One of the first things people notice about another person is their outfit, and the clothes you wear can speak volumes about you as a person and inform many people’s image of you. Not only that, but clothing has the power to drastically affect your mood for the day. As you walk through a college campus, it’s easy to feel intimidated by how well other people can dress, and attempting to put together an outfit that makes you look and feel good can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to start. However, finding clothes you love and styling them well doesn’t have to be so hard! If you want to look and feel more put together, these are the tips and tricks that I personally use when buying and styling clothes to walk out the door feeling beautiful and confident every day.
The Three-Color Rule
To keep it simple, each outfit should have three colors. While you will inevitably be wearing more than three individual articles of clothing at a time, keeping the number of colors to only three helps your outfit look exciting while remaining cohesive. Use your base pieces to introduce colors and bring in accessories that match. For example, a top with three colors should be styled with bottoms that match one color and shoes and accessories that match another. An exception to this rule is monochromatic looks, which look great if all of your pieces are the same shade!
The Sandwich Rule
When pairing pieces with one another for an outfit, never put two pieces of the same color next to each other. You wouldn’t put slices of bread right next to each other on a sandwich! For example, your shoes can match your top, belt, or bag but shouldn’t match your bottoms, and your bottoms can match your hat or headband but not your top. An exception to this rule is outfits with layers, as first-layer tops can match your bottoms if you wear an outer layer of a different color. Because of this rule, your shoe choice can make or break the outfit. Choosing shoes that match a color that appears in the top half of your outfit makes the whole thing look intentional and cohesive.
The Statement Piece Rule
In any given outfit, you should have only one statement piece with the rest of the outfit supporting that piece. A statement piece is something interesting that catches someone’s eye first; it can be an eye-catching color, an interesting pattern, or a unique texture. In the context of the Three-Color Rule, if one of your pieces is a bright color, the rest of your outfit should consist of two neutral colors to balance it out, and if one of your pieces has a pattern with multiple colors, the rest of your outfit should be solid colors that match the pattern. Think of the statement piece as the main character with the rest of the outfit filling the role of supporting cast: the main character shines the most when they are alone in the spotlight yet surrounded by their supporters.
Invest in Quality Basics
Before you get too excited looking for unique statement pieces, you need to find your basics. Basics are the building blocks of an outfit; they can be styled in infinite ways to support your statement piece. These are the pieces in your closet that will be worn the most, so it’s ok for these to be more of an investment to keep up with the demanding use. It’s also important for these pieces to be flattering on your body type so you always know you will feel good wearing them. Having a closet fully stocked on basics allows you the freedom to buy fun and exciting pieces as you find them because you avoid the problem of having to pass up on something you love just because you can’t style it. You can also throw together an outfit of just basics that are guaranteed to look good together if you are in a rush!
Here are the most important basics to have in your closet:
- Tops – plain tank tops, short sleeves, and long sleeves in black, gray, white, and neutral
- Bottoms – thick denim jeans and shorts in light, medium, and dark wash, black and neutral pants, and black and neutral shorts
- Shoes – white sneakers, comfortable heels in black and neutral, sandals in black and neutral, and black boots
- Outerwear – denim jacket, leather jacket, and white or cream cardigan
It’s All in the Details
The thing that makes an outfit the most interesting are strong details. There should be parts of your outfit that can only be noticed upon closer inspection because this adds an element of surprise and causes people to look twice. My top favorite ways to introduce details to outfits are accessories and unique shapes/textures. Accessories like bags, belts, socks, jewelry, and headwear/hairstyles have the potential to make a boring outfit look amazing! If your outfit is feeling bland or like it’s missing something, add one or two accessories to immediately elevate it. Unique shapes and textures also add more interest to the outfit because they can instantly make you look like you tried a little extra hard with almost no actual effort. Examples of this would include ribbed material, thick woven fabrics (rather than stretchy knits), cutouts, ties, uniquely placed seams, subtle designs on basic pieces, and mixing textures (like pairing denim with leather). When your basics have something unique that makes them shine in their own way without distracting from the statement piece, you instantly look like you spent hours choosing the perfect outfit even if you only threw it on five minutes before walking out the door.
Wear What You Love
Clothing is a form of art and self-expression and is meant to help you show the world who you are in a tangible way. While these tips are helpful as a starting point to help you begin your journey of finding your personal style, they are not hard and fast rules that have to be followed to create a good outfit. The most important part of creating an outfit is to make sure it’s something that you feel most like yourself in! Everyone is different, which means everyone should have a different style to reflect that. Use these tips as a guide, but don’t be afraid to break them in the name of self-expression.