the rise of the low maintenance style

Low Maintenance Fashion { source }

Let's face it: sometimes getting ready in the morning is just not at the top of your to-do list. The process sometimes feels too tedious to endure, resulting in going for a toned-down, last minute look. I'm talking sweatpants, hair tied, chilling with some makeup on (Drake knows what's up). This collective need to kind of chill out in terms of fashion and makeup has led to the rise of the low maintenance style. This isn't as bad as it sounds; it doesn't involve laziness or lack of hygeniene. Low maintenance style is more about looking your best with the least amount of things, and this is a concept a lot of people are now able to get behind.



In all honesty, this trend is nothing new. Low maintenance style has been pushing into mainstream fashion for quite a long time. In fact, Kendi Skeen did a post about styling joggers (an essential part of the laid-back look) an entire year ago. So what exactly is low maintenance style? It's all about taking traditionally super casual pieces, like sweatpants, sneakers, and baggy t-shirts and combining them with not more than 2 polished pieces in order to create a very casual look. The style is usually accompanied by a more "natural" makeup look or even no makeup at all, as well as a simple up-do or natural hair look, like a ponytail or hair that's been let loose. The exception to this rule is when the hair and makeup are used as the "polished pieces" of the outfit.

My absolute die hard, favorite example of this style is Caroline from Un-Fancy. Although she no longer updates her capsule wardrobe themed blog, I'm certain she's still rocking her signature laid back look. Basically, she is the definition of the low maintenance look, and I can only hope to pull it off as well as her someday.

Caroline from Un-Fancy rocks the low maintenance look practically every day { source }

This look is just the most recent post on her blog, but all of Caroline's outfits knock this trending style out of the ballpark. Here she combines a basic white t-shirt and jeans with a sleek pair of sandals and a crisp leather tote. The casual pieces work very well together, while the brown leather adds a bit of a polished finish. Her hair is done, yet it looks tousled and in-a-hurry-chic. Her makeup is very minimal. Caroline is the poster child of low maintenance style. If this is your kind of fashion, she's your kind of lady.

Another exceptional example of this style is fashion blogger Pa of Closet of Pa. Although she doesn't tend to tone down her makeup (which is fine; rock it, girl!), a lot of her outfits reflect that toned-down fashion style.

Pa from Closet of Pa in a relaxed summer look { source }

This look is one of my favorite examples from the array of Pa's OOTDs. She combines three of the more "casual" outfit pieces -- the sneakers, the baseball cap, the backpack, and the jean shorts -- and pairs them with a polished crop top and curled hair in order to give off the feeling of an effortless look. In my opinion, Pa is one of the fashion bloggers that I've seen that is able to pull this style off every time with no problem.

This trend is potentially one of my favorites that I've seen popping up on the scene. Don't misunderstand me though: the sleek, polished, done-up look is still the staple of the fashion world. Low maintenance fashion is just a simpler way for the laid-back clothes junkies of the world to express themselves, and I think it's an awesome trend. So if you ever feel like your outfit seems too casual, just add a polished piece, tousle your hair, and call it a day. You'll look amazing.

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