The older I’ve gotten, the lazier I’ve become with my outfits. In my early twenties, my office uniform consisted of high heels, midi skirts, and tops that required ironing. Ironing. What’s more, I’d gladly take an earlier tube to ensure I had enough time to a) walk to my work from the station in said heels and b) to freshen up in the loo before logging on. Now, in my early 30s, even with the convenience of working from home, assembling an outfit for the day ahead feels tenfold more draining than ever.
Still, just because I’m lazy, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to feel put together in my clothes—I just don’t want to put in the same amount of effort as I did back then. My time is precious, and I want to use it more efficiently, be it to take my dogs out for an early-morning walk or to get in a work-out (which, I’ll admit, is a rarity) before answering emails. So, in an attempt to do so, I decided to play around with the pieces in my wardrobe to come up with a handful of minimal-effort outfits that look the polished part and are easy to throw on when I just can’t think. Dresses, of course, come in very handy for this sort of thing, but I think there’s an outfit I might even prefer.
Shirt-and-trouser outfits mightn’t sound groundbreaking or new, but it’s the simple combination I’ve noticed fashion people are wearing now more than ever, be it to run earrings in the city or head to the beach on holiday. The shirts in question are oversized, often left unbuttoned or untucked, and the trousers loosely tailored, making for an ensemble that looks elevated but cool, luxury but low-key, expensive but effortless. Basically, the aesthetic we’d all like to have, right? It would seem that way, because whenever I wear my shirt-and-trouser outfits out, I always receive compliments on them.
It’s going to be easier to show you the look I’m talking about as opposed to writing about it; so, I’ve assembled six shirt-and-trouser outfits that perfectly showcase just how chic the pairing can look, whilst also being incredibly simple to style for yourself. Scroll on to see them, and to shop any pieces you might need to re-create them.
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