When you find yourself wearing the same types of clothes 24/7 you might get bored of your fashion and end up not bothering with putting an outfit together well or you might just splash all your savings on a bunch of clothes you don’t need/already have, I know I do. Patterns are an easy solution to spicing up your outfit, it’s adding something that can stand out to your usual items. However, they can also be the mater of all failed ootd’s. If you’re wearing a top that had a minimal amount of structure (half black half white) then it’s not too big of a problem, I mean you can’t really go wrong. It starts looking messy when you wear a piece of clothing that has multiple colours and shapes or massively contrasting top and bottoms. My advice is to either stay safe and wear only one patterned item at a time - it can make you look very classy - or match a plain top or bottom half to one colour of the top (khaki shoes and a khaki long sleeved crop top with camo trousers) If you want to go bold, pick the brightest colour in the outfit and maximise the amount of it you wear such as bright orange trousers and a yellow and orange top.
denim
Tricky one denim. When do you wear it ? What do you wear it with ? How comfy is it ? Will it fit properly or leave you wishing you hadn’t eaten those five donuts ? When I choose to add one of the many types of denim to my ootd, I tread carefully. Dark denim jeans I find can be matched to a navy blue sweater or a light coloured (especially pink) top. They pair so well with brown coats and beige timberlands. Light denim jeans work really well with reds and greens. Denim Jackets I would wear with practically anything. If you want to wear denim jeans/shorts to make a co-ord make sure they are super close in tone and colour otherwise it can look slightly weird, leggings and a jumper are always a good idea and look super stylish, a dress can make you look classy as anything and adding a jacket can compliment it well, tracksuits can be worn under just to give a little colour and warmth. They can dress up and down and outfit easily. Denim is super comfy when you find the right fit; I can’t wear any low waist jeans without feeling like I need to suck in my stomach 24/7 and I always check if I need a tall version or petit when looking at my ankles.
Baggy clothes
Matching an outfit with a baggy piece can be kinda tricky. You want to be comfy but don’t want to look like you just rolled out of bed.
My rule is only wear one baggy piece at a time, for example an oversized jumper/dress/top can be paired with leggings or tights if it’s long enough. Baggy bottoms like cargo pants or joggers look fire with a tight strap top. The only time I would double up bagginess is if I had a big gap between top and bottom (crop top). A really cute way to style an oversized item is to scrunch it up and tie a hair band around it, adding dimension to your look.
Knee high boots
Your statement piece to any outfit. They make you look classy af and taller which is great for someone like me who is 5’6.
Knee high boots are the casual and comfy version of high heels. You can’t walk into college in 5” stelletos, but you can wear the boots basically anywhere. In the autumn and winter they should be on your essential list; you can walk for miles and not have your feet screaming at you for warmth or a rest. However, the down side is that they can be quite expensive - most shoes are. The best way to get the cheapest deal is obviously sales (student nights are amazing) discount codes online, student discount cards (most are free) and if you buy in a big order you’re going to get a bigger percentage off each individual item. Finding the right site also helps; you don’t need Gucci on the bottom of the sole if you can get the same look for less than half the price, only your feet are gunna see the label at the end of the day.
layers
We’re English, so we like a good old moan when the weather isn’t suited for the outfit we wanted to wear.
Around November it starts getting fucking freezing, the wind goes through you quicker than a glass of Sunny D. Layers are key. The layers don’t have to be class a and super thick but the more you wear, the more situations you can feel comfortably warm in. Always start with a basic top and leggings or jeans - wear tights underneath if it’s like the arctic that day. Then a jumper and a coat to keep your middle warm, because this is the part of your body that is the most important so needs the energy and warmth. Your ears and neck can give out a lot of heat so scarves are a good idea to put on top to detail along with gloves and if you can pull it off a beanie (these look super cute if they’re all the same colour). If you don’t have warm shoes, double up on socks.
colours
When putting an outfit together you need to think about the basic elements such as the colours you want to use. Two main colours I will always base my outfit off are navy blue and black - personally I never put them together. A motto I stick by is that you can never have enough black. You can wear a whole black set, but any other full coloured outfit would look too much. The amount of pattern and colour you wear can either make or break the outfit, block colours are a definite safety zone. Let’s say you had a statement jumper - white with two red stripes - you can pair this with black jeans and black, red or white shoes. The key is to not overdo it - if the jumper was red with two white stripes you’d be better off wearing white jeans rather than black to lighten the outfit and make the stripes stand out. If a statement piece has multiple colours it’s best to wear one or two colours from this pattern for the rest of the outfit (all blue camo joggers with white shoes and a white top) Overdoing colours can be an issue too; wearing colours that don’t match or too many colours can be an eyesore. Making sure block colours are contrasted is important, i.e not wearing a dull top with dark bottoms. Sometimes even wearing black on black can be annoying if the blacks aren’t the same shade; some leggings have a purple undertone, whilst I know black vans have a green undertone.
Everyone needs to find “their colour”, a colour that matches them and brings features out such as their eyes, teeth, lips, skin, hair. Find it and wear a lot of it. Once you know what you like and you feel great in it, you’ll be able to know your style of fashion well enough to feel fully confident in anything you wear.