Beauty 101: Fashion and Accessories + How To Build A Solid Wardrobe

Hey again everyone.

A final follow-up to my Beauty 101 series...

Beauty 101: Tips and Tricks for Skincare and Makeup

Beauty 101: The Basics of Hair and Nail Care

We've gone over skin, makeup, hair, and nails so far. You know what ties all those things together though? Your outfit and accessories. Depending on the daily occasion, you'll likely have to switch up your outfit often, so let's talk about how to build a wardrobe for any occasion and the dos of fashion.

(Note: This is personal opinion. If you're bored with your wardrobe, maybe this will be of help. But by all means, wear whatever you like/what you're comfortable in.)

Let's talk fashion now.

Style - a distinctive manner of expression

The first step to creating a wardrobe is determining what kind of image you want to project. Do you want to appear comfortable and casual? Dressy/classy? Bold and trendy? A bit of everything? Fashion can be a great source of self-expression. Whichever it is, depending on what you wear, it can project so many different images.

Now, you don't need a thousand different pieces of clothing to have a nice wardrobe. The idea of building a wardrobe like this is so each piece of clothing you do have has a function and has something it pairs well with.

How many times have you stood in front of your dresser having no idea what to wear? I'm very guilty of this. Having a functional wardrobe and pieces you know work well to fall back on saves you from this.

When was the last time you went through your closet? If it's been a while, I'd urge you to go through it before purchasing any new pieces. You might find some hidden gems in there already. However, you also might find a lot of clothes you don't wear. Maybe it doesn't fit, or it's unflattering or just not you anymore. Take a day off to go through everything and make an 'unwanted' pile that you can donate/sell later. Make note of what you have and divide them into piles (i.e skirt pile, blouse pile, dress pile, t-shirt pile, jean pile, etc) and once everything is divided, sort through said piles and throw the pieces you don't like/want into the 'unwanted' pile.

Tip: If you haven't worn something in 6 months +, or never at all, but you like it... I'd get rid of it, chances are it'll continue sitting in your closet. Unless it's something like a jacket that you only can wear during winter or something.

Building Your Wardrobe Up

So you went through your closet, got rid of some stuff, and now have a mental note of what you have. Start piecing together outfits now, see what you have that goes together and how many outfits you can make. Full outfits here, accessories, bags, shoes, everything. Make it into an entire look. Maybe you have too many bold pieces and not enough basics to pair them with, or vice versa. Or you have plenty of basic pieces and bold pieces yet not enough shoes or accessories to pair with them.

Tip: You don't have to buy 7 pairs of shoes, all the basics, and a bunch of accessories at once. You can add pieces as you find them/can afford them.

The Basics

These are what I consider to be the basics. They are neutral items that you can build looks with. Now, if you're like 13, you might not need a blazer and pencil skirt and whatnot yet, but if you're a bit older, these pieces are good to have even if you don't work in a professional office environment. They're here for job interviews, meetings, school/college presentations/events, maybe for jury duty. It's good to have them when you need to look put together.

So, the basics: A black blazer, black leggings, non-ripped blue jeans, black pencil skirt (or dress pants if you don't like skirts), tights, a black bag, a black t-shirt (I'd also get one in white and grey) heels or flats, depending on which you prefer, and a black button down (I'd also get one in white.) For men, I'd recommend the same things minus the handbag, skirt, tights, and shoe options. Instead, get black dress pants/slacks and black dress shoes/loafers.

Spending a bit more money on certain pieces is okay too. I'm not saying spend $1000 dollars on a handbag, but if you work in an office and wear a blazer a lot, it's okay to spend a bit more on a quality piece that'll hold up better than something cheap from Target that'll wear down from excessive wear.

Statement Pieces

Once you get the basics, you can get your statement pieces that stand out against them. Statement pieces are what catch people's eye and make them take a second glance. They might be designer, or they might just have a bold pattern that you don't see every day. Maybe you won't wear these pieces every day (or hey, maybe you will.), but even if you don't, it's fun to wear a pop of color every now and again.

Beauty 101: Fashion and Accessories + How To Build A Solid Wardrobe

The Classics

These have been in style for a while. Trench coats, leather jackets, cardigans, and a little black dress are timeless pieces, and for a good reason. They have a function for many situations. Pair the leather jacket with the LBD (little black dress), with the heels/flats from earlier and you're ready for the party scene. Pair the same dress with a blazer, tights, and heels/flats and you're ready for the professional world.

They don't have to be in black either. The cardigan and trench coat look nice in other shades like khaki, grey, navy, etc.

Clothing For Your Body-Type

Just like with hairstyles and eyebrow shapes, certain body types are flattered by certain cuts/styles. By all means, dress in what you like as I said before, but also keep this in mind if you have trouble finding things that you think are flattering.

Knowing your body shape is so important. It'll become so much easier to shop for pieces once you know it.

Look in the mirror and try to determine your body shape. Then look up styles for that body shape or look at celebrities for some inspiration.

Being a petite pear shape with long legs and a shorter torso, I definitely made some fashion 'don'ts' over the years. Like mini-skirts, for example. These do not flatter my wider hips and long legs at all, they look pretty awkward on me, actually. I find body-con dresses also don't suit me, they hug every curve and show off how much wider my bottom half is than my top half. A flowy-dress with an empire waist is my go-to.

So with that in mind, let's determine your body shape. Take a measuring tape and measure your bust, waist, and hips.

Rectangle

If they're all around the same measurements, maybe within a couple of inches of each other, you're likely a rectangle. You don't have a defined waist and your body is pretty straight. I've heard this being called the supermodel body before, but I'm not sure if that's a common term or not for rectangle.