Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Style
Are your clothes making you feel blah? Do you have a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear? Do you feel as if your personal style could use some improvement? Here are some simple tips for improving your style.
Closet full of clothes and nothing to wear…
1. Try on clothes before you buy them. While shopping online is fun and easy, the reality is that many of us end up keeping and wearing clothes that don’t fit or don’t flatter us because we don’t want the hassle of returning those items. I always encourage women to shop in person as much as possible and try on clothes before buying them.
2. Get your clothes tailored. The reality for many of us is that clothes won’t fit perfectly off the rack. Most clothing in stores is cut for rectangularly shaped women and if you have curves shopping can be a nightmare. One way to resolve this is to buy clothes that fit the largest part of your body and get them tailored. For example, getting a skirt that fits your hips and having a tailor take in the waist. Same thing with tops if you have a large chest – you can get your blouses taken in at the waist.
3. Only buy things you LOVE. If you feel iffy about a garment, don’t buy it! Leave it in the store! Oftentimes when shopping we may find ourselves settling for something that isn’t what we really wanted and then we end up not wearing it – or worse yet, we end up wearing it and not feeling good about it.
4. Avoid the sales and clearance racks. I love a good sale as much as anyone else. But what happens often when we’re bargain hunting is that we end up buying less than desirable garments just because it’s on sale. “It’s 75% off…I must have it!” Before buying an item that’s on sale or on clearance, ask yourself: if this item was not on sale, would you buy it? If not, leave it on the rack.
5. Clean out your closet regularly. In a recent post I talked out closet cleanses. It’s a good idea to go through your closet regularly and get rid of items that don’t fit or flatter, are out of style, or you just don’t wear anymore. Take inventory of what you already have and make a list of things you may need to complete your wardrobe. Take this list with you next time you go shopping. It may be a good idea to do a closet cleanse at least twice a year. I do closet cleanses quarterly.
6. Stick to the classics. Trends come and go, but the classics are here forever. While there’s nothing wrong with purchasing and wearing trendy pieces, do so sparingly. Trends come and go so quickly these days and you don’t want to end up with a closet full of out of style clothing. Classic pieces, such as the little black dress, white dress shirt, basic cardigan, simple black pumps, pencil skirt, and black blazer are versatile, can be worn over and over again, and never look outdated.
I am a pear.
7. Dress for your body type and body proportions. Women come in all different shapes: pears, inverted triangles, apples, etc. While all body types are beautiful, the reality is that some clothing cuts are more flattering on certain body types than others. For example, inverted triangle-shaped ladies will look great in full pleated skirts, while pears should stay away from this style of skirt entirely because pleats will make their already large bottoms look even larger. Learn what your body type and proportions are and wear clothes that flatter your shape.
These are just a few suggestions for improving your style. In future blog posts I’ll go into more detail on each of these and provide more handy tips. Stay tuned!