What do we mean by wearing clothes?
This isn’t a trick question; we all understand the act of wearing clothes. In the fashion sense though, imagine you’ve walked into a store, taken an outfit off the rack and dressed yourself in the clothes exactly how you bought them. You’d be wearing an outfit, but you wouldn’t have styled an outfit. So what do we mean by styling?
What do we mean by styling clothes?
Styling is what separates a good look from a great look. Think of it as putting the finishing touches on an outfit. Consider the example we just gave above, and now imagine you are wearing the exact same clothes. Only this time, you’ve tucked the tee into the trousers, cuffed the bottom of the trousers and rolled the sleeves on the jacket before adding a watch. This would be an example of styling an outfit. The clothes don’t change, but the look does.
Examples of styling
Accessories
Adding an accessory to an outfit may only be a small touch, but it can make a huge difference, which explains styling in a nutshell. Adding accessories is a great way to shift the focal point of an outfit. For instance, if your outfit includes an expensive piece of fine jewellery like a floating diamond necklace, adding this to a stripped-back, minimalist outfit can accentuate the elegance of the necklace.
Layering
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” — a saying that can be applied perfectly to fashion. While individual garments offer some value, it’s how they are put together that determines the success of an outfit. Layering plays an important role in this.
Layering is the art of combining items and building on top of the next. For example, a plain tee could form the base of an outfit, but you can then add a second layer with a cardigan and a final layer with a coat.
Consider how the different colours and textures work with each other. Remember, not every layer can be the focal point. Sometimes the objective of an item may be to draw attention to the centrepiece of an outfit.
Touching up
Styling an outfit can lie in the smallest of details. It might be cuffing trousers, rolling up sleeves or tucking a shirt. All of which sound like very small actions, but can drastically alter the overall look of an outfit.
When adding the finishing touches to fit, don’t just play around for the sake of it. Try to make small changes that make a big difference. For example, if you’ve accessorised your outfit with an expensive watch, rolling up your sleeves would draw attention to this.
