Smart casual style is one of the most confusing dress codes to decipher, but as invitations for festive parties begin to roll in, Helen Skelton is on hand to show us just how easily we can execute this style
Presenting BBC Morning Live, she styled our favourite casual wear staple, a denim shirt, and turned it into an elevated party-ready piece by teaming it with a pair of bright green tailored trousers and beige, pointed-toe pumps.
With structured shoulders and a tie neck, the shirt takes classic button-ups and elevates them tenfold into the ideal style to wear for any smart-casual occasion. The darker shade of denim also works to give the look a more sophisticated edge, with contrasting silver-toned buttons only enhancing the look. There’s really nothing not to love about her outfit formula, and we’ll be copying it all season.
Shop Denim Shirts
With a similar tie neckline and deep cuffs to Helen's denim shirt, this Mint Velvet design is a great piece to get her look with. The contrast stitching and curved hemline create an elevated style that can solve those smart casual outfit idea dilemmas.
A structured denim fabric styles up this design, making it work for both casual and polished dress codes. With a relaxed fit, shirt collar and tie neckline, leave it unbuttoned for a pared-back look, or tuck it into tailored trousers like Helen.
Contrast stitching, buttoned cuffs and a crisp collar give this denim shirt a smart flair, with the dark denim tone adding to its sophisticated edge. Style with matching denim jeans for a statement casual look, or wear with bold trousers like Helen.
Style Denim Shirts Like Helen
These vibrant green trousers boast a versatile straight leg fit, with their tailored cut, concealed zip and full-length leg allowing them to transition from AM to PM effortlessly.
Available in both a standard and extra-wide fit, these suede court shoes are an easy to style, neutral staple that can help ground those brighter colours in your autumn wardrobe.
Despite the tie neckline of her denim shirt, Helen opted to leave the ties undone and wore a chunky gold necklace like this one from New Look to add interest to her outfit. We love the statement feel of a jewellery piece like this.
Opting for bright green trousers introduced a focal point to Helen’s outfit for a fashion-forward aesthetic. Proving that bright colours are a great addition to an autumn capsule wardrobe.
By pairing her trousers with a grounding denim shirt, as well as with a pair of neutral heels, the green colour feels a lot less daunting to wear and perks up the gloomier evenings.
We might lean towards darker colours in the dreary autumn season, but Helen knows how to brighten up our days with bold tones. And we’ll take on any lesson that extends the versatility of go-to staples like our favourite denim shirts.
