Some Seriously Comfortable Clothing Essentials

Listen, I know what you're thinking: Francesca, don't you wear some crazy tall heels and impractical outfits for both the weather and for any sort of bodily movement? Why yes, yes I do. But just because I do stupid shit for sartorial purposes doesn't mean that I don't appreciate a good old fashioned comfortable outfit. I like to be comfortable too! While I'm well aware that tracksuits and athleisure are two obvious choices for comfortable clothing, let's kick it up a notch and talk about fashion as a whole.

Fabrics, fit, and silhouettes play a huge role in the comfort of a piece of clothing, which will lend to the comfort of the whole outfit. I've ruined comfy outfits with my heels that make me my dream height of 5'10", which you gotta do sometimes. Or you don't. Honestly, do your thing! I personally don't love the feel of true denim, but will that stop me from wearing it? No, I just choose not to wear it when I'm in the mood to be as comfortable as possible (see: Mondays, Fridays, sometimes Wednesdays, the week of my period, and rainy days).

So what do I reach for on those very specific days and time periods? That's easy!

Loose Fitting Dresses

The first one is literally right in front of your eyes. I love dresses that barely touch my body, not only for comfort all year round, but also in the summer. I don't want fabrics clinging to me when I'm hot and sweaty so I want as little definition around my waist, arms, chest, wherever, as possible. If I could have an outfit that levitated off of my body completely while still concealing all of my bits, I'd be happy as a clam. Unfortunately, since I don't believe that's scientifically possible at this point, dresses like this one from Zara are as close as I'm going to get. I can make the belt tighter (or looser) depending on the weather and humidity. It is on the longer side, but it really doesn't make a difference in how hot or cold I am.

You can find loose dresses in all sorts of lengths and styles. There are t-shirt dresses, plain old spaghetti straps dresses, or go all in and find a flowy maxi dress with thinner fabrics (one that is too thick will feel like you're carrying around weights on the bottom half of your body). The key is to find lighter fabrics (that aren't too sheer) and silhouettes that are flowy and not necessarily just oversized. This Zara dress is still my size so it fits me in the shoulders and length, but the silhouette is so loose that it gives me that extra level of comfort.

Sneakers

DUH. Sneakers are your best friend. Don't be me and convince yourself that you're not "cool" enough (seriously, what the fuck does that mean?) to wear sneakers. Buy yourself a cute pair (I have a pair from Adidas and Steve Madden and I'm itching for another) of sneakers and wear them with literally anything you could ever want. Dresses? Done. Skirts? Of course. Jeans? No brainer. Cigarette trousers? HELLS YEAH. My feet and calves are always the happiest when I wear sneakers and my walking speed increases tenfold, I swear.

Culottes, Joggers, and Palazzo Pants

I am very aware that all of these are very different kinds of pants, but they all have one important factor in common: they are comfortable as hell and make you feel like you're wearing pajamas all day long and yet you still look chic AF. I'm a personal fan of culottes for my body type and personal style (my legs aren't long enough for my liking to rock palazzo pants on the regular, but I heart eyes over them all day erryday and have tried them on multiple times to find a pair that work for me), but you can't go wrong with all three. You could easily pair all three with a simple tee and call it a day and live your live in comfort and style. What more could you want?

Cotton Tees

Speaking of tees...what more could you want when it comes to cotton tees? They're mega comfortable, they come in every color and style (you want a v-neck? You go for it!), and somehow still bring something to your outfit no matter how plain they might be. You don't need a graphic tee to spice up a look. Sometimes the simplicity of a white t-shirt and lightwash denim is enough to give me a style crush on just about anyone (hi Alexa Chung, I love you). Embrace the simplicity of staple wardrobe pieces!

Slip On Mules

Now don't get me wrong, my heeled mules from Nine West are some of my favorites, but we're talking about a different type of mule today. I'm referring to the styles that have a flatter bottom, potentially with a small block heel, but definitely no higher than an inch for maximum comfort. This could be anything would want them to be? Want the Gucci horsebit loafers or one of the cheaper dupes because those things are expensive AF? You go girl. Flat slip on sandals? Cool! Plus, just think about it–no backs on shoes make them so much easier to break in. No more ankle blisters!