'Outfits'

[RoyalWelsh]

I am never sure of how to put an 'outfit' together. My general day to day 'uniform' is invariably leggings and a dress. I never look on trend and I don't necessarily want to look like something out of a magazine, but I would like to look like I had a clue!

I think I would like to look...polished. Please help :) any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Try things out the night before in front of a full length mirror...that helps me

Do you have a selectionof clothes that you know 'go' though? For instance, if on the rare occasion I feel like clothes shopping, I look for dresses. Should I be going about it a different way?

I like the idea of trying things out in front of a mirror the night before. I think I might try and put together a wardrobe of things that I know work well together. I have been losing weight recently and would like to wear jeans etc which I wasn't confident doing previously.

Everyone once in a while i try different outfits in front of a full length mirror and mess about with shoes , scarves and jewelery .Dont know if anyone else does this

Why not take some inspiration from magazine fashion spreads, I dont mean Vogue etc I mean a down to earth magazine you like the style of (this could be Grazia or Woman & Home depending on your age/style, doesnt matter) I find this really helps with outfit ideas both when Im in the mood to buy new stuff or sometimes it just makes me think to put things I already have together in a different way. SHopping wise, I try and buy "outfits" rather than single items I then have to try and match with other stuff.

Get reading some magazines you like and make a "wish list", even if it takes you a while to buy everything on it , it will help you stay focused

HTH

Yeah I think I might do that. I've noticed websites do things like that as well, and I've started asking my friend where she buys her clothes. Hopefully not in an irritating way! It seems so easy when I look at her: nice jeans, simple top, some sort of jacket, accessories. But then I try and... Well. Meh.

Hmmmm, are you buying the right colours? Have a read at this if you can figure out which "season" you are you can stick to colours that really suit you and believe me it bloody works wonders!. Even if you just buy scarves or tops in those colours it makes a world of difference. Removes the "meh" factor.

And yes, often websites do offer "outfit ideas" I like Boden and Mint Velvet for this very thing

Thanks Gilly, I can almost definitely say I'm not - I very much have fallen in to a rut colour wise. I think nearly everything I own is dull. Black, grey, beige...

Yup. Grey hoodie, blue jeans. Fab!

I think wearing all black and grey is fine if you play with textures/patterns etc. Eg Today I wore grey skinny jeans, grey t-shirt, grey knitted waistcoat, grey scarf but the scarf was leopard print, the waistcoat thing was a silk mix that is almost sheer etc.

If you can treat yourself to a couple of nice pairs of shoes/boots, a nice coat and a few scarves, that can make whatever is underneath look a bit more 'polished' and put together.

Agree that Mint Velvet currently have some nice outfit ideas.

Apologies for severe over-use of the word 'nice' in that post. I have paid a fine to the adjective-police and will try not to do it again.

Remus, I too love grey and if your complexion can carry it off it looks ver chic. Loads of people do look infinitely better with colour near their face though, agree with your suggestion of "nice" coat,shoes and bag/scarf. I always think these are the things people notice about you. But think OP should consider what colours suit her best and buy a few pieces accordingly, I feel its made a massive difference to me

I did recently invest in a very nice bag that may have cost teach as much as what I told DP and people have commented many times on it.

I used to wear lots of colour and liked it. Red and purple were my favourites, and greens. Then I put on weight so I think I have been trying to hide a bit IYSWIM?

I think what I will do is invest in a pair of black jeans and some nice blue ones. Then go through my wardrobe and chuck out things that I know are frumpy and unflattering. And go from there!

Do debenhams do 'colours?' as in sorting mine out?

Not that I know of, think House of Colour is your best bet if you fancy getting it done properly. I'm going at end of September to get mine done, costs about £100 but I think it will be well worth in the long run, I have spent a fortune (and I mean a fortune) on clothes that just dont do anything for me and Im convinced its the colours that are draining me

In the meantime , try on all your tops and figure out which ones flatter your skintone, I dont think its rocket science, you could probably make an educated guess at what suits you best and buy a few smarter things, jacket,scarf etc in those colours