Danja, you look wonderful!!!

But I wonder: is that really “on the go”? To me, these outfits are quite elaborate. On the weekends, I´m a bit lazy, and these – gorgeous!!! – outfits need hose, socks in the boots, top, scarf,belt, necklace, bracelet, handbag, booties with heels (these are not for running after kids!), and, finally, a skirt (which is not the most comfortable piece of clothing in my book).

So, please, get me right: I adore the outfits, I wear the formula a lot to work, but when I play with my kids or just throw something over on a Saturday, that wouldn´t be my first choice. I´d rather stick with some of the other formulas.

I love the look in the second photo, with the green purse.

And your house is lovely too! Love your artwork.

Danja,you are a wonderful breath of stylish fresh air in the world of MOTG!
I am so inspired by your style,always.
I agree that in some ways these outfits may not be perfect for rough and tumble at the park etc but overall I see them working quite well.especially the flatter heels.
I too rather feel somewhat dressed up than dressed down(which does not make me feel like I “fit in” but rather that I look dowdy). My formula that works best is yours but using pants instead as I sensitive to the cold,but I recently bought a bunch of sweater leggings/hose to try to wear my skirts more.hopefully that will allow me to use this formula as you have shown so wonderfully today. Thanks for the beautiful post and inspiration to look like an EXTRA fab MOTG !

Phoebe, I hear you, and I completely get your point. However, I really like to be on the dressy side of casual, it’s where my comfort zone is. So wearing a skirt with tights and some 3″ heels (my heel criteria are off by 2″ – so 3″ is low heel in my book) when doing “city” things with my daughter seems just right. I know it may not make sense or work for everyone. I guess we all have our own levels of casual. It took me forever to get that into my head, because I thought that my casual must be whatever the retailers market as casual, and it just didn’t work for me. So what I am showing in this post is a way to do casual the dressy way.

What an excellent write-up – thank you! I have a lovely new denim pencil skirt that I haven’t worn yet, because of being a bit challenged in the outfit department, and your helpful hints and tips for this formula are very much appreciated

I just need some boots. Actually, I do have some of the booties, but it takes me awhile to get used to a new idea. Meanwhile, I was very impressed to see how you’ve managed to work this formula even without the leather/pleather jacket. I don’t have a leather jacket (yet), and am happy to see that trench coats, military jackets and so on all work for this formula. Very helpful tip about how if the skirt is a bit shorter, then you might want a longer jacket.

Your weekend style is just gorgeous!

You look very stylish and I love your hair! This is my dream weekend casual…but I’m so sensitive to cold, it’s going to take some pretty heavy tights to get me into a skirt once the snow comes!

My only little quibble is that I can’t actually see the skirts in the first and fourth pictures because of the pretty scarves. I actually think this look (with flat boots) works well for the playground, too, depending on how old your child is. If all you’re doing is pushing your child on the swings (and they can do all the climbing by themselves) then you should be fine.

Love a denim pencil skirt – it’s on my list to sew next.

BTW, if 3″ is low to you, what is high? 5 or 6″???

Thank you so much for a wonderful blog post…posting a copy of the MOTG formulas near your closet is a great idea – I think I will copy that!

Danja, you look so cute. I also love purses that are a pop of color.

Personally, I hate hosery of all types. I am old enough to remember dressing for work in suits, hose and heels every day. Hose and tights are just uncomfortable for me – hot and that vertical seam digs into my skin. I’m going to try to upgrade to some better tights, but for now, one day a week is the max I can stand in tights. There is no possible way I would wear them for casual wear on the weekend!

I do wear skirts casually all summer because I look horrible in shorts and capris aren’t the most flattering. But once it’s below 55 degrees, forgetaboutit.

I am going to try leggings with my winter skirts, but I fear many will not allow enough space for that extra layer.

Wooohooo! Danja’s KILLER style quotient does not disappoint! A Euro gal such as yourself rocks her Euro style to perfection. Thank you for writing this fabulous blog post and for gracing us with your glorious formula #6 outfits! They are pretty, practical, stylish, inspiring and totally effortless from top to toe. You look and are fab

I loved hearing how your weekend style evolved from jeans and T’s to skirts and flats, AND how you double-duty your work pieces with your casual clothes. That’s the ideal way to get the biggest bang from your fashion buck while maintaining a small, efficient and manageable wardrobe. Well done!

Also, you mentioned the magic word – COMFORT. I have MOTG clients who are much more comfortable in frocks, skirts and low heels than jeans and pants just like you. And truth be told, I am moving in that same direction myself – but with flats of course! Style begins and ends with a strong sense of self and you portray that beautifully.

You have such a lovely style, effortless chic and put together!

Love your outfits, Danja. Super stylish and chic, thanks for the great post!

Wow Danja, you look amazing! Love the outfits, especially the little details. And thank you for the wonderful post!

You are beautiful and very stylish but I can’t seem to wrap my head around those grey booties, they look quite odd to me. I personally think they would look much better if they came higher above the ankle. Not really a fan of sheer hose either, unless they’re patterned but then again perhaps I’m just a weirdo

Ladies, thank you so much for your kind comments. This was a really fun exercise, and I have to thank Angie for giving me the opportunity.

Palmfronds, you and I are on the same wave length.

Velvetychocolate, I hope you get some great mileage out of your denim skirt. It’s such a versatile piece.

Mamapicklejuice, sorry for the hidden skirts. Actually, I am not wearing a skirt at all in the first outfit. JUST KIDDING. It’s a mid-thigh grey mini skirt that I’ve had for a long time and have not worn in years. The denim skirt from outfit 2 is also featured in outfit 4.

Shari, good luck with leggings. You could also look into getting some over the knee thigh-high socks. JCrew, Antropolgie and Target have some really fun pairs. That way your waistline doesn’t feel cramped up, but your legs are worm. These socks were all the rage about three years ago in Europe, and I stocked up while visiting my family there. I wore them exactly twice since, but I am ready this winter.

Danja, you look wonderfully put together and also ready-to-play. I love this post and also remember your forum posts. Are you from somewhere in Europe? You’d fit right in.

Danja, you are looking fantastic! To me, the most killer thing about this post is that you have made your dressier casual style work as a mother. It sounds like your urban lifestyle is a big part of making this work. I am hoping to do something similar once I’m at home and have been working on it on the weekends. Thanks for being an inspiration!

Danja, you look so chic and put-together. My kids are past the playground stage- and I find a dressier version of MOTG- like you’ve put together here- to be exactly what I need. Teens (and their friends) react better to me as a parent when I’m dressed better. I don’t know if it’s because I feel more together, therefore more authoritative, or if they’re just reacting to the clothes- but it doesn’t matter. I just know, with teens, whatever helps is worth it!

You’ve inspired me to try out some denim skirt looks- my goal is to post them today, so let me know what you think.

You look gorgeous Danja. Thankyou for taking the time to do this piece.
I had a different reaction to the grey booties. I LOVE them. I love the angled top and how it works with your curvy calves. I want them. Boohoohoo. Can’t shop for anymmore shoes this season. I have been eyeing those online for a while but this is the first time I’ve seen them in action and they are even better.
Your style is much more than I could ever aspire to, but it is good for me to see how well it can work. A good lesson has come out in this discussion from Angie, “Style begins and ends with a strong sense of self and you portray that beautifully”. That is something to tape to the closet, along with pictures.
My favorite tip from your write up is to let the work items come out to play with the weekend items. You really deserve that new, well made, expensive piece if you are going to use it that much.
Thankyou.

Danja,
You are always such an inspiration. I love how you invent creative ways to keep your stylish and polished persona dressed in a practical way for the weekends. You can own the idea of your casual being somene else’s smart casual. It all boils down to being comfortable with who we are. I love the second outfit!! I envy your ability to wear all those elegant shoes. Terrific write up!!

Love this look. Very reminiscent of Jen Aniston FRIENDS Season 8-10 winter looks.

-meream

I am a huge advocate of your style Danja and have come to realise that I’m also happier at the smarter end of casual. I like to feel pulled together even though I have two little babes to nurture. In reality I find it just as easy to change a nappy in a skirt, I’m able to walk just as far in a two inch heel and hose just make me smile.

Thank you Danja for your detailed post and your inspirational ensembles.

Danja – you owe me a new computer keyboard – I laughed so hard when I read your response. Cute sense of humor. Love your advice on how to wear the shorter skirts (not that I own any right now). Our daughters are the same age, so you are definitely one of my YLF style inspirations – thank you again for a great post.

Danja, you are the definition of stylish! You oooze style!

You look stunning and polished Danja! You really do a skirt justice. Where is that denim pencil skirt from?

I enjoy seeing your posts and thank you for putting together these examples. I love skirts but have not transitioned them to the weekend yet. Your tips are practical and stylish. You really know how to pull together an outfit!

Great looks! Every single one! I especially like the short grey boots (but I am an unabashed shoe tartlet).

Ladies, I am so happy that you have liked this post. And I am especially happy to be a part of such a supportive community like YLF.

San, I fell in love with the grey booties when I saw them a few months ago, and I am glad I got them then, because I think they sold out in my size. They are really comfortable despite the heel.

Maya, the skirt is from Banana Republic. It’s really a good skirt, wonderfully cut with just the right amount of stretch. If you are shopping for a denim skirt, I highly recommend it.

Thanks for the writeup. I’ve been really trying to get this outfit to work for me but it’s hard to feel casual sometimes in a skirt. I think I need a denim skirt that I like better than the one I have.

You look great!

I’m always in pants,but you and Laura have inspired me.Love both formulas #3 and #6.I already got a knitted dress last week after Laura’s post and a pair of boots.I just have to adjust to the idea,because when I put on a dress or a skirt I feel over dressed.But you both look so comfy and casual.Thank’s!

Danja, this is very inspiring the way you’ve illustrated MOTG#6. I’ve got a great denim skirt that doesn’t get as much use as it should, and I can come close to putting together your 2nd and 4th looks from my closet. I’m going to try tucking in the shirt too for a change. I also find my casual is more dressy than that of others. I can be just as comfortable in dress pants as jeans. YLF has helped me see that adding denim or other casual elements to dressier clothing will help the dressier items work in more situations.

I just wanted to add I appreciate the comment about our dress and how it carries authority to teenagers. That is not something I have thought about. I don’t know if it matters as much with boys but I suspect it does. Food for thought.

That is an extremely interesting point, Sinead. Jennifer who wrote formula #5 brought up the same point about looking authoritative in front of her teenage daughters and their friends too. Thanks for bringing it up. It goes hand in hand with my mantra that you should dress smarter as you get older.

Danja, look at how many people you inspire with your style. Very, very fab!

Danja, your skirt outfits are an inpsiration!

I especially love your denim skirt with your brown boots!! Nice!

And I am also impressed that you make sure to save room for Scooby Doo!

You make an excellent point about dressing smarter and teenagers, although I find it can apply to any age. Even preschoolers take note when you are sitting on the floor with them in patent flats and microcheck pants vs faded jeans and athletic sneakers and act accordingly. I also find that shop clerks are more helpful if one is dressed smarter. You give yourself a certain dignity that is more difficult to portray looking too casual.

I absolutely love the brown boots – where did you get them? I’ve been looking for a brown flat boot that doesn’t make me look so frumpy & these look great on you!

[...] outfit formulas for Mums and gals on the go (refresh your memories with formulas #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 #6 and #7). This formula is all about pairing boots with short length pants like walk shorts and [...]

[...] formulas for Mums and gals on the go (refresh your memories with formulas #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 , #7 and #8). Today we bring back super stylish, Chicago forum member Laura, who is a freelance [...]