5 Ways to Elevate Your Style
As a former stylist and current fashion lover, I love a good no-fuss outfit that still feels elevated and more interesting. This can be a hard balance to strike but with the right pieces in your wardrobe you’ll be able to make any outfit feel elevated. Yes, that includes your favorite jeans and a simple white t-shirt.
Today, I’m sharing 5 ways to elevate your style. Depending on what I have going on in the day, I’ll incorporate as few as one or two of these tips into my outfit, and other times all of them. This allows me to create outfits that not only look elevated but make me feel good.
5 Ways to Elevate Your Style
Add a Third Piece
The third piece rule is a simple rule that instantly elevates an outfit. The rule is that every great outfit needs three key elements: your top, your bottom, and a third piece to finish off the look. A third piece can be a sweater, blazer, belt, scarf, or even a piece of statement jewelry. It adds a little something to the outfit, but ties it all together.
Two of my personal favorite third pieces are a belt and a sweater over the shoulders. Both pull my outfit together while giving it a fun visual element. Plus, these are two items you most likely already have in your closet!
This belt from Madewell has been my latest obsession. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I haven’t stopped talking about it. It looks designer and the price is so good!
When opting for a sweater as my third piece, I’ll simply put a sweater like this one (runs TTS!) over my shoulders. It’s an easy way to transform a simple outfit and gives you an added layer of warmth, especially on a cool summer night. If you want to tie your sweater, this video tutorial makes it easy!
Add Layers
When you think about or see stylish woman, it’s likely that their outfits have multiple elements and layers to them. This helps create visual interest and allows the pieces to be styled, not just worn.
It could be a shirt layered under a vest or peaking out from a sweater, socks showing beneath jeans with a pair of sneakers, or even something as simple as wearing an oversized shirt unbuttoned over a simple cotton tank.
During the cooler months, you can add additional layers to outfits with the use of outerwear and blazers.
And don’t be afraid to mike colors and textures! Layering adds more dimension and visual interest to an outfit and by playing around with the materials you’re incorporating into your outfit will make it that much more appealing to the eye.
Swap Your Jeans for Trousers
Swapping out your more casual clothing pieces for ones that are a little more elevated is going to instantly transform an outfit. I am such a a denim gal but by swapping out your jeans for a pair of trousers instantly makes an outfit look and feel a little more sophisticated. Trousers are also a closet must-have for the fall!
Trousers are also one of my favorite pieces of clothing because not only are they incredibly chic and can be styled so many different ways, they’re also comfortable!
A few of my favorite ways to style trousers:
- With a cotton t-shirt and sneakers
- With a slouchy sweater and ballet flats
- With a tweed jacket and sneakers
- With a sweater vest and kitten heel pumps
When putting together an outfit with trousers, Pinterest always has so much inspiration!
Repeating Elements
Whether it’s a color, pattern, or material, repeating an element in your outfit multiple times will create a look that’s cohesive and chic. This is also a fun way to incorporate your personality into your outfits.
This time of year, plaids and the color red are two really great elements to repeat in an outfit. They’re fun, they’re seasonal, and they’re both timeless.
Accessorize
While you can technically consider accessories a third piece, they deserve their own section. Accessorizing an outfit can enhance the entire look, even if it’s as simple as a t-shirt and jeans.
When incorporating accessories into your wardrobe, consider the clothing pieces you wear most often. A simple bracelet or watch can create a tailored look. When wearing necklaces, you want to make sure they’re the correct length for your tops neckline.
When it comes to accessorizing, you don’t need to go overboard! Sometimes keeping your accessories simple is more than enough.