To ask you what the unwritten style rules are?

[uglylikethis]

I am, largely, a very unstylish person. I pick comfort over everything.

I would love to look a little more put together and fashionable day to day. What are the unwritten style rules i’m missing out on?

Immaculate hygiene is the first rule of being stylish. Everything else is secondary.

Big logos and obviously designer clothes are gauche. Quiet luxury screams class.

Clean well styled hair, short nails, and well kept skin.

Everything else is detail.

It depends on what type of style you want OP. There are many ways to be stylish. The key is to find something that suits you. That could be anything from very classic style to something a bit more distinctive. Focus on working out who you think dresses well and take it from there.

I think just quietly stylish

Dress for the body you have, not the body you want.

I think my body shape is best described as rotund. Which makes it harder to look put together I think

See I don't think it does as long as you wear clothes that fit well.

Most well fitting clothes make people look stylish.

I have a few rules I have chosen to adopt for me and stick to. Not suggesting you pick the same rules but this system works for me. My rules are:

No black leather. So shoes, boots, belts and handbags often brown or tan. Occasionally navy or green.
No black, grey or red clothes ever. Basic/ neutrals are navy, denim, shades of browns/ camel and leopard prints. For brights I add pinks and oranges. Pretty much everything goes with everything.
Any metal is in the gold spectrum. No silver. Everything goes with everything.
No high heels. Smart, spotlessly clean trainers are ok for work and smart events.
If it needs a strapless bra, don’t bother with it.
Cashmere is worth investing.

Choose a colour palate....I mainly wear black, dark green, khaki, cream and gold accessories and hardware...wear plain things. No lairy patterns and random bits of applique or words/logos on things.

The body is the outfit.

My three golden rules would be

1. natural fibres always - no polyester - I’d rather a cotton shirt from Next or Gap than a designer one with synthetic fibres.
2. avoid prints/patterns, especially large prints and animal prints. Of course they can be stylish but a print is more likely to look cheap than something plain,
3. Neutral colours rather than bright/primary/purple yellow etc.

Most people if they do nothing else will look 100% objectively more stylish if they stick to those principles. Of course it depends what you want and some people would find this all really boring and prefer to rock leopard polyester and that's great for them. I’d also say you should be comfortable - that also looks more stylish to me, eg soft leather trainers or flats as opposed to plastic high heels. So you can still be comfortable OP! It might just be a question of upgrading your usual favourites.

I think “stylish” often looks boring and baggy eg Victoria beckham in the last five years. She looks great, but I think grey/white/black gets a bit boring. I wear brighter colours because they bring me joy, and as a rotund person, I think dresses and skirts work better than trousers.

i think hygiene is most important, then clothing quality over look eg if wearing leggings, wear ones that aren’t slightly see through from washing, if wearing linen then iron it and buy stuff that’s fully lined.

This works when you’re thin with big boobs. I am fat, there’s no way around it.

One look I really like on one of my colleagues is colourful trousers with a matching graphic tee - for example she has some lovely sage green checked trousers and a fun matching tee, I like that style!

I looooove loud trousers! Especially with a plain top.

I wish I had a picture of her outfits!

neither item is overly loud, but together they make a good outfit!

One example would be say this t-shirt with some blue and white checked trousers. Maybe it’s just cos she’s taller and more toned than I am, but it looks really effective

I’m always dressed comfortably but I struggle to think of anything that’s actually uncomfortable - clothes are soft and if they’re in the right size they don’t dig in or cut you off.
Why don’t you try on some bright trousers if you fancy giving it a go?

Everyone has different rules that depend on their tastes, their lifestyle and their shape and colouring. I think getting ideas from other people whose style you admire is a great start.
For example a lot of people will recommend dressing in neutral colours to be stylish, but I would find that drab and boring and love finding a jumper, say, on Vinted that’s just the right shape and my favourite shade of green, or teal, or rusty orange.

Very interested by this great response, I do not profess to be fashionable at all and I agree about block greys/black/reds, but one thing I can’t get my head around is leopard print - in my experience animal prints are the tackiest of them all, and never look good. The only people I’ve known wear leopard/zebra/giraffe print clothing have not held it well. What am I missing??

The problem is that the people telling you how to be stylish on here might look like bag ladies in real life!
I am not particularly stylish so am no expert but would suggest the most attractive thing is confidence. No-one looks stylish when they are on edge and uncomfortable so being relaxed and comfortable is probably key to looking good

I think that unless you are rich and can afford expensive prints, it's better to go for block colours - cheaper prints rarely match the pattern at the seams (a personal bugbear of mine).

I also think that an outfit is less stylish if it's loud all over. So if you have statement trousers/skirt, the top should be simple and vice versa.

Don't wear worn down heels - get shoes repaired.
Actually, get anything repaired or ditch it if it starts to fray or look shabby.

Don't have chipped nail varnish - no polish is much better than chipped.

Be clean and iron what needs ironing.

A decent haircut and eyebrow shape can do a lot.

I would find out what colours suit you, which will depend on eye and hair colour and skin tone and go from there.

I think it’s all just personal style and as much about personality and how you carry yourself tbh. I’ve heard all the “rules” around colours, but I have a glorious fitted, flowing red maxi dress and I rock up to Board meetings looking like Mary Queen of Scots approaching the executioner’s block, and I’m not shelving that look. I have similar dresses in all kinds of colours and prints, and they can be easily overdone if my jacket and shoes are also flamboyant, but keep those relatively low key and I’m Turning A Look. I think it helps not to wear too much of anything in one go: if you’re wearing a bold print, tone down your jewellery; if you’re wearing beige or grey, you can accessorise it up.

People who are genuinely stylish (not just aping 'quiet luxury') rarely need rules, style should be intuitive and idiosyncratic.

Some people think of leopard print as a neutral. I tend to use it in accessories only. I’ve currently got my eye on a leopard print belt to wear with jeans and a plain white shirt.