How To Elevate A Basic Look
As we start to emerge from lockdowns spent solely in pyjamas and slowly migrate back to the office and school, wearing actual clothes is seen as a necessary part of our morning routine again. We must once again dig out our jeans and such from the closet and put more thought into what we wear. But, how do you keep the comfort of lockdown style while returning to our 2019 chicness? In this blog post, I’ll show you my ways of elevating your basic outfits to keep you comfortable all day while giving off elegance and style.
Accessorize
The easiest way to bring a basic outfit to an elegant status is to accessorize. Personally, I always reach for my gold hoops, and my silver rings to add a bit of classic flair to my look. Although, some of my occasional accessories include my gold pendant ‘face’ earrings, my pearl necklace, my flower beaded choker, and a head scarf. Being nearsighted as I am, my biggest accessory is my glasses. I recently picked up two pairs from Eyebuydirect; a funky 70’s-inspired pair and a smaller round pair that give off big academia vibes. I also picked up my sunglasses from the same site; a pair that screams Audrey Hepburn and another pair that resembles the classic Ray Ban shades.
2. Swap your athleisure for classic pieces
The easiest way to elevate a basic outfit while keeping comfortable is swapping out your basic athleisure for pieces with more substance. Try swapping out your leggings for straight or wide-leg trousers to up the style of your outfit but still feeling like you’re in your pyjamas. Trousers that fit well at the waist and fan out as they go down the leg are all the rage right now so you’ll be in style while also keeping comfortable! You can also swap your hoodie for a classic cardigan. Cardigans give you all the coziness of your hoodie while also making your outfit a little more chic. This isn’t to say that your athleisure cannot be styled in a way that elevates your look. If you’re really into making comfort stylish, opt for a matching set!
3. Use colour to your advantage
Don’t be afraid of colour. From my experience, colour is the easiest way to make you stick out. You can decide to add small accents to a plain outfit to brighten it up a bit or opt for a completely colourful outfit. Either way, using colour is definitely a power move. Adding that little bit of colour to any outfit will not only brighten up what might be an otherwise dull outfit, but it will probably make you feel a little more put together, too.
This goes without saying but if you simply coordinate colours in your outfit, it’ll make you look like you gave the outfit more thought than simply just throwing it on. I like picking up on smaller details and bringing them out to accentuate them. For example, I have sneakers that have a little hint of red on the back . So, to accentuate the red, I threw on my oversized red blazer. Another way the red on the sneakers could be accentuated is wearing a red lip, finding red on a handbag, or using a red hair accessory (to name a few). Another fun way to use colour is to coordinating them with the season you’re in. I tend to wear a lot more oranges and browns in the fall, for example. Ultimately, it comes down to your personal style!
4. Style your items different ways
I’m a big fan of using an item to the last drop. That’s why I don’t hold myself to a singular way to style an item. My button down tops are the usual culprit of this method. I wear them down, tied up to crop, tucked in completely, and use a french tuck. However, some very creative people on TikTok have taken this method even further and styled skirts as tops, for example. Your style is yours and you have the freedom to play around with it as you please. This is simply an effective (and sustainable!) way to explore!
5. Don’t be afraid of makeup
Remember how I said to not be afraid of colour? Well, that applies here, as well. I am making this a separate idea but, quite honestly, you could count makeup as being its own accessory. I usually tend to go for a matte eyeshadow look using warm tones, filling in my brows lightly, and finishing with mascara. However, when the mood takes me, I like to explore in colour for eyeshadow. Again, I like to take inspiration from the colours in my outfit. Keep in mind, your face is a blank canvas waiting for you to create a masterpiece!