I have a confession. I don’t often wear colour, and my reasoning for that is an utmost fear of looking terrible. So I must say if you’re someone who can wear fushia without a second thought, bravo my friend. This is, in it’s entirety, what I wear on an everyday basis. Even to college, which is strange, because everyone shows up in sweats. My mother raised me to believe that there’s no excuse for dressing down unless your house is burning in the middle of the night, and even then, your sleepwear should be feminine. So I’ve discovered a way for myself to always over dress without looking like I have, and that is the art of neutrals. Here are my five simple rules for anyone who wants to look more polished without going into debt:
1. Embrace neutrals- Now believe me when I say that colour isn’t the enemy, and I repeat, I envy those who can pull them off, but this is my gem of advice that I’ve seen proven right time and time again. Neutrals are the easiest way of combining pieces and looking put together. Neutrals are also re-wearable. You may be thinking “Who wants to wear the same thing more than once a week?” French women believe that if an outfit looks great on you, it’s only natural to wear it a few times. Embrace consistency ladies, times are tough for the lot of us.
2. Balance!- This doesn’t often work for everyone, so bear with me. This has been a tried and true equation in my textbook dressing. To cut to the chase, balance your pieces. What I mean by this is, when wearing a loose top, try to counter it with a fitted pant, and vice versa. It works for ladies with curvier body types, unless you’re the curvy brave girl that goes with fitted always, and if so, more power to ya!
p.s. I just thought of this, go above and beyond in knowing your exact sizes. If you’re a 6, do not try to fit into a 2, no matter how flowy or form fitting a piece is. Women tend to think that the tighter the pant, the slimmer the leg, and there is nothing more discouraging than a stranger telling you your seams are splitting. -___-
3. Protect ya neck- Alright, disregarding that Wu-Tang reference, you should also protect your eyes. I live in the sunniest place in the nation, and you would assume people here wear sunglasses habitually, but often times, walking around campus, wearing sunglasses gets you weird glances. To be frank, they can stare all they want, because I don’t have to squint to see where I’m going, and also, I won’t be getting those pesky lines around my eyes. Along side being helpful, sunglasses also look so polished and classic, a Wayfarer for the cool girl, a Cat Eye for the sassy lady, and full on circles if you’re feeling brave.
4. Get good shoes- I wasn’t the girl to wear heels in high school because on top of walking ten flights of stairs, it looked stupid. To the girls who wore them religiously, may your feet never fall apart. I’m not opposed to a good heel, in fact, I’m an advocate for semi heels, preferably thick, and most importantly, made out of a durable material. Nothing is worse than fake leather, or pleather (plastic leather). It makes your feet smell, which is always uncool, and it’s not durable whatsoever. Patent leather is my savior, any leather really. Pricey as they may be, a good pair of shoes made out of a good material is priceless.
5. Upkeep often- The most important, most key fact in looking polished is to treat your clothing with kindness. Follow all washing instructions. If a blazer requires dry-cleaning, don’t put it in your washer. If a pant becomes discoloured, get some fabric dye and make a day of darkening your blacks. Wash jeans inside out, hang dry fragile fabrics, etc. The better you treat your clothing, the longer it will last, and longevity is important in this economy.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo
PRETTY NEUTRAL 