Can wool be casual? - YouLookFab Forum

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Can wool be casual?

PalmFronds

Thoughts on this are very much appreciated:) right now I work part time from home but I have a sizable portion of my closet full of prior work wear when I saw patients in clinic or the hospital. Lots of wool pants and skirts, and blazers. Some of it truly reads WORK, like wide leg grey wool trousers and it would be tough, I think, to make it read "casual." My husband thinks some wool dress esp in less usual colors can be more casual than others. Anyhow I would love to put more of my prior work wardrobe into rotation and I'm fine with " dressy casual" because that's more my style than very casual or RATE. But I don't know if it still ends up looking like work clothes( and thus very over dressed). I have it a try today to head out shopping with my baby girl:
Banana republic faux leather front sweater
Plaid scarf, TJ maxx
Jcrew olive wool skirt(prior work wear)
Cognac madden boots

Does it work for nice MOTG? Is it vastly overdressed? Can most wool dress skirts/ pants be made under?

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24 replies

Latest reply was from PalmFronds

biscuitsmom

Veteran

I think it looks beautiful....very appropriate

Marilyn

Veteran

Looks fantastic! I don't think you look overdressed.....just pulled together.

PalmFronds

Thanks BiscuitsM and Marilyn! I'll try some experimenting with the wool trousers and see how I do with those...

Diana

Veteran

Since you mentioned grey wide leg trousers, here are a couple of more casual ways that I've styled mine. (#1 was worn to lab and then the symphony, so a bit dressed up but definitely not businessy, and #2 was worn to lab, which is generally casual but anything goes.)

I like your outfit today! And no I do not think it's too dressed up. You look nicely put together.

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PalmFronds

Diana, those are awesome thanks for posting those! I so always feel like the grey ones are so serious. Must find a way like you did to make them less so.

rachylou

Veteran

An interesting question!

*Officially,* the moment you forgo the matching jacket, you're in casual territory. You can get *grungier* by staying away from pairing the trousers with any silks or silky things - blouses, scarves - and also real jewelry (no pearls or gem stones).

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

You look very chic, not overdressed.

chouette22

Veteran

Beautiful outfit, and everything Marilyn said.

DonnaF

Veteran

To casualize former work wear, you may want to wear only one piece at a time. For example, work slacks with a denim jacket or chambray shirt and stompy boots or other casual footwear. Blouse with jeans. Blazer with jeans. Work skirt with chambray shirt, casual knit jacket, and patterned tights. Or the work skirt or pants with a plaid flannel shirt. Footwear can really dress something down. Refined textures tend to be dressier, so I combine with something tweedier or heavily textured.

PalmFronds

Thanks for your input ladies! DonnaF and Rachylou, you both have a good point about breaking up the more formal wool separates as well as using more casual accompaniments. I think I will have alot more success with some of the skirts, pants and blazers rather than the sheath dresses. The dresses would be less "dressy" with casual footwear but I think besides maybe ballet flats that some footwear may be too incongruous with those sheaths. For now I'll try to flex my style muscles with the separates and see what I can do.Maybe using more of my prior "work" wardrobe will stop me from shopping so much

unfrumped

Veteran

What DonnaF said.
I think the outfit looks great, so it is more a decision about how
" undercover " you want to go , for your own tastes. So pairing the pencil skirt with denim shirt or sweatshirt type knit top, or a sporty Henley waffle top, is less dressy, for example.
Have you read some of the Sporty Luxe ensembles? I'm thinking you might mix that with some of your nice fabrications.

PalmFronds

Hmmm, sporty luxe might be something to try indeed Unfrumped, thanks for the suggestion:-) i have a tendency towards dressier rather than casual as a style preference so this is quite an exercise for me!

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I love your outfit. That scarf is terrific with the outift and makes for a nice, polished casual look. I'd say pairing denim or chambray with your wool pieces will also dress them down. A denim jacket or chambray shirt immediately eases a classic wool skirt or pant, in my book. Also, along the sporty-luxe lines that unfrumped mentioned, you could use some stylish sneakers (I'm picturing leather high-tops, for example) to de-officize the wool pieces.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

You look fabulous in this. Smart casual. And if the comfort level is what you need, you are all set! I love the idea of pairing your work wear separates with denim or chambray. Plaid will also "casualize" them (as you have discovered.) Pullovers will make skirts read more casual, as will wearing them with flat boots. A moto jacket will also work well. Carrying a less structured bag (e.g. a hobo vs. a satchel) may also look more casual.

I wear a pair of wool pants as casual wear. Not rolling in the mud kind of casual, but going downtown on errands casual.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I think you look very chic, stylish and well dressed, not overdressed at all.

lyn67

Veteran

To my (somehow trained) eyes it is chic and stylish, and NOT overdressed! I would wear this to work, and on my running errands, too. It's a debombshelled pencil look, and I sport this look very often, as I love the siloutte and I find it comfy. It never hearts the particulary items are of best quality and current! This is a win! I hope you can do other your work clothes work for MOTG, YLF in them!:-).

Anonymous

Great suggestions by everyone and I think the outfit in your photo is just right and not overdressed. You look great!

Anonymous

OMG! I think you LOOK AMAZING. I love everything about your outfit. I sincerely hope you continue to explore new ways to wear your wool clothes. In my opinion you will look fabulous AND NOT overdressed at all.

E

Veteran

You look polished but relaxed in that outfit! I love it on you.

I must admit I'm a bit confused by your premise though. You're trying to mix your work wardrobe into your at home/errand running wardrobe, yes? So do you need to please anyone but yourself? If the clothes let you do what you need to (ie give you enough range of motion as a mom!) and you feel good in them, enjoy! No need to casualize further. Of course if you're trying to adjust your style to fit in w a new social group that's different, but just for at home and errand running, why not dress for yourself?

Liz

Veteran

Palmfronds, I'm also wondering about the premise. I don't see anything inherently formal or "work" about wool as a fabric. Classic, maybe, but not formal. Have you checked out Ingun's posts? She often wear classic items in an informal way.

By the way, the key to "deformalize" those sheaths is to do the kind of juxtaposition that feels strange to you. Pair them with rougher shoes, a chunky knit scarf, and a denim jacket, and you're set.

PalmFronds

Thanks for your thoughts and feedback everyone! E and Liz, you touched on a side concern of mine which is. ,yes, sticking out as being overdressed when I am bumping about town with a baby in tow. I generally do dress for myself and am pretty comfortable with my own style aesthetic BUT I am sensitive to the fact that I also have 9 year old twins who may hear comments about their mom:-)
I saw a great article dealing with men trying to incorporate THEIR dress pants into casual wear, very useful to me too!
http://www.fashionbeans.com/2011/wool-trousers/

PalmFronds

I do also need to check out Ingun's posts! I think because I had capsulized those items as "work" they inherently read " formal" to me. So I prob just need to re-envision those pieces outside of work to really get some creative style juices flowing

ElleH

Veteran

I think it works & doesn't read "work", just put together. You can dress wool pants & skirts down with sweaters & boots & flannel plaid shirts.

PalmFronds

Well Liz thank you for recommending I check out Ingunn's post because I think I found a style twin and inspiration on her recent post summarizing her year Elle I just bought my first true flannel print and chambray shirts. Took a while for me to find ones that felt right! I'll take your suggestion and pair them up with my prior work capsule wear to see if I can get to my smart casual sweet spot with them.