Today we are starting a new series, “Fashion 101,” where we will be going over the basics in Fashion that everyone should know. Especially, if you’re looking to become more knowledgeable about fashion and styling. Or if you just want to start dressing as if you read Vogue!
Therefore, if you’re wanting to level up your outfits, or want the ability to style yourself or your friends, we’re going over the basics today. We’ll be discussing balancing out an outfit, how to style clothes, and color combinations that will never fail.
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Balancing An Outfit
(I’m warning you now, prepare for several Clueless gifs.) First, let’s discuss what “balancing an outfit” means. Balancing an outfit means creating a balance between your clothes on your body. Meaning, if you wear a baggier pant, then we need balance out the outfit by pairing the pant with a fitted top. Of course, there are exceptions to that balancing formula. If you keep up with fashion trends, you’ll know how popular baggy tops and bottoms are in streetwear. However, this formula is the foundation of an outfit, not for following trends.
Balancing out an outfit not only makes you look more put together but also balances out the silhouette of your body, flattering the shape of your body. This not only goes for the physical pieces of clothing but for colors as well. Therefore, if you’re wearing a dark top, then pair it with a lighter pant. You’ll notice in the photos below that the clothes are not only balanced, but the colors are too.
Fitted Top + Oversized Bottom
- fitted bodysuit + trousers
- form-fitting crop top + baggy jeans
- tank top + skater skirt
Baggy Top + Fitted Pant
- t-shirt + leggings/yoga pants
- sweater + skinny jeans
- cardigan + mini skirt
Here are some examples of balanced outfits:
Styling
Next up, styling! If you’re not positive on what styling actually is, by definition, it is “the way in which something is [designed, made, or arranged in accord with the prevailing mode.]” Meaning, that you are responsible for taking something (in this case, an outfit) and arranging and designing pieces (accessories) in regards to current fashion. The purpose of styling is to create a brand and showcase who you are. Chic clothing can make you fashionable, but styling will show your personality and create an everlasting impression on those who meet you. Styling is very subjective, therefore the easy part of styling, is that there’s no correct or one way to style.
Styling revolves around how you arrange and pair clothing together, along with accessories like jewelry and purses. As I said previously, styling is very subjective because fashion is a subjective art, overall. Therefore, we’ll be going over the basics of styling an outfit.
Jewelry
Adding jewelry is an easy way to style any outfit because it will become a habit to add it to every outfit. Every woman should have at least one go-to necklace and pair of earrings that match. I lean towards a small, gold choker, and tiny hoops. You can never go wrong with simple jewelry. However, if you want to layer necklaces and wear statement pieces, balancing is still important. If you’re going to wear larger earrings, opt for a simple necklace, and vice versa. I recommend only wearing statement pieces and layering necklaces when your outfit is simple and lacks patterns. Therefore, a black dress, or t-shirt and jeans, or monochrome sweats look are all simple enough looks that would be complemented by bolder jewelry.
Coats and Jackets
Cropped puffer jackets, long coats, and blazers are easy ways to add Miranda Priestly-professionalism to your outfits. They’re not only practical but the perfect opportunity to layer. You want your jacket/coat to match either your top or your bottom, or act as a complementary color. For example, if you’re wearing black jeans and a white sweater, opt for a patterned coat that has either black and/or white in it. If you decide to wear blue jeans and a grey top, you could pick a jacket in a color that compliments denim or grey, like a tan trenchcoat. We’ll get to popular colors in a fashion that compliment each other! The easiest way of all is to wear a fully monochrome look.
Purses
If you know me, then you know my obsession with purses. Example one, here. Pretty much every one of my Instagram pictures includes a purse. Therefore, I’m completely serious when I say this, it does not matter what your outfit looks like, a purse will always look good with it. Matching a purse to your outfit is the same as matching a coat to your outfit. It should match or complement one of the pieces of clothing you’re wearing. If you’re looking to purchase a purse that will look good with any outfit, every woman should own a black shoulder bag.
Shoes
Shoes are an extremely easy way to style any outfit. The simple rule I live by when pairing shoes with an outfit, is matching your shoes to your top (or your jacket/coat).
Color Matching
Trying to put together an outfit relies on how you balance pieces of clothing, style them, and how (or if) the colors and/or patterns match. Making sure the pieces match is by far the most important part because it can determine if your outfit is ‘to-die-for’ worthy, or a hot mess. Therefore, I’m going to teach you what you should know.
Colors that will match anything and everything:
Neutrals like brown, cream, white, black, or grey match everything. They complement one another, as well as any color you can think of. From hot pink to matcha green. Neutrals are personally my go-to because they are extremely easy to match, and never go out of style
I found this amazing color guide on Pinterest on how to decide what colors complement the main piece of your outfit.
Playing with color combos is an amazing way to bring your outfit from just an outfit to a look. Using color is a creative way to create and develop your brand as well because different colors have different meanings.
I hope you found this post helpful! This post has been a work in progress because I wanted to get into the details of the basics of putting an outfit together. Let me know below what you want to see next in the Fashion 101 series, and if you’re interested in seeing a post on making an outfit more stylish!
Living life, and writing about it as I go.
This was incredible! Thank you so much for sharing your tips!
Thank you so much!