10 Style Secrets to Look Put Together
1. Find your colors
While you can always wear whatever colors you want, learning which colors best flatter your unique skin tone and hair color can go a long way in making you look confident, radiant, and in charge. Also, learning which colors flatter you most can free you to simplify your wardrobe and build a killer collection that is easier to maintain and fun to wear. Not sure how to find your colors? Start here.
2. Invest in quality over quantity
While it's always fun to find a good deal when hunting for new clothes, it's important to remember that quality matters more than quantity. Instead of building a huge collection of cheap neutral shirts, for example, why not invest in one or two pieces that are made of the best materials and quality workmanship? Not only do higher-quality fabrics last longer (resulting in less shopping and more saving!), but they look better and feel better on the body. One great piece of advice: "Investing in a handful of quality pieces, like blazers, shoes, and sweaters, can help you look put together every day with little effort."
3. Keep it simple
Simple silhouettes are stunning. By focusing on a carefully curated collection of well-made, well-designed clothes—as opposed to buying anything and everything on sale—it is actually easier to look put together. If you want to simplify your collection, start by weeding out what doesn't fit well, what doesn't look good, and what you don't love. You might be surprised how many pieces you're able to donate or give away based on these criteria alone. If you don't love it and it doesn't make you look or feel great, why keep it? Need some extra motivation? —After purging your closet, give your extra clothes to a women's shelter or non-profit such as Dress for Success where your items will be deeply appreciated and put to great use.
4. Focus on fit
Flattering fits are—hands down—one of the best ways to look put together. Nothing else about your outfit matters if it doesn't fit. And keep in mind, just because it buttons, zips, or ties doesn't mean it actually fits. Watch for the telltale signs of improper fit. Does it hang right? Does it hit right? Do you find yourself constantly tugging or adjusting the way you sit? One quick piece of advice—When you're shopping, ignore the size on the tag. While this may feel counterintuitive, we all know size varies from brand to brand and store to store. So, focusing on fit requires us to look at each piece individually. Model and fashion designer Candice Huffine offers some good advice— "Some people have tag phobia: They don't want to buy a bigger size because of the number on the label. If you care about that, cut the tags out when you get home!" If you love a piece that doesn't quite fit right, go the extra mile and get it tailored. The right fit is everything.
5. Choose comfort
Sometimes we make the mistake of assuming that "looking put together" is the same as wearing clothes that are stiff or uncomfortable. But nothing could be further from the truth. Not only will the right clothes make you look great; they'll make you feel great. Also, if the clothes that look the best are the ones that also feel the best, we'll naturally gravitate to them instead of shoving them to the back of the closet in lieu of the "comfy sweater." Important to note comfortable is not the same as sloppy. (Hello, cashmere!) There are tons of beautiful, stylish options out there that are 100% comfortable without being the slightest bit sloppy. Make it your personal mission to find and own them.
6. Pay attention to details
Clothes that are in good condition (i.e., no holes or missing buttons), are ironed, and are free of pet hair and lint are the holy grail of looking put together. When scrolling a style blog or flipping the pages of a magazine, notice how often the devil is in the details of your favorite outfit. Whether it's a slight half-tuck of a simple white button-down shirt, or you notice the simple roll of a sleeve, these tiny extra details can make a huge impact on the overall outfit.
7. Prioritize nail and skin care
Clean, healthy skin and nails are the best accessory to a well-edited outfit. Your makeup and skincare routine don't need to be complicated—they just need to be considered. At the very least, skin and nails shouldn't distract. As one digital lifestyle brand put it, "Trimmed nails and soft cuticles give the illusion that everything else you're wearing is expensive and important."
8. Accessorize carefully
The good news about accessories is they can make a simple outfit look luxe. The bad news about accessories is they can make a luxe outfit look cheap. Popular American fashion designer Michael Kors says, "Accessories are the exclamation mark of a man or woman's outfit." Not sure where to start? Invest in a few iconic, stylish necklaces or earring sets that are versatile.
9. Remember: Shoes matter
Shoes are easy to overlook when planning an outfit, but shoes have the incredible power to pull an entire outfit together. Cute wedges vs. cheap flipflops change the entire look of an outfit. Try this little experiment: over the next week, any time you notice someone who looks really put together, pay attention to what shoes they are wearing. You might be surprised how often the outfit you love is actually the result of the right shoes.
