How to Style Trousers Casually

Hi there! Thank you for stopping by for today’s post on how to style trousers casually. I know trousers are often thought of strictly for work. They are perfect for a business casual outfit or more formally as part of a suit. But, I love to wear them outside of work too! I like to think of trousers as the ultimate wear anywhere, do-it-all type of pant. They will do so much work in your closet! Sure, you can wear them to work, but you can just as easily style them for a look that is both put together and comfortable. Isn’t that what we’re all striving for!

How to Style Trousers Casually

Finding the Right Trouser for Casual Trouser Outfits

No matter what style of trouser you pick – like wide leg trousers or straight leg trousers – they are definitely a wardrobe staple that can spice up your everyday outfits.

If you aren’t sure where to start, first consider what type of pant style and waist you prefer. So, do you like a wide leg trouser, high waist trousers, straight leg trousers, etc. Which cut and color will work the best with what’s already in your closet? Pick that pair! Here are a few options.

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Once you’ve picked the trousers you like, you can pretty much treat them the same as when you’re putting together an outfit with jeans. Just like any other outfit, style them based on where you’re going and what you’re doing. I know many people love to travel in the fall, and trousers are great for this season. I always pack a pair as an alternative to denim, especially if I’m traveling to a city where I’ll walk a lot but want to look put together!

Outfit Ideas and Tips For How To Style Trousers Casually

Okay, let’s get to the outfit ideas. Here’s an edit of different ways you can wear trousers casually. I also included a few tips on how to style them.

How To Style High Waist Trousers

For me, high waisted trousers in a neutral color like the pair I’m wearing below are what I personally get the most use from. The perk of high waisted pants is that they look great with so many different types of tops: a flowy blouse, a t-shirt, a cropped sweater, a sweater you want to tuck in, or a button-up. Pretty much anything! They’re super versatile, so you can wear them frequently. This style of pant also makes you look taller in my experience. PS: If you tuck in your top, a belt is a great accessory if you want to highlight your waist with this style of pants.

How To Style High Waist Trousers

I wore this outfit recently to grab coffee, but I’ve worn it a lot throughout the summer since my pants are linen. I love to wear a basic t-shirt with trousers to give the outfit a casual yet elevated vibe. You can also dress up your look with accessories, which is what I did here by choosing nice sandals. This type of outfit is also perfect for fall and spring, and my exact pant style come in a material that’s perfect for fall in gray and navy.

How To Style Wide Leg Trousers

Wide leg trousers and wide leg pants in general continue to be in style. If you are on the shorter side like me (I’m 5’4), you might wonder if wide leg trousers will work for you. The answer is yes!

With a cardigan or lady jacket

I love how wide leg trousers look with a cardigan that is somewhere between a classic cardigan and a lady jacket. These are back in style this year, so be sure to pull yours to the front of the closet this fall if you already have one! If you don’t have one, I linked a few below. My exact one is this one. It’s true to size. You can wear these tops buttoned up like I did below, or with a t-shirt or long sleeve layering top. I recently picked up this fabulous layering top for fall. The contrast of a tailored top with wide leg pant looks chic.

lady jacket and trousers outfit

I put together a few videos of how to style these exact pants. Click here to see a few outfits that you can wear on the weekend or to work, and click here to see how to style this pair and the olive color for date night! The beige color I’m wearing is old. But, there are two other colors that look the same to me, so they’re linked below!

Check out these fall wardrobe staples.

With a vest

Whether you prefer a longline tailored vest or a short crochet vest, these tops look so good with trousers. They’re perfect for a casual night out with friends or even for a date night. You can see both of these vests on me below. I’m planning to wear each of them with these olive green pants that I love this fall!

With a t-shirt

These are the same trousers from above, but they’re styled for a summer weekend. I’m wearing a linen t-shirt (similar here). I love how this basket bag works for summer and fall because of the color.

How to Style Trousers Casually

With an oversized button-up

Another way to style wide leg trousers is with an oversized button-up. This is the ultimate comfortable, off-duty look. We might even call this the lazy girl outfit! Perhaps the tired mom outfit is more accurate for me. Anyway, this is an outfit you can turn to a lot because it’s put together and comfortable. If you want to look a little less casual, just go for loafers or ballet flats instead of sneakers.

Striped button up with wide leg pants

My exact shirt is sold out, but I linked one that is very similar. I love the shade of green!

One last note on styling this type of trouser.

Puddled pants are super trendy right now, especially with wide leg trousers. So many celebrities and public figures are wearing this trend! I think that look is fun, but it’s just not practical for me. I can’t have my pants dragging all over the ground! The germaphobe in me could never do that haha. If you do like this trend, the black pair I linked above that I said I recently purchased are perfect for you if you’re on the shorter side like me. However, I had mine tailored to get the perfect length. It takes a lot for me to keep a pair of pants that need to be tailored, but I really loved the weight and look of the black trousers so I kept them knowing I’d tailor them.

Anyway, if you don’t want to have your pants tailored, I recommend Abercrombie trousers because of all the sizing options! I styled this pair below.

Monochrome Trouser Outfit for Girls’ Day

Monochrome is one of my favorite ways to style trousers for a casual and elevated look. You’re going to feel confident in a monochrome look.

Monochrome Trouser Outfit for Girls' Day

My exact trousers are sold out, but the pair I styled in the collage below are very similar. I’m honestly not sure what the difference is. Anyways, I always appreciate when brands provide different lengths. I’m wearing a 29 short, and I’m 5’4. I probably could’ve worn the regular length, but I knew I wanted to wear these with flats instead of heels. Like I mentioned above, no tailoring necessary! If you purchase the curve love option, I typically size down one size. I throw these in the washer and dryer without issue!

Monochrome Trouser Outfit

I called this an outfit for girls’ day, but I would wear this shopping, for a play date, a coffee meeting, or brunch. You can wear it pretty much anywhere. This outfit looks just as good in black, which I also linked below.

School Drop Off Casual Trouser Look

I love the idea of throwing on this cardigan with these trousers and loafers or sneakers. This is perfect for errands or school drop off and pick up. I typically go for loafers, but these sneakers would give a really casual vibe. Anyway, I always want to be comfortable when I’m moving baby in and out of the car! You could also wear a tank top or crewneck t-shirt with the cardigan for an added layer.

School Drop Off Casual Trouser Look

Okay, that’s all from me today! I hope you found an outfit idea or two for your favorite pair of trousers, or a new pair of trousers to love! I hope you’ll come back soon!

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Trousers I Love

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2 Comments

  1. Taylor wrote:

    I love how you styled these looks and made it elevated yet understated! It’s not too “workwear” to wear trousers. This is such a helpful post to navigate thru this trend!

    Posted 9.21.23 Reply
    • Natalie wrote:

      Thank you for reading! I’m so happy you think it’s helpful 🙂 Sometimes I want to wear something besides jeans, ha! XO

      Posted 9.22.23 Reply