If I want to become more fashionable how do I start?

[crochetmonkey74]

So I always look nice , but inspired by a fabulously fashionable woman I've just seen I really want to look more current.
If you have done this, how do you do it? Do you purchase by season so you have the most current shapes etc? Or do you have a basic wardrobe of all time classics and just add current accessories ? What are the main things ? I'm thinking maybe coats, bags and shoes? If you've done it, or are a fashion follower how do you do it?

Thanks misery
Yeah, I do have some nice clothes that look nice on me. I really suit a shirt dress with a large flat statement necklace under the collar for example. So with the right coat, bag and footwear I guess they could look more on trend . It's just sometimes I see someone who has just really nailed a bang on trend outfit and I know I have never done that, or known how to do it . I guess it just requires a bit more internet research, a bit more shopping when we can go out and about again and some trial and error

Ok so great - that account tags all her clothes so just start looking up some of those and see what you like.

I would ditch M&S and Next for your staples and go more Cos (posh H&M), Zara, maybe Uniqlo. John Lewis is a broad range. I'd go for the more Kin end. Staples with the right cut and colour makes a big difference. All white T-shirts are not created equal!

Do you have any independent shops near you that maybe do some of the hard work for you? Or a personal shopping trip to a Harvey Nichols or Selfridges? You need to just try things out.

Thank you grief
Good tips about the shops change. I think I sometimes get stuck in a rut of falling back on stuff I know I've had before/is comfortable/is basic so thats a really good tip. I've noticed she tags Arket a fair bit as well . I hadn't thought about an independent boutique actually, will investigate.

Go to a cafe somewhere where young people have money, sit in the window, watch them walk past, take mental notes. In London, the King’s Road, Westbourne Grove and Hoxton Square are especially good for this (or were, before Covid).

Look at the recurring terms used to describe items of clothing or footwear in online listings. They’ll incorporate terms designed to respond to search engines.

Look at Zara windows even if you don’t shop there, and pay attention to where the hemlines, trouser hems and sleeve hems hit on the mannequin.

Plan all your outfits from the shoes upwards. So if you buy some ankle boots, this will impact on the hemline or width of your trousers, which in turn will dictate the proportions of your top half.

Make sure your hair, glasses and sunglasses are as current as your clothes.

I forgot the most important bit of advice! Following fashion is a hobby, so you have to dedicate time and headspace to it. Don’t just pull out items in your wardrobe five minutes before you leave the house - dedicate a whole Saturday afternoon to trying on all your dresses and pairing them with all your jackets, shoes etc.

You are welcome. Have fun with it! That's the main thing. It's a way to express creativity, mood, portray an image etc rather than being a slave to it. Good luck!

Great advice about people watching and also the hemlines etc. Also hadn't thought about building from shoes up , great tip. Will definitely do the big try on as well. I probably have several things that only need a tweak or a restyled with another wardrobe item to look more current. Thank you, have got lots to think about there and potentially some nice new purchases to make

I'd suggest getting an on-trend coat and shoes/boots, and you'll find they instantly make you look more fashionable. At the moment that would be a pair of chunky soled lace up boots to calf height, and a Teddy midi coat, in my opinion. You don't need to spend much at all on on-trend items; Primark, New Look, Topshop etc are all great places to look.

I usually use either my Mulberry Bayswater or Gucci crossbody bag, but I also buy cheap trendy bags from Primark which also adds a more current look to an outfit.

A lot of the things that are 'fashionable' at the moment are things that first started to be seen last year or even the year before, depending on seasonality.

Who What Wear (which is a good site to look at for fashion trends) were giving advice on where to find chunky chelsea boots in autumn 2019. They identified the teddy bear coat trend in autumn 2018 and by autumn / winter 2019 it was seen on all fashion influencers before becoming popular with everyday fashionable people late last year and now re-emerging for autumn / winter 2020.

So you can look out for emerging trends this year to be ready for next year. If you look at what has moved from a catwalk trend to an influencer/ Instagram trend, you can see things like midi and longer knitted bodycon-but-not-too-bodycon dresses and statement collars emerging along with paperbag trousers and skinny-belted blazers appearing again and leather coats cut in traditional non-leather coat styles rather than motor jacket style. These appear in fashion shops this autumn / winter but will probably last through next autumn / winter too (although it is much more difficult to predict this year for obvious reasons).

If you pick carefully, you can achieve a certain amount of longevity from your fashion items as they move through the fashion cycle. If you had picked up on the teddy bear coat trend in 2018 your coat could have been reasonably fashionable for at least three winters. The chunky chelsea boot trend was around in 2019 and looks set to continue to be a reasonably fashionable choice for at least another year.

100% go and look at Trinny’s Closet Confessions & Style vids (youtube, insta and a whole searchable section of the Trinny London website).

She’s very clear and sensible (and far less judgy-pants than the old TV shows). She’ll save you a lot of money (with bits that don’t suit you) and cost you a lot too- but with styles that do suit.

The lady you said you admired, OP, sounds like Trinny’s personal style to a T. And she’s 50-something too.

I love clothes. The main thing is to have fun. I look at Pinterest, read the mags ( although Magazines not so much now)
For me

• wear something unexpected - so leather biker jacket with a feminine dress, unexpected colours so a red coat with orange shoes
• have fun and a sense playfulness
• natural fabrics, buy less and better
• red lipstick is always a good idea.

The main thing is to have fun.
That's just what I was about to say. Let's not fall into the trap of overthinking this and turning what is essentially a bit of fun into a hard slog.

If you strip it down, it's basically a case of:

Looking for ideas: Real life, magasines, Instagram etc, TV / films. I prefer watching people for real as they're not not photoshopped and they (probably) haven't been paid to wear it.
Looking round high street shops like H&M, Zara. Pretty much anything you see there is going to be current.
Buying things you like. I honestly wouldn't spend too much time worrying about whether or not they suit you. This will be seen as heresy by some but I think it can suck all the joy out of it if you're not careful. It's not a science and anyway it sounds like you already have good taste so trust your instincts.

Above all, don't be afraid to make mistakes. That woman you saw almost certainly has days when she looks a mess. It's how you learn.

The trouble with following fashion is that It goes out of date pretty quickly. You wear ‘fashionable’ items, before you know it you just look out of date, so it can be as well to avoid that trap unless you’ve got a lot of money to spend.

Do you want to look ‘current’ in an edgy way, or fashionable as in slavishly wearing the latest clothes? For the latter, you pretty much just need to buy items you like from suitably fashionable shops. If you want to look more individual I’d recommend researching key seasonal looks/trends online (Net a Porter can be a good start) and find some more interesting pieces that create that look, or a nod to it. For example vintage pieces e.g. 70s, 80s. Personally I’m not really into following influencers, as from what I’ve seen many of them look pretty ordinary. The best way forward, I think, is to find your own style, what makes you feel good - and comfortable - and tweak it each season with a couple of on trend items so you look up to date.

Sorry, that’s probably rubbish advice, just voicing my thoughts on the subject...😊

Such great advice here , I have looked at the websites you mentioned PPs and ordered a midi jumper dress to try, and some belts to belt a vintage jacket I already have but never really knew what to do with. Also ordered a nice 2 part crossbody bag . Looked for boots but havent seen any I like, although I have a hiking style pair already which I'll buy red laces for (have been thinking about this anyway) I also have a classic pair of black Chelsea boots that I love that may also work with dress and jacket combo. Now that I have started thinking about belting/tucking /layering I have started to think about other wardrobe items that could work , got an oversized denim shirt and high waisted trousers which I never thought about putting together before for example. Feel invigorated so thank you all for such lovely advice

girlz I'm enjoying Trinny's videos. Thanks for the heads up.

Just wanted to second the advice about changing shops.

A blue jumper from a fashionable label like Zadig & Voltaire might look very similar to one from Next but on they will look very different. It’s the tiny tweaks and attitude.

Also accessories are everything. So belts and earrings and chunky boots.

I guess this describes me , I just seem to 'know ' what is on trend and how to dress myself . I'm not sure it's something that you can teach . Do you know your own shape and style etc as you still need to know what suits you and not just wear everything 'on trend ' .

Fashionable or looking good?

I think you do both, keep an eye on trends but chose styles, shape the suit you & fit your lifestyle.

Off topic but I miss magazines. Fashion imo is quite homogenised now & I'm not a huge fan of influencers so sometimes lack inspiration.

@baller20 magazines still exist? I get Grazia and Red on subscription and enjoy looking at ridiculously expensive stuff!

And another thing: you can’t know what is fashionable - you have to research it. That is, people watch, read magazines, google street style and read blogs. The best kind of research.

Fashion is an actual hobby. It’s pretty expensive and, ironically, pretty unfashionable right now for a lack of sustainability. It doesn’t matter how much fashionistas kid themselves, updating one’s wardrobe every season is definitely not very green...

(Doesn’t stop me tho but I do feel a bit guilty. At least I am not kidding myself that I am ‘buying less buying better’ - which is the mantra of the moment. Sooo transparent: keep buying!)

@Snog

The obvious way to look up to date and fashionable is to buy things this season and not wear much from previous seasons.

I think personal style is a lot more interesting than following fashion though.

This

The op has said several times that she already has a personal style. What I think she is asking for is some advice on how to inject a bit more fashion into it.

As regards what's likely to have longevity, the standard advice is that silhouettes and shapes stay in fashion for much longer than seasonal trends. So for example, the peplum and the cold shoulder top came and went in the blink of an eye, whereas the skinny jeans / body con silhouette was fashionable for well over a decade. But we've now moved towards something more relaxed and, although these are unpredictable times, you'd normally expect that shape to stay current for a while.

@PersonaNonGarter any blogs you recommend? I used to work in buying so we worked quite ahead. I find the cycle has slowed down though, maybe it's age or the shops have run out of options! I remember increasing our trainer buys 7 years ago because trainers were coming back.

@Sooverthemill I've never liked Grazia fashion & think Red is a bit old for me (mid 30s). I also haven't liked Vogue for years.

I like the changing shops idea , I think that will help as if you need a jumper or pair of trousers, the right choice of shop will have the newest silhouette. I do know what suits me, I have nice clothes and I do have a personal style . But I want a style change, into keeping up with fashion , which has been a long term goal of mine but have never known how to do it (yes it is shallow and some of you prefer personal style rather than fashion and I do get that) but right now I want to pursue fashion more. What's really coming across to me is that I will need to put time in, have already followed a lot more Instagram accounts and done a bit of a wardrobe sort. What's really helped is building from one item as suggested upthread. I'm off into town shopping and people watching tomorrow as well as was also suggested . I agree about missing magazines ! It's one of the things I am worried wont be left post Covid as so many of them are closing their printed copies 😥