Smart casual

[NoCluse]

Can anyone help me crack this style please?
What are acceptable combos?

Challenge: I hate overly structured clothing and heels higher than 2.5". I love natural fabrics, comfort but also style. I am a size 14 pear.

I am hoping to look neat, professional but approachable. I normally shop at Joules and white stuff with a bit of Jigsaw sales thrown into it. But I feel frumpy and am not smart at combining and pulling my outfits off.

I work for a charity and have recently been promoted. My normal skinny denim / ballerina /sweater jumper will no longer do. I will be based in an office with some client facing activities. It's not in sales more a client support role.

It normally doesn't matter what I wear but occasionally I go to meetings where I have to look professional but also approachable and above all, not corporate. It's a very fine line. I tend to take smart-casual pretty literally and team something tailored with something casual, so combinations like:

Smart jeans (dark colour) with a tailored jacket.
Tailored trousers or pencil skirt with a plaid shirt or sweatshirt or hoody
Plaid shirt / other casual shirt / thin hoody under a tailored jacket.

And so on. I find the most useful combination is a tailored jacket with something casual cos then if I get to a meeting and find everyone else else is in jeans and hoody, I can just take off the jacket.

I also used to wear good quality, double layer, just below below the knee tube skirts. A lot. I've given up on them for the moment but I still think they work well although I'm no longer sure who sells them.

I like the Clarks boots.

Lotsofsausage That's a good idea, I'll check out their men's merino jumpers. I love the Clark’s hamble oak, so comfy and smart too.

www.clarks.co.uk/c/Elvina-Dawn/p/26130843
^ What sort of colours would the navy blue ones work? Can anyone style them for me?

You can also add a bit of jewellery, if I wear a pendant/chunky necklace, I always feel slightly more professional. Folksy is a great source of affordable, slightly quirky items. Or a scarf for a bit of extra colour and variety.

I’d say that if you’re going for the navy boots the only colours to wear next to those (I.e. trousers) would be navy or camel/ mustard. I’d steer clear of black trousers with them. Or, you could go for navy tights and then a dress or -a line mini skirt and top!