budget. If you do look into them, I ended up sizing down a half-size (which is unusual for me).
Considering the day of these photos was going to include a lot of walking, I made sure to add my Soul Insoles to the shoes so they would be comfortable. I have used these insoles time and time again, to make my “flat” sandals work for our walking activities. They have adhesive and therefore can be used over and over.
If I didn’t have these insoles, I would have worn a pair of Walking Cradles shoes because nothing makes a day more awful than having shoes that hurt.
Casual Summer Outfit Fails
You can plan the details in your outfit until the cows come home, but I feel like you can’t predict everything. Every day can be considered a chance to learn and evolve.
My two failures for this day’s outfit were the purse choice and I didn’t think to wear bike shorts under the skirt.
I chose the bigger purse so Rob could store the camera in it while we were walking around the museum. Luckily he carried it around, but otherwise, I should have chosen something easier to carry. The disadvantage to both a cross-body purse or belt bag is they hug the body and are hotter!!
Wearing shorts under my floaty skirts is something I’ve recently learned from Lesley. Basically, it’s creating your own skort. The only reason I thought about it while we were taking photos is that the wind came up. Considering the goal of my casual summer outfits is to be loose and floaty, the bike shorts counteract that. Yet if we had been exploring outside for the day, I might have included a pair under this skirt.
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