I’ve heard from plenty of you who feel stumped by casual wear, saying you want to wear better casual outfits but don’t know what to do or where to start. One thing that is really key, but is often overlooked, is having enough casual bottoms! When you don’t have enough options for your everyday life, you can quickly feel like you’re in a style rut, whether it’s wearing the same things over and over or whether it’s not getting dressed at all because you don’t have any clean, decent options. Whenever I build wardrobes, I always start with bottoms first.
I recently created the brand new 2nd edition of the Fall Casual Starter Kit Wardrobe Guide®️, and as I always do, I started by honing in on several key casual pants for fall. Then, I built the rest of the wardrobe around that.
So, today I want to talk through a few casual pants to make getting dressed easier. There are of course tons more options than the ones I’ll share here, but we’ll just talk about a few that provide a great starting point. They’re all really versatile and will go with tons of different tops, and they have staying power so you don’t need to worry about them looking super dated next year.
SIZING: I’m 5’6″ and usually S/M or 6 in clothes and 8.5 to 9 in shoes.
Regular Ol’ Blue Denim
This is the most common option for casual style, so of course this is number one. They go with everything! But even within this category, you can diversify your options based on the wash (dark, medium, or light, etc.), the cut, and other details, like whether it has distressing, patchwork, or a raw hem, etc.
A few of my current favorites are:
- Wit & Wisdom Girlfriend Jeans (I wear size 4 and they are still roomy)
- KUT from the Kloth Elizabeth Jeans (I wear size 4, they run very large and even sag out a little)
- Gap Straight Leg Jeans (I wear size 28/6)
- Caslon Distressed Straight Jeans (I wear size 4)
- Wit & Wisdom medium wash skinny jeans (I wear size 4)
The two Wit & Wisdom pairs are VERY comfy, with soft denim that is STRETCHY, and also the ELASTIC WAISTBAND that has a forgiving fit. You know that’s my favorite brand! The KUT from the Kloth jeans are also very SOFT with a lot of stretch. The Gap jeans and Caslon jeans have some stretch, but they aren’t AS stretchy as the other 3 pairs, nor do they have stretchy waistbands. I love how both of them look, though.
In that list is a mix of washes and cuts to diversify my outfits a bit. Also, on a practical level, having several pairs of blue jeans helps you have something to wear when it’s laundry day. 😄
A lot of those pairs are distressed, and if you don’t like distressed jeans, that’s totally fine! That was just my personal list to show some examples, but there are tons of denim options out there that you can go for instead. I have personally gravitated more than ever towards distressed jeans, particularly for straight cuts. I always feel like I want more character with straight leg jeans, so I typically prefer them with a more interesting wash, with distressing, or with a raw hem.
Also one note is that our fall weather is pretty warm, so I can usually wear flats or slip-on sneakers for most of fall, which simplifies my denim options. Once we get weather that requires booties, that changes the style puzzle and takes more finagling with which cuts of jeans work with different shoes. Again, those are just my personal favorites at the moment, and you should choose pairs that will work for your climate and style. 😊 But the main point is to get some (COMFY!) denim, and even possibly a few with different washes or features.
Shop the Outfits:
Scroll through and click the images to shop my outfits above. If exact items are no longer available, we tried to link to similar items.
Black or Grey Jeans
Black or grey jeans are such great deviations from blue jeans that are still really versatile. Go for a pair with a slightly faded look for a more relaxed feel, distressing for an edgier vibe, or stark black for a more classic look. If black is too harsh for you in general, or if you just prefer a softer color palette, grey is a great alternative.
Shop the Outfits:
Scroll through and click the images to shop my outfits above. If exact items are no longer available, we tried to link to similar items.
Brown Jeans, Corduroys, or Chinos
Brown is a neutral, and it’s hard to go wrong with neutrals. On top of that, brown is especially having a moment right now, so why not add a pair? Whether you choose denim, corduroys, or chinos, your outfits will look modern.
Above, I’m wearing a pair of brown denim with a boyfriend fit. I showed these recently in the post “3 Easy Back-to-School Outfit Formulas for Drop-Offs, Meetings, and Work,” and while I haven’t actually gotten to wear these much yet since we have entered the hottest months of the year where I live, I like these jeans a lot! The denim is pretty soft, and the boyfriend cut gives it a relaxed feel and fit, so it doesn’t feel that constricting. It comes off more like a straight leg pair, which means you can dress it up a little more, like I did above. Check these jeans out, HERE. I’m wearing size 6.
And, since brown is having a moment right now, there are several other options out there, which I rounded up in the widget below:
Also, let’s talk about this belt bag for a moment! If you’re on the PMT email list, this is the belt bag I’ve been sharing in the weekly shopping highlights. (Sign up for the PMT email list HERE.) It’s a steal at under $19, and it comes in a bajillion colors! I’m wearing the color Ivory which is a creamy off-white, and I love that it has warm tones instead of a cooler stark white. If you are looking for a stark white one, though, that is one of the many options this bag comes in! See them HERE.
Last, my top is nearly sold out and no longer available, but you can look for it HERE. I sized up to M for a looser fit. Also, there is a similar one HERE.
Shop the Outfits:
Scroll through and click the images to shop my outfits above. If exact items are no longer available, we tried to link to similar items.
Honorable Mention: Off-White Jeans or Chinos
I put this as honorable mention simply because I know many of you stray away from white-ish jeans, but I’m really into them right now! Especially this off-white ecru or bone color or whatever they’re calling it right now. I have always loved how much white jeans change outfits, and I love this color as an option that has the same effect but hides dirt marks MUCH better. I also like the softer tone compared to a stark white.
This particular pair is also by Wit & Wisdom, so it’s comfy with stretch and the stretchy elastic waistband. You can find them HERE. I wear size 4, and note that these do stretch out a little with wear. They started out slightly snug on me in size 4 and eventually relaxed to a perfect, non-constricting fit. Always do the stretch test with your jeans!
Shop the Outfit:
Those are just a few of the bottoms that I included in the Fall Casual Starter Kit Wardrobe Guide®️ to ensure that you have enough options for casual wear! If you want to build your wardrobe with intentional pieces, be able to make a lot of outfits with less clothes, and have a shortcut to get dressed quickly, check out all that the Fall Casual Starter Kit Wardrobe Guide®️ has to offer!
