How to Be More Fashionable
Do you feel like you’re in a fashion rut? Does it seem like everyone is fashionable except you? Are you wondering where to start?
In this article, you’ll learn how to be more fashionable and stylish every day. Even if you are on a low budget, you can be fashionable with the clothes you have.
I could tell you that to be more fashionable you need to add a hat, sunglasses, wear Chanel, or do a half-tuck on your shirt.
But…I’m not going to do that.
I’m going to give you tips to have a wardrobe that’s stylish, fashionable, and filled with clothes you love to wear.
Since the rise of fast fashion, we feel like we need to be wearing a new outfit every day. The trends seem to change overnight making it hard to keep up!
Let’s step off the fast fashion treadmill and dress simple but stylish.
Rather than opening your closet and feeling like you have nothing to wear, how would you like having hundreds of options?
You’ll be able to look effortlessly chic and stylish every day.
TRY A CAPSULE WARDROBE
WHAT IS A CAPSULE WARDROBE?
A capsule wardrobe consists of core pieces, between 12-50 pieces. The clothes are simple yet stylish and most importantly, garments that look good on you and you love to wear.
BENEFITS OF A CAPSULE WARDROBE
Imagine having hundreds of options to wear every day - all of which look good on you? That is the key to a capsule wardrobe!
You’ll have garments that mix and match with each other allowing you to create hundreds of looks.
No longer will you have “outfits” that can only be worn one way. That gets boring fast.
This method of dressing not only allows you to have more options, it will also allow you to be more fashionable on a low budget.
Your style will look effortless and people will start to wonder how you do it!
Now let’s get started on building your capsule wardrobe!
HOW TO BUILD A CAPSULE WARDROBE
STEP 1. LOOK AT YOUR CURRENT WARDROBE
You can be more stylish with the clothes you have! Start by going through your wardrobe and actually getting rid of some clothes.
Go through your closet and get rid of any clothes you haven’t worn in the past year.
Remove all clothes that are ripped, stained, or in need of repair.
Get rid of any clothes that don’t fit you today.
Keep only items that can be worn with at least 3 other items in your closet.
This step seems very counter-productive! You’re probably thinking, “hey, I need more clothes to look more fashionable and you want me to get rid of the clothes I have?” Trust me.
By weeding out clothes that don’t fit, are worn out, and you just don’t wear…you’ll actually be left with a closet full of clothes you love!
STEP 2. CONSIDER YOUR LIFESTYLE
There’s no reason to have a closet full of clothes for a life you USED to have.
Perhaps you were a student and now are a career woman. Or maybe, your company made changes and you no longer have to go into an office - you can work from home. What if you had a long career and now are retired.
There are so many lifestyle changes we go through in our lives, make sure your wardrobe aligns with your current lifestyle.
For example, I meet a lot of stay-at-home moms who plan on re-entering the work force when their children are older.
So, they have a closet packed with work clothes. That’s not very helpful when they are playing on the floor, running errands, changing diapers, and going on playdates.
Those clothes take up the majority of the closet and they hate to part with them because they invested so much money in that wardrobe. But…how is a closet of clothes you don’t wear helping? It’s not.
And if you decide to re-enter the workforce, do you think you’re going to want to wear the same clothes you wore 4-10 years ago? (Hint…you won’t)
Pack up those “non-current” lifestyle clothes and put them in storage or get rid of them.
In fact, you can take them to a thrift store and donate them or make some money from them! Places like Crossroads Trading will actually pay you for your old clothes. If there’s not a Crossroads near you, look for a local consignment shop.
Most important - don’t let those old lifestyle clothes take up the valuable space in your closet where your current lifestyle clothes need to be!
Step 3. Build Your Capsule Wardrobe
Since I’m not sure what stage of life you are in, I’ve put together a BASIC capsule wardrobe. You can adjust it to be more: career, work-at-home, stay-at-home mom, college student, retired person oriented.
A capsule wardrobe doesn’t mean you’ll have to wear the same thing every day like Matilda Kahl, rather you’ll be creating a functional wardrobe that works for your daily life.
By showing you this basic wardrobe, you’ll understand that you are using key pieces that coordinate and mix and max with each other. That is the whole key to a capsule wardrobe no matter your lifestyle.
Tank tops (white, black, gray)
T-shirts (white, black, gray)
Button-down shirts (white, black, and your favorite color)
How many of these items do you already own? Make a shopping list of the items you don’t have so you can add them. Just by adding these key pieces, you’ll end up with a versatile and stylish wardrobe you can wear for years to come.
Step 4. Accessorize
Believe it or not, accessories really set the tone for your wardrobe. By adding a scarf or changing your shoes, you can change the entire look of your outfit.
Spend money on the best quality accessories you can afford rather. Choose timeless pieces that work with your entire capsule wardrobe.
Let’s say, for example you decide to put on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt today. You’re a stay-at-home mom that also has a part-time work-from-home job. Your plans for the day are take the kids out for a morning errands, work lunch with clients, and meeting “the girls” out for dinner tonight.
Here’s how to change up your wardrobe throughout the day using capsule wardrobe pieces and carefully curated accessories.
This is a sample day. You’ll start with items from your capsule wardrobe and add accessories to completely change the look depending on where you’re going or what you’re doing.
I have added photos so you can see how the outfit changes based on activities. You’ll notice, even though the outfits are based on a simple t-shirt and jeans, you’re effortlessly creating fashionable outfits that fit your lifestyle.
Morning Errands Outfit
Business Lunch Outfit
Girls’ Night Out Outfit
Morning Errands Outfit
The capsule items chosen is a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Since comfort is important, we’ll add the following accessories:
Herschel Diaper Bag
Business Lunch Outfit
For a working lunch I have added a blazer to the t-shirt and jeans. All three pieces are from the capsule wardrobe. Then you’ll layer on a few accessories:
Navy Floral Scarf
Chestnut Brown Leather Laptop Bag
Suede Leather Ballet Flats
Girls’ Night Out
You’ve had a busy day. Time to unwind and hang out with friends. We’re still wearing the t-shirt and jeans but now we’ll add a cardigan from the capsule wardrobe. For evening wear add:
Tory Burch Gold Hoop Earrings
Tory Burch Crossbody Bag
Sam Edelman Halston Leopard Pumps
Recommended Reading
I hope you’ll give the capsule wardrobe a try! Let me know if you are planning on adopting it into your life. I’d love to hear how it’s working for you in the comments below.
