HOW TO PUT OUTFITS TOGETHER

Getting outfits together can be such a hassle, especially in the morning when you're getting ready to go to school or to work. Not to worry, once you get the hang of it, you'll be putting lots of fun, amazing outfits together in no time


 CHOOSING YOUR CLOTHING

1. Organize your closet. A lot of times when we don't know what to wear or how to put together an outfit it means that it is time to organize our closet. Organizing means it will be easier to locate the clothes you want for the outfits you'll be putting together and it will remind you what you own in way of clothing.

• Get rid of anything you almost never wear. There is no point in keeping around something you wear only once or twice. Make space for the items you will wear. Make a rule for yourself: every 6 months clean out your wardrobe. The stuff you just cant throw away, put in storage and if in other 6 months you haven't looked for it, it has to go, charity or friends but it has to go.
• When you're organizing you want to make sure that you will have easy access to your clothes. An easy way of organizing them is by item, so all the t-shirts together, all the sweaters together, all the dresses together, and so on. It makes it easier to find them when you know where the items of clothing will be. And if you organise them by colour its a win-win situation for you. 

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ESSENTIAL WARDROBE TOPS

You'll need a few basic tops that are the foundation of your wardrobe. These tops should be versatile and trend-proof. It's best for your basic wardrobe components to be in neutral colors like black, navy blue, white, and ivory so that you can mix and match them easily. Best of all is to stick to more classical designs then to follow every season trend. Get a scarf or some jewellery that would represent the season. Accessories can be easy and cheap way to make same outfit look different every day of the week. ^[1]

• Casual tops: these are tops like short and long sleeve t-shirts, camisoles and tank tops (which are particularly good for under sweaters). Invest in good quality and simple colors.
• A few dressy blouses. Blouses can be worn under blazers, button-down cardigans. They can give a little bit of class to an outfit. Wear them with jeans, with a skirt and boots, with jewelry.
• You'll want to add some sweaters, button-down cardigans, pullovers in neutral colors to wear with your casual tops and blouses. They are really good for layering purposes, especially if you live in a climate that runs warm and cold on the same day. Simply dress up as an "onion", in layers: t-shirt, blouse, light cardigan, scarf, jacket, etc.
• Good basic jackets to have are a plain black leather jacket, a neutral peacoat, a lightweight neutral trench coat, and a blazer. Blazers especially can be worn on their own in a mild, spring-type weather or they can be worn with something like a peacoat.

 MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ESSENTIAL WARDROBE BOTTOMS

These are the jeans and trousers and skirts that make up the basis of what you'll wear with the tops. Again, you'll want to go for neutral colors and styles that won't change with every fashion.

• Trousers: you'll want a couple pairs of jeans (a basic pair that you can dress up or down, and a casual pair that's for down house projects and lounging around), some neutral dressier trousers. For colder areas, a thick tweed is a good fabric for dressier trousers. It's best to choose straight or boot-cut jeans in dark blue, works perfect with pumps or heels when you need a casual outfit. Every wardrobe must have black tailored trousers. You will wear them more then you think.
• Skirts: having a tailored skirt and a casual skirt is good for your wardrobe. There are nice pencil skirts or more fitted skirts which are nice tailored skirts and the more floaty, knee-length spring skirts are good for your more casual needs. If you have a pear shaped figure, invest in A line, tailored skirt; it will compliment your figure and will work with nearly every sweater, blouse or jacket. It will look good with pumps or boots too.
• Dresses: having some basic, neutral dresses can be a good basis for any outfit. The reason the little black dress is such a closet staple is because it is so versatile. You can dress it up or down and black, of course, goes with everything. If you're not into black, find a simple dress in navy, white, or ivory. Black dresses comes in so many different styles and shapes that once you find the right one it will become your second skin. Even for summer dresses you can stick with same style dress just in more brighter colours. It's handy to find a good tailor to make needed alterations and you have the most perfect dresses.

GATHER ACCESSORIES

Accessories especially can add an individual element to your wardrobe without overwhelming you. Belts, jewelry, handbags, scarves and hosiery are great in neutral colors as well as funkier, brighter styles. A bright scarf with a black t-shirt and fitted jeans can be a fun, easy outfit. You don't have to invest a lot but still look great and stylish.

• Handbags: if you have a specific color palate, (like you tend to wear greens and blues and greys) grab a handbag in a complimentary color (like a mustard yellow, or gold), to add a little spice to your ensemble. Make sure that your handbag is functional too. A good idea is to have one main bag that you use everyday (one in neutral colors so that it goes with your different outfits) and a range of bags that you use for more specific occasions, like going to a concert, or going out to a fancy restaurant.
• Jewelry: jewelry is very much according to individual preference. You'll need to figure out what you like and work with that. Maybe you prefer chunkier, geometric jewelry, or pearls. Jewelry can be used as a highlight to your outfit, or can be the highlight of your outfit depending on what your specific style.
• Belts: the best basic kinds of belts are wide and skinny belts. If you get them in neutral or complimentary to your wardrobe colors they can make a great addition. Wide belts, especially look good on just about everyone as long as you find the right size. If your outfit is looking a little boring slip on a skinny belt to add a little fun.
• Scarves: these are both functional (they can be warm and cozy) and great fashion statements. Getting a few neutral scarves is a great idea, but you can also mix it up with patterns you like and bright colors.
• Hosiery: these include tights, leggings, and socks. Get some sheer black or nude tights to wear with skirts and dresses. Get leggings in neutral colors and get socks that go with your shoes (wearing white socks with black flats, for instance, can look a little weird). You can also get some more fun hosiery like sparkly silver tights, or galaxy leggings. You could wear them with your little black dress, a nice cardigan and some exciting earrings.

GET VERSATILE SHOES

Shoes are really important to make a fun and comfortable outfit. You'll need a few different styles of basic footwear in your closet to draw from when creating outfits. Different shoes go better with different items of clothing. Something to remember, light colored shoes (especially white ones) can get dirty really fast, so make sure you consider that when picking your shoe color! You should have a pair of classic high heels ( black for winter, fall time and beige for summer, some basic pumps and boots).

• Flats are great with jeans, with skirts, and dresses. They can be dressy or not depending on the occasions. It's good to have at least one neutral pair (again; neutral colors are good!) and a few that are more exciting, like patent red leather, or shiny silver.
• Boots, especially in colder places, are very important. You can get some casual black or grey boots, or some fancy heeled ones that you can couple with jeans or a dress. Ankle boots are really good with skinny jeans and with skirts.
• Casual sneakers for those casual jeans that you have. You can wear these out and about with skirts or use them when you go on a really nice long walk. They're comfortable and you can do housework or yard work in them (you don't want to get your nice things dirty).