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One of my favorite shows on TV is Project Runway. It’s one of those reality TV shows but in this case, they design clothes! I’d have to say that fashion is definitely one of my hobbies, and something that I love to keep track of. In light of that, I decided that I’d pass on some of my ideas on how to be better dressed. This post’s only for women, but I may come out with another guide for men if people want me to. I hope this helps!

1. Trends Smrends.
Ok, so you read the magazines and they tell you what’s in season or out of season. The problem with this is that we don’t always look good in the new trends. So look for colors and textures that enhance your overall look. Don’t buy just because it’s trendy. And as with all trends, they come and go pretty quickly so if you’re trying to go trendy, go for some timeless pieces (refer to step number 3).

2. Invest. Invest!
Sometimes, we tend to buy just because things are on sale. But let’s look at the logic behind this. Buy a nice timeless blazer or a fitted jacket for $100 bucks that will last…say 5 years. That’s $20 bucks a year. Buy a flashy trendy out-in a year jacket for 68 bucks on sale and wear it for two years and buy another one and wear that for two years and if you annualize that, we’re at 170 bucks. So the moral of the story is? You’ll save and look good over time.

3. Buy timeless pieces.
So what is a timeless piece? I consider timeless pieces those that fit correctly. Trends aside, when you buy things that fit, you’ll always look good. Solids and pinstripes also never go out of style. Shirts with mandarin or Nehru collars are also timeless. They always look expensive and refined when paired with the correct lined pant or lined skirt.

4. Colors! More Colors!
I used to wear a lot of black. I guess it was a high school thing. Then I realized that colors can do a lot for us. Colors can make us look younger, older, more fun, more serious, more stylish etc. If you’re pretty uneasy with color, start with darker outerwear and cut the dark colors with some bright ones. Example: wear a black wrap sweater and black pants. Cut the all black outfit with a sharp shiny powder blue shirt and a pair of pointy heals.

5. Dress for the occasion.
Choose colors as appropriate for the event. Black/grays always make you look more professional. Red is a power color. Pinks, lavenders, and powder blues are more feminine. My personal favorite is brown. I think different shades of brown are a universal color that tends to look good on most everyone for any occasion (well unless you’re going to a white party or the like).

6. Fit.
Buy things that fit. We shouldn’t buy the smaller size for our ego sake. Buy the bigger one and go get it tailored. Better to pay a tailor (or ask a relative!) and get a good fit than to buy more shirts that don’t fit. This again, deals with investing in better pieces (step 2). On another note, fit can also help you accentuate different parts of your body and hide flaws (if popularity demands, I will write a post about fit in a future post).

7. Versatility.
When you buy different pieces, buy things that go with pieces that you already have in your closet. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of putting the right things in the right combination for a new look. Case and point, I wore an outfit last week to work that consisted of a shirt that I bought in high school, a skirt that I bought a month ago at a sale and a pair of boots that I bought two years ago. All these different pieces (timeless pieces!!) put together in the right combination meant: wow, where did you get that?