Most women I know are on a quest to be effortlessly chic. And, for most of us (myself included) it takes more effort than not to look like you didn’t try at all. There is the art of perfecting “bed head,” managing to master the “I’m not wearing any make-up” make-up look and the delicate balance between destroying your closet to find the perfect outfit and making sure it says “I didn’t try at all.” The bottom line is this, we women go through a lot to look effortlessly chic and cool.
However, I have found, there really are simple ways to look effortlessly chic, which require little effort on your part and can be achieved with clothes you probably already own in your closet. One easy theme that truly looks timeless and never truly goes out of style is the nautical theme. It borders on patriotic, and you do have to be careful not to go overboard; however, it’s really simple to achieve this look and walk out the door looking classy and chic.
Anything navy, white and red will lend itself easily to this look. Even better if you have a few striped pieces to mix in with the solids. Crisp white will look clean, red will edge up your look and navy will scream “classic” all the day long. To avoid looking like a 4th of July firework that exploded opt for accessories that are gold or silver (NOT red, white or blue) or other neutral tones (like beige). Remember the goal here is just to pull a few pieces together that give a nautical feel. In all honesty, you probably didn’t buy any of the pieces with a nautical look in mind. We’re going for “inspired by nautical” here, not a literal translation (see: Amber in “Clueless”).
The outfits below are pulled from pieces in my closet and will hopefully inspire you to do some digging in your own closet to see what works. I used the same red pants (Avenue, www.avenue.com) to anchor both looks and used the same vintage red clutch (my own) as my main accessory. Each outfit shows two different shoes – one with a more nautical tilt and one with less of a tilt. You’ll notice that neither outfit is over-accessorized. This theme speaks for its effortlessly chic self!
As you can see, it doesn’t take much to look relaxed and cool when you rock out in a nautical theme. As long as you keep your accessories minimal and your attitude relaxed, you can easily master effortlessly chic in a nautical style.
So, are you ready to tackle the challenge? Be sure to snap pics of your nautically inspired outfits and send them to Your Chic is Showing. As always, I’m dying to see what you come up with!
Your Chic is Showing,
Photo Credits: CoraStar Productions