Isn't this something a little different? Truth be told, this is yet another one of the blog post ideas that have lurked around in my drafts folder for longer than I'd perhaps like to admit; quite frankly, I just never felt as if it was my place to be giving this sort of advice and, in more ways than one, it still doesn't - I'm far from being any sort of fashion guru, after all. That being said, in my personal journey moving away from a trend based wardrobe to something a little more elegant and personal to me, I have picked up a few tips that I thought may be of use. This is not intended to be a rule book of sorts and the following tips are, of course, based on nothing but my own personal opinion - though that's exactly what fashion is all about, so let's not take life too seriously and dive straight into this post!
G x
G x
What I quickly found when initially revamping my look in favour of something a little more sophisticated, is that I did not have a cohesive colour palette in my wardrobe. In turn, this meant that my wardrobe was not versatile and I had many pieces which, as nice as they have been individually, could not help but look mismatched when paired with other garments. Nowadays, I prefer to keep things simple: I have my go-to monochrome colour palette, a soft pastel colour palette and a pop of colour, with some red statement pieces. This means that my style is cohesive and allows me to put together a plethora of looks with only a few items - not only making it seem as if I have my life together, but also creating more sustainable purchasing habits. Generally, monochromatic, soft colours are a lot easier to style and tend to look more expensive than crazy neon shades. Importantly, not all shades of a particular colour may suit you due to the variance in undertone: find what works for you, preferably at a reduced price so you do not waste your money!
The key to looking elegant on a budget is to shop less but shop smart - and that in itself has a plethora of connotations.
Above all, know what is worth investing in and what isn't. Speaking from a purely personal perspective, I believe the following items to show their worth and be worth spending a little more on: shoes, handbags, outerwear, belts, suits. That isn't to say that you ought to put away every penny you earn to buying high-end designer items, because that simply isn't accessible for the average Sally like me! What I mean is that it is better to buy a £60 pair of loafers from Office that look as if they are more sturdy, rather than a £20 pair of loafers from New Look. Even then, you can find some brilliant quality bargains in the high-street: be sure to pay attention to things such as stitching, hardware, buttons and the fabric that a garment is made from. By way of example, I was searching for a bouclé skirt a few months ago but only seemed to find those with cheap, plain-gold buttons on SheIn; until, that is, Topshop came out with this skirt which had beautiful pearl and diamante detailing which I felt made it look a lot more high-end:
Above all, know what is worth investing in and what isn't. Speaking from a purely personal perspective, I believe the following items to show their worth and be worth spending a little more on: shoes, handbags, outerwear, belts, suits. That isn't to say that you ought to put away every penny you earn to buying high-end designer items, because that simply isn't accessible for the average Sally like me! What I mean is that it is better to buy a £60 pair of loafers from Office that look as if they are more sturdy, rather than a £20 pair of loafers from New Look. Even then, you can find some brilliant quality bargains in the high-street: be sure to pay attention to things such as stitching, hardware, buttons and the fabric that a garment is made from. By way of example, I was searching for a bouclé skirt a few months ago but only seemed to find those with cheap, plain-gold buttons on SheIn; until, that is, Topshop came out with this skirt which had beautiful pearl and diamante detailing which I felt made it look a lot more high-end:
If you're a little better with craft than I am, you can even go as far as to replace plain, cheap buttons with those that look a little more expensive. Moreover, there are plenty of amazing pieces to be found on second-hand websites such as Depop; funnily enough, that's where I get the majority of my clothing from nowadays as it's a lot more sustainable and a hell of a lot cheaper!
Similarly, you should invest a little more into good-quality underwear and shapewear; think of your body as a work of art, having well-fitting lingerie serving as a flat canvas is a hell of a lot easier to paint over smoothly than any lumps and bumps presented by poor-quality pieces. The same can be said for finding clothes that flatter your figure and do not go against it, as well as getting clothes tailored if they need it. Whilst we are on the topic, you will also look a lot more sophisticated if you can ensure that no bra straps or underwear lines can be seen through your clothing. Likewise, it may be worth thinking about balance when it comes to how much you skin you show; personally, I do not have much in the way of cleavage so like to place the emphasis on my legs and balance things out at the top - say, for example, by wearing a long-sleeved turtleneck with a mini-skirt.
In addition to buying fewer yet better-quality pieces, I would highly recommend buying clothes which are in themselves both timeless and versatile. Such examples include cigarette trousers, a white shirt, a leather jacket and a leather skirt. These are clothing items which, what with their endless styling possibilities, you are not going to tire of!
Similarly, you should invest a little more into good-quality underwear and shapewear; think of your body as a work of art, having well-fitting lingerie serving as a flat canvas is a hell of a lot easier to paint over smoothly than any lumps and bumps presented by poor-quality pieces. The same can be said for finding clothes that flatter your figure and do not go against it, as well as getting clothes tailored if they need it. Whilst we are on the topic, you will also look a lot more sophisticated if you can ensure that no bra straps or underwear lines can be seen through your clothing. Likewise, it may be worth thinking about balance when it comes to how much you skin you show; personally, I do not have much in the way of cleavage so like to place the emphasis on my legs and balance things out at the top - say, for example, by wearing a long-sleeved turtleneck with a mini-skirt.
In addition to buying fewer yet better-quality pieces, I would highly recommend buying clothes which are in themselves both timeless and versatile. Such examples include cigarette trousers, a white shirt, a leather jacket and a leather skirt. These are clothing items which, what with their endless styling possibilities, you are not going to tire of!
Having briefly touched on the matter of hardware above, I think it is important to quickly delve a little deeper into the matter here now. A brilliant tip that I have recently picked up from somebody was to make sure that the colour and hardware on the following three items matches at all costs: your belt, your shoes and your handbag. At the end of the day, if you have a pair of black loafers with gold hardware and then proceed to wear a black handbag with silver hardware, your entire look will be thrown off by the lack of cohesion. That being said, I believe that mixing hardware on smaller items of jewellery such as earrings and bracelets can provide for an interesting, modern take on accessorizing as we know it. For me, the way that I do this is via my Nomination bracelet, where I have a silver bracelet but proceed to add the charms with a silver base and gold figure.
As unfortunate as it may be, what is clear is that an outfit can be ruined instantly by a shortfall in the personal care department - be it chipped nail varnish or a messy hairstyle. At the end of the day, one's overall elegance emanates from within and having a top-notch personal care routine will not only show others that you take great care and pride of yourself, but it will also make you feel a lot more confident and allow said elegance to shine through.
Need I really say more? Granted, ironing is certainly not the most exuberant activity known to mankind but it is one which is essential when it comes to looking chic, on a budget or not, as it makes your look a lot more tidy and upkept. Don't forget to also use a lint roller if needed and keep an constant eye on your clothes to spot any rips or tears that shouldn't be there! Similarly, try not to wash your clothes too often so that the fabric wears out quicker than it should; instead, aim to spot clean garments wherever possible.
It's no coincidence that a common saying goes "beauty lies in simplicity": a key mistake we all seem to be culprits of, in a society that values quantity, is simply going overboard - be it over-accessorizing, wearing every colour under the rainbow or whatnot else. At the end of the day, you do not need to wear a statement pair of earrings, a statement necklace, a bracelet and about five rings; that makes it seem as if you're trying to show off every piece of jewellery you have and ends up looking gaudy, more than anything! Nowadays, I like to go by the idea of having one statement piece in my outfit and keep the rest more subdued. This doesn't necessarily have to be an item of clothing either; there's nothing more attractive than a monochrome outfit with a bright red lip to add a pop of colour!
As tempting as it may be to keep up with the latest trends that we see on Instagram, what we have to keep in mind is that these trends are simply a passing fashion - in other words, something that will be popular for a split second before going out of style once again. Having placed my entire identity in studying and thereby losing my sense of self, I was quite the culprit of the above in Year 11 and what was I left with? A pair of cargo trousers that I definitely paid too much money for, a clear bum-bag which got a maximum of five uses and a pink tartan skirt that didn't go with anything in my wardrobe! Neither of the above, in my opinion, helped me to build a classic and timeless wardrobe. That being said, I wouldn't take this tip too literally and avoid every Zara store as if it were the plague (well, in ordinary circumstances anyway - for we are in a global pandemic!); it is fun to bring in a trend item or two every now and then to spice up what one may otherwise call a boring wardrobe! Take the Topshop bouclé skirt as an example; I won't sit here and pretend that it's an item I wanted or was even truly aware of prior to it coming into fashion, but it's an item that I absolutely adore and think makes a great difference to my wardrobe. As always, though, make sure the item fits into your agenda and that you're not just buying it for the sake of buying it.
Save the most controversial until last, am I right? Don't get me wrong, I'm not blind to the fact that your average person cannot afford a £2000 Chanel handbag and I certainly see the appeal in getting a bag from DHGate - or whatever it is that people are using nowadays - that looks eerily similar. That being said, I really do not believe that designer clothing, counterfeit or not, inherently gives you a good taste in fashion and you will a lot more classy with a dupe than with a visible fake. Furthermore, if you are interested in shopping a little more ethically, the counterfeit market notoriously helps to fund criminal gang activity and is not even somewhat regulated - and if you don't believe me, you can watch this video here.
When all is said and done, though, the great thing about fashion is that you can tailor it entirely to you and your tastes. This is by no means a post which claims that not doing any of the above automatically makes you inelegant, but rather a few tips which have helped me in my ongoing transition from a cluttered, trend-based wardrobe to something a little more sophisticated to better match my tastes now! Let me know your thoughts in the comments, as per usual. In the meantime, how about checking out some of my other blog posts here?