The New Casual
Dressing down has never looked so good
When you read the word “casual,” what immediately comes to mind? Jeans and a T-shirt? Sweatpants? Athleisure? Maybe your favorite hoodie and sneakers? The truth is, “casual” probably means something different to each of us. But no matter how it manifests, it’s always existed in relation to something else. Casual is what you wear when nothing particularly important is happening—the opposite of getting dressed. The absence of dress even, if you will.
But it seems, friends, that casual is in the midst of its glow up. The definition of what we consider casual—and how we execute it—is changing before our eyes. Not bc we’ve become more casual (we’ve been headed in that direction for years, thanks in part to Covid), but bc the concept of casual itself has evolved. It no longer feels like the default dress code when we don’t want to think about our clothes. Increasingly, it feels like the manner of dress we aspire to.
In short, if casual used to be the absence of dress, it’s now becoming a form of dress.
If you need convincing, behold the street style images above. Then clutch your pearls when I tell you they were all photographed during Paris Haute Couture Week this month.
That’s right. During arguably the most glamorous week on the fashion calendar—amidst intricate couture gowns that easily climb into the six figures—the women in attendance were wearing cotton shirts, polos, jeans, sandals, and wrinkled poplin.
To be fair, the weather undoubtedly played a role. Europe has been brutally hot this summer, and when it’s 95F out, fashion has a way of editing itself. Layers disappear, jewelry gets left at home, and all that extra styling simply falls away, leaving only the essentials.
But even accounting for the heat, you can’t deny that ‘basics’ have been taking center stage in fashion—and our wardrobes—as of late. On paper, describing these garments sounds pretty ordinary. And yet, when you see how they’re being worn, they feel anything but. This new casual feels considered, luxurious, almost...special.
Which may contradict the very definition of the word. But here’s the thing: I don’t actually think we’re trying any harder than we used to. Getting dressed in the new casual requires roughly the same amount of effort that casual dressing has always required. You’re still reaching for jeans, a shirt, flats or sneakers. The difference isn’t in the formula—it’s in the execution.
Today’s jeans fit better. Our shirts are cut better. Proportions feel more thoughtful. The sneaker or flip flop is elevated. Fabrics work with us instead of against us. The end result feels infinitely more polished, despite asking very little more of the wearer. The same effort with a better outcome? Sign me up.
But better clothes alone don't explain why casual feels so fresh right now. There's something bigger happening.
THE NEW DRESS CODE
For decades, casual dress was reserved for the in-between moments of life: running errands, travel days, school pickup, etc—the places where getting dressed was more of an afterthought than the main event. Then, when an invitation arrived—a wedding, a dinner party, even date night—we instinctively reached for a different part of our closet. Casual had its place, and so did everything else.
Today, those lines have become very blurred. The same beautifully cut jeans, crisp button-down and sleek sandal can carry us through almost every occasion on our calendar. Sure, there are still moments that call for black tie or cocktail attire, but for the vast majority of our lives, the idea of a dress code feels frivolous, and as such, seems to have dissolved. We’re no longer dressing for the event—we’re dressing for ourselves, instead.
WHITE TEE (COMP) // NAVY DRAWSTRING PANTS // CAP // RING* // SUEDE BAG* // SUEDE SANDALS
Part of that shift is undoubtedly a lingering effect of the pandemic. And it tracks: many of us are likely still WFH or hybrid, and we’ve gotten comfortable dressing for the lives we’re actually living every day. But we’ve also become more interested in authenticity over transformation. Instead of becoming a different version of ourselves for certain events, we’re refining the version of ourselves we already are.
In other words, we’ve stopped elevating ourselves to meet the occasion. We’ve elevated the everyday enough that it now belongs there with us.
BETTER BASICS
At this point, you might be thinking, Great. So now I have to try harder just to look casual? Thankfully, no! This isn’t about working harder—it’s about putting the clothes to work for you, instead. Remember what I said about the same effort with a better outcome? That’s thanks to the clothes themselves.
STRIPED BUTTON DOWN // WHITE JEANS // SUNNIES* // DROP EARRINGS // RAFFIA TOTE // PYTHON SANDALS
We’re living in the golden age of wardrobe basics—the pieces that make up the backbone of our closets. Years ago, many of us (myself included) treated them as an afterthought. I used to buy my white tees by the handful at Target, figuring, this isn’t where I want to spend my money. Then the pandemic happened, and suddenly we were wearing those basics every single day. And then it hit me—if I’m gonna wear a tee nearly every day, then it better be a damn good one.
Thanks to the wealth of basics available today—at every price point, thankfully—we’re now wearing tees, tanks and jeans that look like a million bucks. (Well...in some cases, they cost close to that, too.) Tees are cut sharper, shirts drape better and jeans have more interesting details and washes. Even the humble flip flop has become an object of design. These basics aren’t throwaway any longer—they’re intentional.
As these basics have gotten better, we’ve become less reliant on all the extras. For years, “dressing up” meant adding flourish: jewelry, layers, color, print, embellishment, etc. But instead of relying on these styling tricks, the new casual asks these basics to do the dressing up for us. The clothes have become the styling.
PERSONALITY OVER PERFORMANCE
Speaking of pared-back styling, the new casual is all about resisting the urge to get Dressed with a Capital D. Gone are the days of Dressing to the Nines; we’re perfectly content these days with Dressing to the Fives. The end goal isn't to look less stylish—it’s to stop confusing styling with style. Once we stop trying to perform fashion, we create space for the little things that actually make an outfit feel like more like us.
POLO // BERMUDA SHORTS // WOVEN BAG // LONG PENDANT // PERIDOT BEADED NECKLACE* // FRENCH PIN // COCKTAIL RING // FLIPPIES (COMP)
That might mean a bold color executed in a classic silhouette, a single accessory instead of seven, an interesting detail in a pair of pants or a vintage handbag or jacket that feels special because of its provenance, not its flashiness. And this makes sense, bc once the foundation of an outfit becomes quieter, details like construction, fabric, tailoring and silhouette naturally become more important. They begin doing the work that embellishment and styling tricks once did.
Ironically, stripping away all the “fashion” leaves more room for our individual tastes to emerge. We don’t need to perform; we just need to perfect.
I hope all the maximalists aren’t rolling their eyes at me right now, accusing me of declaring dressing up “out”—far from it! There will always be a time and place for dressing to the nines. It’s fun, expressive, and sometimes it’s exactly what’s called for.
But there’s something liberating about knowing you can throw on a great pair of jeans, an oversized button-down and sandals and feel every bit as considered as you would in a much more elaborate outfit. To me, that’s progress—not because we’ve lowered the bar, but because we’ve finally raised it for the clothes we reach for most often.
Thanks for reading—until next week! xx
AFN discount codes for brands linked above: AtPresent (SOGOLE15) // Loren Stewart (SOGOLE15)
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I LOVE those Garconne black pants on you they look amazing
Better basics and tees and trousers!! The best