A Cute and Casual Outfit for a Day at the Beach

Different Beach Outfits & Activities

There are many reasons you might be planning a trip to the beach. Maybe you need a lazy day of tanning and relaxing, or want to get your heart pumping with some water sports or you could just want to enjoy the beach culture and explore the beachside town or city.

The outfits you need for each occasion are different. If you’re spending the day exploring, you need a cute casual outfit for your day at the beach. You really don’t need much to put together a casual outfit for a day of bike riding and enjoying boardwalks and beachside neighborhoods.

This was a casual outfit for a day at the beach in California, which is different than say a day at the beach in Mexico. (If you want to see a cute outfit for a beach vacation in mexico make sure to check out my last outfit post.) The styles, temperatures, environment, and activities change from beach to beach, so keep that in mind.

This casual outfit works for Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles, California. The vibe of this outfit is very California girl, a carefree style with a mix of denim, linen, and crochet, and is not something I would wear in Mexico. First, it was too hot at Mexico’s beaches to layer; the denim jacket would automatically be out. I know you can’t see it but instead of a bra I would wear a bikini because even if you were just standing outside you would be sweating so you always need to be prepared to jump in the water.

Beaches vary not only from coast to coast but from country to country. If you’re traveling make sure to do some research before packing all your beach attire. Also, resorts have different resort dress codes and different definitions of what defines a casual outfit. But they are more strict on the men than the women. I’ll be writing a post on resort dress later this month.

Casual Outfit for the Beach

When putting together this casual outfit I kept a few things in mind. I knew I didn’t want my hair to get in the way so I wore it in a low bun. I added one side braid to this hairstyle to give it just a bit of character and style. Since my hair is so dark and natural I always feel like I need to wear it in a cute way to keep it from looking boring.

I stuck with a neutral theme; blue, white, and brown. The only variety of bright color you see is in the sandals. Brown leather sandals also would have worked with this casual outfit but I wanted to bump it up a notch so I added a bit of color and embellishment.

I wore blue aviator sunglasses instead of my usual black frame sunglasses because it goes with the entire look and they are perfect for summer. I’ll be switching back to black frames come fall.

Lastly, I wore no-fuss accessories. You can see in the second photo that I’m wearing the daintiest earrings to continue with the casual outfit theme. A few gold and brown leather bracelets tie in with the brown leather bag.

I always say that every outfit needs to look balanced and the separates need to look part of a whole. Keep that in mind when putting together your outfits, casual or otherwise. Casual does not mean ignoring the details or wearing ill-fitting clothing that consists of sneakers, ripped t-shirt and frayed shorts. You can still look stylish and casual.

We took these photos in Santa Monica, California where we rented bikes to ride from Santa Monica Pier to the Venice Beach Boardwalk. There is a bike path that goes along the beach so the bike ride is not only fun but gorgeous as well.

Stay Stylish,
-V

PS: If you want more beach outfit inspiration make sure to view my post 21 Beach Outfits for Your Inspiration.