Casual Weekending in Carhartt

Just when you thought it was spring content only over here, I pull the ole switcheroo! Yup, we’re still in winter in NYC. And it is seriously f*cked up if you ask me.

You already know that I’m a huge fan of functional clothing, so it’s probably no surprise that I jumped at the opportunity to style these Carhartt workwear overalls for my everyday life (which, thankfully, involves very little manual labor).

The trick to styling workwear is to keep your other pieces relatively casual, so the overall combination comes across as laidback and unpretentious. But don’t pair too many workwear pieces together, or you run the risk of looking like you’re actually working, on the farm. When I’m styling a tricky outfit I’ll focus on the materials of the different items, and think about whether or not they feel like they’re in the same family. For example, these overalls feel like they belong with natural materials like leather, suede, wool, cotton, wood, and maybe distressed metal. However, I’d never pair them with any material that feels overly processed, like lucite, lame, patent leather, sequins, velvet, or acrylic.

To get even more hippy dippy: It helps me to think of the fundamental “essence” of the thing—what is its intended use? Where would it feel at home? This sounds totally silly, but it really helps me create looks that feel cohesive yet unique. As I’m putting the outfit together, I’ll continue adding and removing pieces to keep the look on theme, without crossing over into costumey. It’s an admittedly delicate balance, and I don’t always get it right!

I know I’ll be rocking these ovies through spring and maybe even into the summer (as cut offs?!) What would you pair with these bad boys? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you style workwear pieces!

Casual weekending in Carhartt workwear overalls and vintage Woolrich