If you can read this blog post, my guess is that you also know how to tie your shoelaces. It's something you can do without thinking about, right? You just do it. Now, imagine I told you that you had to teach an alien how to tie their shoelaces, step-by-step, over the phone, without any illustrative materials. Not so easy, right? I give this analogy for a reason. Today, I am going to explain how to style an outfit. For me, after all these years, styling a pretty look is something I can do without thinking about it. I just do it, just like you tie your laces. I don't follow any formulas or rules or have some sort of guidebook that was given to me when entered the fashion industry. It's similar to how my mother-in-law, who is of Sicilian descent, makes her amazing marinara sauce. Every time she makes it I ask her to teach me, to which her reply is always the same, "I don't follow a recipe, I just make it."
When I started my style consulting business back in 2002 I had to think about my thought process of how I put looks together. I work with women who struggle with this, who have different brains than me, whose thought processes are totally different than my own and who have hired me because this is something they can't do by themselves. This is why, over the years, I have developed terms like chicken outfits, blackcidents, wishful wardrobing, the color tripleplay, and more. I realized that, unless I slept in every client's closet, and dressed them everyday, I would have to translate what came naturally to me into easy to understand concepts. Thankfully, I am really good with coming up with analogies.
I remember visiting the Rodin museum in Philadelphia many years ago. Staring at the gorgeous sculptures, while I could more than appreciate their magnificence, I just couldn't wrap my brain around how hard they were to create until I tried to mold my own sculpture with a lump of clay that I purchased at the museum's gift shop. What I learned from this was that anything that looks easy rarely is. So if you look at a gorgeous outfit that seems so easy to pull together, yet, when you try to execute it it falls flat, know that styling is not as easy as it looks. Remember, I do this for a living. It's my job. However it's not impossible and it's certainly a lot easier than sculpting something as perfect as The Thinker, especially with a little guidance.
To teach you some of my tricks and tips, below are some styled outfits. As I put them together I paid close attention to my thought process as I chose the pieces for each look. After each outfit you will see my thought process illustrated. My hope is that, through these explanations, you will learn some key steps in styling your own looks. Keep in mind, often a great outfit is created simply by instinct, by adding a little here, pulling back there, testing things out and taking chances...similar to how my mother-in-law probably makes her sauce, however, some tested fundamentals, like those below, should definitely give you place to start.
Easy Ways to Fabulously Style an Outfit
Outfit #1
From there, I backtracked and built the base of the outfit. Finding this teal top from Anthropologie, I knew I was going to go in a casual direction and chose these ivory slim cargos from J. Crew to set the base. The base is the foundation of an outfit and usually in more tailored or structured pieces and they are usually neutral. With a neutral base you are free to add any color as the accent, in this case the teal top. The orange shoes finish the look as the pop color.
Now, I could have just stopped there, but I wanted to push it a bit further. I kept seeing yellow in my mind. I had to test it out. See, even I test things. I knew it was either going to look ridiculous or it was going to really cool. I added this Boden cardigan in mustard because I envisioned it being worn open with the teal top hanging longer. What is also important to point out, if you are going to push the envelope with color, yellow will usually work (another little cheat to add to your notes). After the outfit was brought to this point, looking at the bare neckline, I thought about filling it in with a statement necklace. Any more color additions to this already colorful outfit would be too much, so I kept it simpler with this white and bronze necklace from Stella & Dot that still makes a statement without a lot of color. The last addition, the Tory Burch clutch, was pure luck, really. Seeing this outfit styled with a wristlet, I started looking around for some and stumbled on it. If you're not so lucky to find a clutch that perfectly pulls together all of the colors in the outfit you are building, just know that I would have happily settled on a metallic, or teal clutch instead.
Outfit #2
I could have stopped there, used a pair of navy shoes, a navy bag and simple earrings to make this outfit look complete. However, wanting to take this outfit further, because everyone already knows how to style an outfit this way, I chose to use turquoise blue. Like using teal in the previous outfit, coral is another shade that really works with a variety of colors. I added thse pumps from Diane Von Furstenburg and the earrings from Max & Chloe. Lastly, the trick to styling a great outfit is knowing when you have pushed too far. For example, if I had added a turquoise handbag the outfit would have gone from coordinated to matchy-matchy. Restraint can often be a good thing. So, to this look, I added this navy Michael Kors handbag and gold stacked bracelets from Bauble Bar. If you feel like an outfit has been styled too far, it usually has. Trust your instincts.
Outfit #3
With the scarf, I introduced the red flats from Modcloth and a golden yellow handbag from Macy's. Even if you were to take away the scarf and the bag, the red shoes still work and add that third pop of color to the base and accent. For a finish, I used these cobalt blue earrings from Kendra Scott.
I was super stoked when I came across these navy and white Bermuda shorts from J. Crew because it gave me an opportunity to explain, like I have done many times on this blog, that when you have a neutral and white pattern, like black and white or navy and white, you can treat that piece like a solid neutral. Because of this, I liked illustrating this point using the shorts with the bright purple top and green sandals. With enough color going on with the top, sandals and shorts, I finished the outfit simply, with a navy handbag, a gold Banana Republic bracelet and gold Stella & Dot studs.
Final thoughts on styling an outfit
- The power of 6 I think it is worth pointing out that every outfit above has six pieces in it. It's not something I noticed until I was writing this post. I don't want you to see this as a make-or-break outfit formula, or something you have to follow to the letter, but I do think it is a notable observation.
- Accent and pop should relate to each other What often makes an outfit interesting is when there are three parts to the look, the base, the accent and the pop colors. When trying this strategy out for yourself, always make sure that your accent and pop colors harmonize and work together. Looking for it to be easy? Make your accent or pop colors coral, teal, green or yellow. Rarely will you be limited when using them in an outfit.
- Have one neutral shade in an outfit Again, don't see this as gospel or something you have to do, but having a neutral shade in your outfit is a really easy way to build a look. Neutral shades are black, navy, white, ivory, grey, brown, tan, camel, khaki etc. Once the weather gets warm you may wear more color. If this is the case, you can always add neutrals through your accent and pop pieces, like metallic or neutral colors.
Styling isn't science or math, there is no perfect formula or equation to putting the perfect one together. Instead, see it more like cooking; you add a little flavor until you get the right balance. However, just like cooking, what is crucial in a great outfit is using the right ingredients. With these tips, you should be well on your way to styling an outfit that is a masterpiece.
