What To Wear In Charleston, South Carolina This Spring 10 Charleston Outfit Ideas || Spring 2023
Making moves with the spring road trip… We’re headed to one of my all-time favorite cities for stop #2: Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is the definition of a city that has it all— southern charm, amazing shopping, delicious food, timeless style, quaint beach towns, and tons of twenty-somethings. As soon as you step foot in the Holy City you’ll be planning your next trip back.
After this visit, I’ve officially spent four full weeks here—once in May, July, August, and November. And I have to say, this certainly won’t be the last! One of the things I love most about it here is the fashion. The locals here are dressed to the nines and I fit right in with my love for bright colors, frilly details, and fun prints. My style is very Charleston so this was truly my place to shine.
As promised, today I’m sitting down to share all ten outfits I wore during my trip to Charleston complete with links to build your own wardrobe and directions to each photo location. I want to note that I visited in mid-May and we got stuck with some pretty crummy weather—five days of cloudy skies and temperatures hovering in the low seventies.
For that reason, I didn’t get amazing photos so bear with me! On the bright side, this was the first time I wasn’t sweating my tushy off here, haha.
(click pink text for direct links to shop)
Southern Charmer
I, no joke, got stopped by at least 35 people on King Street the afternoon I wore this outfit. This outfit is everything that Charleston is—timeless yet trendy with thoughtful accents. This lilac dress is a recent Petal & Pup find. It ended up being perfect for a brisk, cloudy day of shopping. The longer puff sleeves, the deeper v-neck, the shapeless maxi that flowed beautifully as I walked—I just couldn’t love this more.
My hair really can’t stand the southern humidity so I wore a hat almost the entire week. This one is an old favorite and gets me stopped on the street no less than ten times a wear, haha. It really is a good hat! My dress was a tad long so I threw on a pair of baby-heeled sandals from Dolce Vita. These are just the right height, giving you some height without killing your feet.
As for my bag, I actually bought this the same day! It matched perfectly and seemed like one of those staple pieces I’d wear over and over again. Fav outfit of the trip hands down!
dress || heels || purse || hat
photo location ✈ 20 South Battery
Frilly Feels
This was the perfect outfit for dinner and drinks. Charleston is definitely a more conservative city—I’d suggest swapping your black plunging bodysuits for something a little more cheerful and a lot more frilly. Something like this pink Boohoo top is perfect for a Friday night downtown! It was chillier than we expected so I ended up wearing jeans with this.
I cannot recommend these Calvin Klein straight-leg jeans enough they hug the waist beautifully, have minimal distressing, and look good with everything. I’m giving myself a little bit of height with these Marc Fisher platforms and tying the look together with this Lulus purse. I’ve been carrying this nonstop for the last few months—it’s got a little wear and tear to it but it really is the best bag for a night out!
top || jeans || shoes || purse
photo location ✈ Palmer Home
Playing Tourist
A trip to Raimbow Row in a gaudy dress is in fact an absolute non-negotiable every time I visit Charleston. Both of these incredible pink dresses are from Vestique. These both have hugeee skirts that you could effortlessly twirl in for hours on end. And although you may feel a little over the top in a dress this size, I promise you there will be other people in Charleston sporting this exact type of outfit.
This is another dress that runs long—I’m wearing those lace-up Dolce Vita sandals with this. My feet can last hours in these babies truly the perfect option for an afternoon playing tourist.
photo location ✈ Rainbow Row
Feeling Floral
I’ve found some of the cutest dresses at Flying Tomato. They stock tons of my favorite Los Angeles-based wholesalers including the designer of this incredible pink floral maxi dress. This happy piece scored tons of compliments the day I wore it. I am *so sad* that the weather was horrible and I didn’t get a better photo in this because it really did deserve its own moment, lol.
I’m on the shorter side, coming in at just 5’2″ so most maxi dresses run a little long on me. I ended up throwing on a pair of heeled raffia wedges from Dolce Vita. These are actually rather comfy however, they are a little tall for the cobblestones of Charleston—just a heads up! Of course, tying my outfit together with a straw hat. Love this one from Lulus so much.
dress || hat || purse || shoes
photo location ✈ College of Charleston
Green Gingham Girl
The best part of visiting Charleston is getting to break out all of the fun, frilly dresses in my closet. I had been stockpiling quite a few for this trip and had the chance to wear them all which made me one happy lady! This green gingham dress was quite a fan-favorite amongst my Instagram followers.
I love a good maxi dress, especially during those spring months! This one has tiered ruffles throughout giving it that effortless spin that I love so much. Can’t go wrong with puff sleeves either. I kept things casual for our first afternoon of exploring—my Dolce Vita Zina sneakers are always my go-to for a day on my feet. Per usual, I’ve got a purse to match. This little white one is oh so cute although I will admit, incredibly impractical haha.
photo location ✈ Mills House
Evening Blues
Madison Mathews is one of my favorite small businesses. They actually are based out of Charleston and have a storefront on King Street that you must visit while you are in town! I got this dress shipped to me before our trip and was thrilled to wear it for an evening spent eating seafood and sipping on a spritz.
A causal maxi with sandals is so the vibe. Again, another outfit I didn’t get a great photo in but one that I felt so comfortable in. Their stock is very limited so if you see something you like, I suggest acting on it sooner rather than later.
photo location ✈ Horton Hayes Fine Art
Sunday Stroll
Keeping things casual for brunch and a little Sunday shopping. It’s rare I opt for anything other than a dress in this city but when I do, you can catch me in a puff-sleeve top… they just feel so right on me, haha. This adorable gingham one is from Buddy Love. They are an online retailer that has all kinds of cutesy colors and prints; pretty much anything from there would be perfect for a trip to Charleston!
I paired this with my go-to Abercrombie mom shorts. These come in a gazillion colors and are some of the best I own. If you haven’t purchased from here since their rebrand you need to! Keeping things casual with my Zinas. I swear everyone in this city is wearing these sneakers or Golden Gooses.
top || shorts || sneakers || purse
photo location ✈ The Impeccable Pig
Beach Bum Fun
If you know me, you know I’m a beach bum at heart. I could never go to Charleston without packing at least one swimsuit. There are three beaches all within 30 minutes of downtown so surely you’ll find yourself needing one at some point during your stay. This is one of my favorite suits from Cupshe—it’s super supportive with underwire cups and adjustable straps. The bottoms have a high-cut fit that’s super flattering.
I got this adorable trucker hat at one of the surf shops in Folly Beach. Isn’t it cute?! It matched perfectly.
photo location ✈ Folly Beach Access
Coffee Shop Run
We spent an afternoon exploring the quaint town that is Folly Beach. It’s usually flooded with tourists but we caught it on a Sunday afternoon with almost nowhere around. It’s super casual here so just a lightweight linen button-up and a pair of shorts will do. I wore my swimsuit underneath this and a pair of beat-up flip-flops and was just fine. Wish we had longer here!
top || shorts || flip flops || hat
photo location ✈ Center Street Cafe
Travel Day
Even on travel days, you can catch me in a cute fit. We had a three-hour drive from Charleston to Wilmington, North Carolina which is stop #3. Casual dresses like this one from American Eagle are some of my favorite things to wear on a travel day because there’s nothing comfier than no pants, haha.
Give your outfit a little something extra with colorful socks to match and a pair of high-top sneakers. Hiding my dirty third-day hair with a “sunshine all the time” baseball cap!
dress || socks || sneakers || hat
photo location ✈ Best Western Charleston Inn
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As I mentioned, this wasn’t my first time visiting Charleston. Find more outfits here (July ’20), here (August ’21), and here (November ’21).
I hope one day I’m living like a local in Charleston, all dressed up in my $200 dress I found in a cute boutique on King Street the weekend before. Until then, I’ll be living vicariously through these short trips! I hope this post gave you some outfit inspiration for your next trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Bring your best dress and a good hat and I promise you’ll fit right in.
Tune in Wednesday for my full travel guide including hotel details, restaurant recommendations, and my detailed itinerary. Until then… xx
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Related Post: What To Wear In Charleston Fall 2021
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