Easy summer work outfits with flats

Today I decided to put together some summer work outfit ideas using my new white flats. I thrifted these flats last week and I am pretty excited about them–so much so that I had like 8 outfit ideas for them while still standing in Goodwill. And shouldn’t all clothing purchases inspire creativity like that?! Here are some easy summer work outfits I will be reaching for:

Chambray + dress pants + flats: First up, I put together the simplest outfit I could think of. This always helps me to ease into having a new item of clothing. I felt cuuuuute in this outfit and even better in my new-ish clear glasses, which I wore for one day, until someone told me they made me look like a nerd. It took me until this week to yell NO NEGATIVE PEOPLE 2019! I am wearing them again, nerd aesthetic be damned. Shirt (similar)/Pants (my absolute favorite)/Glasses

Mixed patterns + solid shoe: I’ve been wanting to wear this striped shirt and floral skirt together for a while, I was planning to do it with tan sandals. But I think the white is a nice change here and sharpens the outfit up a bit. I’m not a big pattern mixer but this post emboldened me. How’d I do?? Shirt (similar)/Skirt

Button up + chinos + flats: I’m still on the fence about this outfit. Corporate Glitter inspired me to try this pairing. I think it photographed ok but wasn’t as comfy as the above combos. Pants/Button Up (similar)

Untucked button up + dress pants: I recently learned this is Sofia Coppola’s personal uniform. I don’t enjoy tucking in shirts as much as the rest of the internet so I really liked this outfit. Shirt (similar)/Pants

PS if you’re looking for white flats: This pair would be my splurge but this is the pair I happened to thrift and they are surprisingly comfy!

I’ve been struggling to get dressed this week. I’ve also been struggling to work…on anything. I feel incredible guilt that I am not somehow already on my way to publishing like 5 articles this year or applying for a major grant. And while these are things that I will need to do at some point (not in a year!) to keep my shiny new job, thinking about them all right now is just not realistic. It’s time to reassess my summer goals. It’s also time to start getting dressed again, because getting dressed tends to put me in a better mood. This was the burst of creativity I needed to get back to doing (a little bit of) work and trying to enjoy summer.

This post contains affiliate links that may generate commission for the author.