Style

How To: Create the Perfect Outfit

October 23, 2013

When it comes to creating a great outfit, there’s more than meets the eye. Maybe I’ve watched too many episodes of What Not to Wear, but I’ve learned that to create a truly amazing and visually interesting outfit, you need to incorporate these four elements:

Color: Brick red, baby pink, cobalt blue, and mustard yellow are all examples of colors. Navy, camel, black, gray, white, brown, and tan are all examples of neutrals. In order to create an interesting outfit, you must wear a color (if not more than one!) and balance out the rest of your look with neutrals. 

Pattern: Stripes, polka dots, and floral are all examples of patterns. There’s no hard and fast rule to mixing patterns except to avoid stripes with stripes, floral with floral, etc. Geometric patterns look great paired with floral patterns.

Texture: By wearing a variety of textures, your outfit will have more dimension. Wear a silk top with a wool skirt or a velvet blazer with a Ponté knit top. Avoid wearing all one fabric (cotton jersey, specifically).

Shine: Complete your outfit with patent leather shoes, sparkly jewelry, or a satiny scarf. This is the final step in creating a perfectly put-together look!

Here are two examples of how to execute the perfect outfit!

Outfit #1

 

Outfit #2

What’s your secret for looking put-together?

XO, J