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To get this look right, you need to understand who the coastal grandma is. Hit a specialty food store, a farm stand, or an art fair happening this summer and scan the crowd. Coastal grandma will reveal herself in all her easy living and quiet elegance that you might emulate in your own coastal grandma outfits.

The first thing you’ll notice about her is her unapologetic individualism. Because once you hit “grandma,” you don’t care about the latest trends; you want to be classic, chic, and sophisticated. You dress for comfort with a strong strain of elegant, slightly tousled style. 

The coastal grandma look offers a strong dose of Euro grandma, a la Isabella Rossellini. Think Nancy Meyers, Ralph Lauren, and Martha Stewart, all the way. The summer version of Meg Ryan Fall, but, since this look is timeless, it can easily take you into fall, winter, and spring, as well. The coastal grandma is quirky, well-traveled, and incisively intelligent. Here’s how you can pay her the homage she so richly deserves with coastal grandma fashion that celebrates her effortless style.

Relaxed Elegance

A model carries a black crossbody coastal grandma look purse

A key message of the coastal grandma look is the sense that the wearer prioritizes comfort over structure, elegance over trends. While the fabric may be high-end, the look is understated. Think quiet luxury. While the cut of the clothing may be refined, nothing you wear transmits any message but the joy of pleasing yourself.

The trench coat is a key component of coastal grandma outfits and even better when belted and worn to the ankle, as it was at the Tommy Hilfiger and Carolina Herrera spring/summer shows in white, khaki, and beige. Tie the belt in the back to double up the “devil may care” to wear your trench open, revealing a taupe, cable knit sweater and a white shirt collar peeking out at the neckline. Trousers are loose and relaxed but cut to fit well. On your feet are unassuming tennis shoes. You may even be wearing a ball cap, your hair pulled back at the nape of the neck.

Your handbag reflects the rest of the coastal grandma look, quietly refined. Being older means having a little money for the things you enjoy wearing, including a sweet little vegan crossbody bag

Chic & Breezy

A model wears a straw satchel tote with a black stripe for coastal grandma outfits

Key to the coastal grandma look is the tunic or the trusty white button-up shirt. Fine fabrics make this component of the look, and by fine, we mean silk and silk blends, linen blends, wool Melton, and blends of the same. These are fabrics worthy of someone with some mileage on them. Young fashionistas who wear coastal grandma outfits may only aspire to such mileage!

Full in the sleeves—which are usually cropped to ¾ length, the coastal grandma tunic is cut asymmetrically at the hem, full and flowing. Worn underneath are the full pants this look is renowned for, cut to follow the form of the wearer but not clinging. A scarf neck is desirable, softening the overall aesthetic and adding to its unstructured grace. Bottega Veneta’s tunic in black wool Melton worn with full ivory pants is the gorgeous prototype.

A straw satchel purse is the bag to wear with the coastal grandma look. Carry it like a Kelly bag, over the forearm. The effect is that of running the world without lifting an eyebrow.

Katharine Hepburn Goes to the Hamptons

A model carries straw tote with a scarf for a coastal grandma look

Hepburn knew how to wear trousers and shirts, providing an ideal template for the coastal grandma look. I picture her playing croquet on a manicured lawn, gin and tonic perched on a glass-topped, white wrought iron table. She’s wearing slightly rumpled, off-white linen or linen blend trousers, full and elegantly pleated.

A striped Ralph Lauren shirt, sleeves carelessly rolled up, is tucked into her trousers. The stripes are yellow and white, navy blue and white, or forest green and white. Over her shoulders, she’s thrown a cable knit sweater with the same color stripes (in a larger format), sleeves tied at her chest against the sea breeze. It’s already late August, and the summer tans fade apace. 

Her sunglasses are oval. Her straw hat is brimmed widely, flopping nonchalantly, as she deftly wields the croquet mallet. On her feet are mules with straw-look uppers, completing her coastal grandma outfit. Next to her gin and tonic, she’s set her straw handbag, a Gucci scarf tied to the handle. The colors, of course, complement what she’s wearing. She taps the ball, and it shoots through the wicket. Returning to the wrought iron table, she raises her gin and tonic in a victory salute!

A model holding a black and straw-striped tote in a yellow dress and round sunglasses

These coastal grandma look basics are the core of the aesthetic, offering you the shapes, colors, and sensibilities of the look. Shop Urban Expressions luxury purses to put an exclamation point on all your coastal grandma outfits, and then head over to that farmer’s market!

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