How to look “polished”

[Turdissimo]

Some folk seem to look good all the time. Why is this? Do you think they always feel good too or would they look good even on a bad day?

Do you have to be thin (or at least not v overweight) for the look (whatever the look is) to work?

Can you wear cheap clothes / accessories if they are classic styles etc?

Can you be casual and polished at the same time?

PS would add I have tried to copy styling gurus etc on YouTube and just ended up buying items which didn’t suit me or feel like me.

Bemused. I want to look more put together..

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Being tall and thin helps!
Same colours top and bottom with contrasting accessories (jacket, boots, scarf, belt etc)
Nails and hair

By try hard I suppose I mean people trying to “out trendy” one another and look alternative. Trying so hard to look different that they all end up kind of looking the same and with their own uniform. It’s very similar near where I live in the more “trendy” up and coming areas.

I wouldn’t expect you to look polished in Shoreditch - I like to go there now and again and enjoy the culture and grittiness. I don’t want people in Shoreditch to look polished 😂

It would be boring if we were all the same.

But the thread is titled How to look polished…is it not? I’m not sure why you’d come on a thread so titled if that is such anathema to you 🤔 Maybe start a thread about “how to look alternative, Shoreditch style”?

Slimmer (sad but true) having said that I have known or seen some overweight women look amazing but they have a great sense of style.
well thought out outfits you can wear colour if the style is right and it suits you.
Brown is classier than black but I do love black for slimming.
own your style whether it’s designer labels ostentatiously worn or not. I personally don’t like huge logos so rarely use or carry tiem but if you do like them just own it.
a smile goes a long way

I did used to get gel nails done but found they ruined my nails plus I was always at the salon. Regular cut and colour is essential or you can colour yourself. You can also pluck and colour eyebrows and lashes. Dior nail glow is my go to for nails if I don’t paint them.

inner confidence too helps a lot I find.

I've never heard of her.
Looking at the photos, she looks like thousands of other women who might a) wear a long dress/ posh frock b) wear a smart midi skirt and boots c) be slim and have long blonde hair.

How is her outfit 'put together' any more elegant than anyone else wearing that skirt, boots and a jumper?

They really are very ordinary.

Around here the polished look is a lot of camel, brown,creams and navy. Well applied make up, hair that has been cut and styled well, light colours on well manicured nails, nice leather bag and well looked after shoes. Jewellery and accessories that are not too in your face.

Look at someone like demicouture on instagram for an example.

Being thinner but with shape. I see a lot of very skinny women who just look emaciated and have no shape. Makes them look like a drug addict .

Also good diet makes for good skin. You can see the people who don’t eat well as they look grey and sallow, with eye bags.
Clothes - fitted . Whatever the style is - fitted clothes will always look better than baggy. Trainers - for exercise only . Most people I see wearing trainers for their normal outfit just look scruffy .

@user98732 I've just looked at demicouture , assuming I’ve found the correct one. This look isn’t what I’d class as polished, false lashes, filled lips, very white teeth and lots of makeup.
However, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m in my late 50’s so my idea of polished will be different to someone much younger.

I agree with you here.

I volunteer with an arts charity and our clientele is older women.

One woman could look very polished and does but wears Balenciaga logo trainers and carries a Stella McCartney logo strap cross body bag. These 2 items just don’t fit in with polished in my opinion.

There’s I think a Slovakian woman who comes and wears brighter colour but stylish fitted clothes but with an accent so eg lemon 🍋 earrings or floral shoes (like the Mary Quant flower ones). She looks incredibly stylish. We also have 2 Spanish women who are a bit overweight and wear bulky padded jackets and leggings.

line of my DM’s friends is a retired film industry person (worked for Stanley Kubrick). She has money but is also on a budget. She wears simple clothes like jeans and a jumper with loafers or trainers. In the summer a simple patterned skirt with a light coloured top. To switch things up she bought a faux shearling jscket from
M&S which looks more expensive. She also wears light makeup but has her hair regularly cut and coloured. Another friend who’s seriously wealthy always dresses in contrasting colours but immaculate eg sweaters, no bobbling and she has a special room in her house as a dressing room where these jumpers are stored in bags and on hangers.
She’s also able to do into Primark pick one very stylish piece eg a mustard blazer but ot looks more expensive simply by the style. She also wears Skechers trainers for comfort but on her they look stylish. Doesn’t wear makeup or get her hair done but does pile her hair on top of her head and pinned clipped with tiny butterfly clips. Jewellery is either plain wedding band or once she wore a neon paper clip bracelet.

Agree with this. I’m not a fan of filler lips especially.

I once watched a show about plastic surgery and various cosmetic procedures and the surgeon was explaining how crucial it is not to overdo, that a very natural look was the one to aim for. A look where you look like a better version of yourself but people won’t know why, think you’re just well rested etc.
So I was really very surprised that the surgeon herself looked very fake indeed, huge lips, botoxed beyond belief, skin looked very stretched and so on.

Since then I do think it’s just a different ‘look’, but I also think a sort of ‘blindness’ to the effects of cosmetic surgery or enhancements can develop? I’m not sure though.

That sounds good to me!

Definitely no logos.
I don’t class polished as being over done.
No obvious fakeness at all, hence why very people can pull it off in my opinion.
Maybe my definition is more stylish than done up.
Dyed hair, fake eyelashes, lip fillers, Botox, fake tan- none if that fits my definition of polished.
Sadly, all clothes look better on slim people.

Do you mean no dye at all @Sparklesandspandexgallore ?
Not sure about going gray just yet!

Dyed hair is fine I think if it looks natural.

The key is looking natural and clean.

Agree that shades of camel, brown and navy are an easy palette to stick to, but I’ve seen women in bright colours (usually Spanish women!) looking very polished. Wearing colours from your season.

Absolutely not my style, but can we agree that Princess Catherine is “polished”?

I agree she has very white teeth and full lips which have probably had filler. However other than those body choices, this is an example in terms of clothing and general presentation of what is regarded as well dressed and polished in my area. Most of the multi millionaire brigade look like this if they are “polished”.

Well I use the curly girl method, so I'm never going to look polished. Blow dried hair doesn't suit me.

Yes Kate Middleton is a good example.

Can I just say a lot of you are saying sadly slimmer people look better in clothes and imo that's not true and I say that as a size 8.
I admire a lot of bigger ladies when I'm out who look amazing in their outfits along with how polished they look.

I always admire Glenda from coronation street she really pulls it off and also Lisa Reilly as herself looks amazing so I actually don't think it has anything to do with weight or clothes looking better on slimmer women imo that's simply not true

I think curly hair can look polished. Not when it’s wild (which is a look i love) but when it’s neat corkscrew curls.

I think that slimmer people are far more likely to look polished I’m afraid. There are clearly exceptions but on the whole people who are overweight don’t look as though they take care of themselves as much. I know it’s not generally acceptable to say and I’d clearly never say it to someone in person because that would be rude but it’s true.

@user98732 as I said previously, we each have our own ideas of polished, that particular lady looks more footballers wife polished than the classic polished of women I know.
They don’t wear loads of makeup or dresses with cut outs, no obvious labels on handbags or clothing.
There isn’t a right or wrong answer, just personal preference.

Yes. She always looks polished in every photo I have ever seen of her. I don't always like what she is wearing, but she knows how to dress well and look polished.

I would say that she is probably the best example of someone who I think looks polished.

Just to follow up on this - I met a friend for lunch today, so made the effort to blow dry my hair properly using my brush styler - usually can’t be bothered with the faff as it takes ages.

However, I can confirm that I definitely felt more glam and put together than normal with my smooth swishy hair, will have to remember to do this more often.

Agree 100% - she always looks lovely.

And I always think she’s got the nicest teeth of anyone I’ve ever seen. They just look like great natural teeth.

I'm glad for you it worked out, whilst also being totally green with envy!

I've realised it doesn't seem to matter if I spent 10 minutes or an hour and 10 minutes on my appearance, the result is the same within about half an hour. I have naturally frizzy fair, which I've spent a bomb on products for over the years to no avail. It lasts longer if I straighten it, but then it's in shocking condition within a few months. Same with make up. Doesn't matter if I've exfoliated, moisturised, toned whatever for a full seven days and used all the primers and everything...within about an hour it looks flakey and shit. So have basically given up. If the result is that I'm going to look unpolished anyway I'd rather spend the hour doing something other than preening and save myself the money on products!