Bay Area Fashionista

Have you ever wondered, what is California Casual style? California Casual is how we Californians describe our personal style; which was born from a combination of the mild climate near the coast, plus effortless style.

As a blogger, I am often asked to define my personal style. I usually describe it as “California Casual with a touch of glam.” Sometimes I wonder why I don’t just stop at California Casual. One of the key components to the quintessential California Casual style, is adding a bit of glam. While we are a casual bunch here in California, we also like to sparkle, shine, and show off a little bit at the same time.

There isn’t a California Casual uniform that we stock in our wardrobes; that being said, there is a formula. The formula is to look neat, clean, put-together, and effortless.

Hair should not be so full of products that the wind cannot move it. Our hair should flow in the wind, yet be neatly combed and trimmed. When we apply make-up, we don’t want to look like a different person. Make-up should enhance our natural looks, not hide them. We don’t wear false lashes, and we don’t cake on the eye make-up.

When it comes to jewelry, we like “understated and classic,” or “artistic and bold.” Our jewelry is either timeless, or found at an art fair and one-of-kind. A great place for finding artistic jewelry is in downtown Mendocino, summer art fairs, local urban markets, and art galleries.

The ultimate California Casual jacket is the denim jacket. Denim jackets are perfect during all four seasons. They are great for protecting us from the fog, and they take a sundress well into the fall season, or allow us to wear a spring dress in the dead of winter.

We always own too many jeans. Haha,  that was a joke. There is no such thing as owning too many pairs of jeans. Our collections include skinny, cropped, boyfriend, wide leg, trouser, cut-off, and more! The easiest way to get the California Casual look is to throw on some denim. Jeans look effortless when paired with a relaxed tee, slightly large blouse, tunic, and or under a dress which is knee length or higher.

When it comes to evenings out, we glam up our jeans a bit more. We love to pair skinny jeans with a tailored or body conscious top, blazer, Chanel bag, and high heels. A Gucci logo belt completes this look.

Dresses are a girls best friend! We love dresses in California. The way to make a dress California Casual is to add an IT bag, shoes that add height, and bold jewelry. Dresses are inherently effortless, so they are the easiest way to rock the California Casual vibe. They are also perfect for our mild climate.

Glam it up! What good is a tunic over jeans if you can’t stand out in the crowd? We always pair everything we wear, even yoga pants, with a recognizable bag. A recognizable bag can be anything from an understated classic Chanel, to a logo infested LV tote. Our bags should be easy to spot, even if the name isn’t on it. What can I say, we like IT bags in California!

To sum it up, California Casual is a fun way to say glamorous casual. We add a little bit of sparkle and shine, to an otherwise basic outfit. Our style is comfortable, yet on trend. We love our jeans, and aren’t afraid to glam them up.

People dress like this in other states, we just coined a phrase for it 😉

What do you think of California Casual style?

California Casual closet staples:

California Casual must-have handbags:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy