If You Dream Of Dressing Minimalist And Chic, You Need To Start Shopping These 6 Brands
by The Candidly Team
We can all think of that one woman whose style is simplicity itself. And yet, she always comes off crisp and classic and incontestibly chic.
Whether she’s in a sweater and jeans or a literal tank top, the stars somehow align, and she just looks incredible.
Maybe it’s her:
Or her:
Or, of course, her:
If it were up to us, every piece we pulled from our closet would help us pull off this timeless, minimalist look.
But who has time to find such clothes? Where would we even go?
We recently unearthed 6 brands that aren’t talked about nearly enough help us achieve our chicest, most minimalist goals. We promise we’ll get right to what they are, but first real quick, here’s why they work:
Fit: Their cuts are made to complement every kind of curve and look 5x more expensive.
Fabric: Doesn’t have to be cashmere and silk - just has to fall and fold and smooth in all the ways that make it flattering.
An Alluring Twist: One small, almost missable feature has to make each piece shine. Maybe it’s a wisp of ruching or an elegant neckline, but one little detail should make it sing.
If any of these elements are missing, then dressing clean and classic just winds up looking bad and boring.
And so, here are those 6 savior brands that are helping even the laziest among us realize our understated dreams.
CLYQUE: For incredible fitting Staples
There are a lot of things that Clyque is doing with basics that make us think why has this never been done before? Their fits are like smart solutions, and everything is just a bit elevated so we look “nice” and polished even in a literal sweatshirt.
Donya Tank
Theeeeeeeee shape! People get spooked by the straps being thin, which makes it tricky to conceal a bra, but because it’s ribbed (and weighted), you can size down and honestly not need a bra. Even double d. Swear.
Price: $78
Deana Shrunken Sweater
This exact right cropped length is soooo hard to find, yet it’s the single most glorious way to make a sweatshirt look tailored and chic. And, incidentally, to make our legs look longer.
Price: $82
2. LESET: for ELEVATED YET COMFY pieces
Leset made its name by creating a series of tops that intermix with matching bottoms and make the easiest, most “quiet luxury” sets. But the truth is, every single piece is a star all on its own. The fitted cardi? Straight out of an Audrey Hepburn movie. The tee? Maybe our favorite of all time. We struggle not to add everything to cart. But here are our absolute favorites.
Arielle Tank
Crafted in crepe, this swoopy tank is not only astoundingly slimming, but transforms anything we wear with it into the most elegant ensemble in the room. The apple green has our heart, but it comes in white as well. Also, the shape is a godsend on a belly pooch. As for a bra, we just wear THIS.
Price: $200
Yoko Halter Maxi Dress
Sleek, elongating, and elegant … but with insane tum and bum coverage. The dream.
Price: $310
The Margo
This is that famous tee we talked about. Seems like just a tee until you try it on and marvel: exact right shape, exact right length. Oh, but it sells out ALL the time, so if you’re at all tempted, pounce.
Price: $68
Lauren Crop Cardigan II And Pleated Pocket Pant
A fitted cardi can easily take the place of any blouse or fancy top you’re putting on to look “put-together” in. And yet, this one is brushed jersey, so it feels like pajamas. It comes in a bunch of dreamy neutrals and matching pants, which fit like your finest pleated, high-waist trousers. But again they’ve achieved a whole other level of human comfort.
Price: $180 for the pants, $160 for the sweater
3. MEJURI: For perfect capsule jewelry
With so many confusing new jewelry brands out there, it’s very hard to tell the quality, lifetime pieces from the stuff that will turn to tarnished junk after a mere few months. We’re just too old to keep buying jewelry we have to replace yearly.
Mejuri is making the most consistent, refined pieces that look like they could cost 10x the price. We’ve gotten to a point where we go to them for everything jewelry-related. For ourselves. For gifts. They’re of the moment and eternal at the same time. And the quality means they’ll last.
Pavé Diamond Huggie Hoops
We prefer this subtle hoop to studs because, while both will always be in style, studs, once again, just kind of disappear. These have enough sparkle to elevate your look but in an extremely understated way.
Price: $268
Bold Herringbone Chain Necklace
We love that this chain is an emblem of minimalism but not so thin that it disappears on your neck. Also, doesn’t it feel like something all elegant women wore in the 1980s, and will still be wearing in the 2080s?
Price: $198
Chunky Medium U Hoops
The way minimalists do “statement” is often by keeping things carefully in scale. So yes, these are irresistibly puffy, but they’re also petite enough to feel clean and modern. And they’re a great way to make our white tee and jeans outfits more of a complete look.
Price: $98
Diamonds Open Ring
Nothing on this list captures minimalist-chic as well as that sliver of negative space between the diamonds in this ring.
Price: $198
4. OGL: For Affordable AND ELEGANT BASICS
This one might well be our proudest discovery of late. OGL makes the kind of “basics” that actually excite us as over 40-women who don’t want to dress old and sad but also don’t want to settle for cheap garbage designed for 21-year-olds. Amazingly, the brand is sustainable and crafts every style out of buttery soft, silky fabrics that fit and feel amazing. But the prices are astonishingly low.
Contour Tube Maxi Dress
Is this not the easiest, most flattering shape of dress you’ve ever seen? We’ll be wearing it to every occasion we’re invited to this spring. Not in small part because it’s machine washable. Comes in lots of colors and sizes to 2XL.
Price: $55
Eco-SkinKiss® Ruched Side Mermaid Maxi Skirt
Again, with the genius shape. The ruching is incredibly forgiving, but the whole thing is amazing on bellies and butts. And it’s double-lined so it doesn’t show every bump. We have 3 colors in our cart. Wanna guess which?
Price: $45
Plantive™ Button-Down Cardigan & Cropped Fold Down Brami Tube Top 2Pcs Set
An open cardi over a soft tube top? Who would have imagined how chic? With long drapey trousers, nothing is more refined, and yet the suggestion of bare shoulders peaking out with a gust of wind also makes it feel just the sliiiightest bit risqué. In a good way.
Price: $68
Waterproof Lightweight Collared A-Line Coat
A clean-lined, waterproof coat is ideal for all the rainy days of spring. Throw this one on over anything, and poof, you’re fully “styled” for the day.
Price: $75
Tencel Wool Turtle Neck Ruched Sides Tank
As good a work top as it is a going-out top. The ruched sides are waist-nipping and create a gorj silhouette, particularly with THESE pants.
Price: $29
5. Z SUPPLY: FOR EFFORTLESSLY COOL GO-TOS
When we want to look effortless - like we just casually slipped into something striking on us, we go to Z Supply. Their dresses show a very comprehensive understanding of what looks (and feels) good on our bodies, but so many of their non-dress pieces also comprise our weekend wardrobe. Below are a few of their most casual-chic treasures, but sidenote, THESE lounge pants are the softest, loveliest, most slimming things we’ve ever worn. And Z Supply was kind enough to give us a code to share with you: Use CANDIDLY20 to get 20% off.
Melbourne Midi Dress
This is one of almost zero fitted dresses we feel 100% comfortable in. The hold and stretch and softness are beyond. But there’s a bit of ruching on the side that looks great on our midsections and a breathable shelf lining that means we can skip the bra should we so choose.
Use the code CANDIDLY20 to get 20% off.
Price: $79
Rilynn Twill Pant
The smoothing hold of these wide-leg pants create some very clean lines. But they’re stretchy enough to feel like we can breath. Also you can’t see it, but they make our non-model backsides look better than ever.
Use the code CANDIDLY20 to get 20% off.
Price: $99
Dewy Maxi Dress
In case you’re curious what we’ll be wearing to any garden/ beach/ backyard/ poolside/ dinner-on-vacation “thing,” this is it.
Use the code CANDIDLY20 to get 20% off.
Price: $119
6. SPLENDID: FOR THE “CLEAN GIRL” WARDROBE OF YOUR DREAMS
Guys, did Splendid go somewhere, or did we just forget about it all these years in which we must have settled for non-softer-than-heaven clothes that aren’t the epitome of loveliness? In any case, let us be the first to say that Splendid is so very, very back. Their styles are still chic but somehow cuter than ever. Behold just a few things that we’ve either bought or been drooling over since we laid eyes.
Splendid x @Cellajaneblog Duster Cardigan
Look. At. The. Linessss. And it’s a Splendid sweater so you know the softness is on some unearthly level.
Price: $168
Whitney Stripe Maxi Skirt
A column skirt is one of like 3 ways to elongate yourself in swanlike ways. This is maybe the best one we’ve tried on in years. And as we’ve said, probably an annoying number of times, stripes are the easiest hack for looking like you spent 3x what you really did on your clothes.
Price: $128
Splendid x @Cellajaneblog Striped Poplin Button Down
How did we come this far without speaking of a smart, poplin button-down as the most versatile staple in our minimalist closet? This one, with its drop shoulder and neutral pinstripes is simply perfect. Ok, now we feel better.
Price: $98
Splendid x @Cellajaneblog Stripe Crew Tee
Cloud-like softeness and a “short” sleeve that is actually long enough to not cut into the thickest part of our arms. In other words, flattering on soooo many more shapes than a size 2 model. Trust us.
Price: $58
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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