#ootd | effortlessly casual

first off, beware. i just discovered the blogger app, so you'll probably hear a lot more from me. 

for those of you who don't know, i work for club monaco. yesterday i was telling a stylist about a conversation I had with a client. she had come into my store looking for an outfit, but with no ideas. here was her scenario. she is going into boston today to meet up with some friends that she hasn't seen in four years. she wanted something special, but she didn't want to look overdressed or that she was 'trying too hard.' i told her my first rule of thumb was that one can never be 'overdressed.' although, that would be much better than 'underdressed.'

i selected a few of our summer dresses that i thought would be perfect. you know, since it finally feels like summer here. i chose one shift dress that she was not too sure about immediately. i talked up the silhouette and the on-trend color, and she was willing to give it a try. it ended up being the one she chose.

while i was telling the stylist about this, she remarked 'isn't that [everyone's] dream! to look good without trying.'

with that in mind, i carefully chose my outfit for this morning's outing. not that my best friend, ben, cares about how i dress when i'm around, but i am determined to master the balance of looking good casually, without looking like you just rolled out of bed. 

so, i'm going to share my tips with you. 

1. start with your 'statement piece' and let it do all the talking. for me, it was my green chunky linen cardigan. i love layers, so this is the perfect summer piece for me.

2. pair it with refined basics. paired with my favorite slim jeans and a broken in tee, my look was almost complete.

3. footwear. this is where my look could have gone a few ways. i considered jack purcell converse sneakers, but i felt like i wanted it more refined (preference). i opted for my leather clark's desert boots.

and there you have it. my 'effortless' casual look.

chunky linen cardigan | club monaco

broken in tee | j. crew

'vermont' slim jeans | guess

desert boots | clark's

oh, here's a quick snapshot of my breakfast out.

i would love to hear your thoughts and tips on effortlessly casual looks!