Sinéad, a fabulous CF reader, left a comment on my What to Wear to the Gym article saying she’s looking for a casual but polished style for her summer in a new city.

I decided to expand on this idea to show you how to upgrade your outfits from casual and basic to polished and put-together.

Time to level up! Scroll down to see 7 easy ways to look more polished:

Table of Contents

Tip 1: Add a Blazer

One of the easiest ways to transform your look is with a blazer. A blazer instantly increases your points on the glam-o-meter, even when paired with the simplest of shirts.

Here, the combination looks youthful, modern, and casually chic with jeans and sandals. Rolling up the sleeves adds to the trying-but-not-trying look. This black necklace also ties the whole outfit together.

Tip 2: Patterned Pants

It’s easy to fall into a basic blue denim rut. Break out of the jean jail! Floral and patterned denim is the new black, er, blue jean. I love patterned pants and find that they’re a comfortable, casual way to show a little personality.

If you’re still skeptical about jumping on this bandwagon of wild pants, stick with subtle patterns or subdued color schemes. Slowly, you’ll find yourself swimming in a rainbow of colorful pants. I doubt they taste like Skittles, though.

Tip 3 & 4: Add Tights and a Fitted Jacket

You know what’s tight? Wearing tights with summer clothes.

A simple day-to-night formula is to simply add tights and a fitted jacket to any outfit. I like fake leather, because I am so rebellious that I sometimes don’t do all the extra credit assignments in class. I am a rebel with a cause, and that cause is Netflix and having time to shower.