How Fabulous Ladies Stay Looking Fabulous (and how you can too!)
There is a well kept secret in the fashion industry that many designers don't want you to know.
It has been cultivated, hidden, spirited away and almost lied about for the sake of the almighty brand name and trend. 
Whether you prefer costume jewelry or you're a girl who counts her carats the key secret to captivating everyone's attention? Look like you spent a million dollars even if you only spent a buck fifty. 
What is this secret?
It really doesn't matter what or who you wear, it's how you wear it.
Yes...that's it. Seemingly simple to the point of being useless you could brush this off as an unimportant piece of advice...except it's true.
I invite you to take a moment and think of any fashion icon of your choice. Is she a celebrity? A designer? Model? First lady even? Whatever she may be your mental image of her is one of adoration. Somehow she manages to always pull it together, the clothes looking so impeccable on her body you can't help but sometimes feel sick with jealousy. What is this woman's secret? How does she always manage to do it? How does she go a step above typical fashion glory to grab the gold?
Quite simply, the truly most fashionable women in the world don't care who they're wearing.
Oh sure their pulse may race at the sight of an impeccable Chanel jacket and a school-girl giggle may pass their lips at the feel of a ludicrously expensive purse sweeping up their arm - but in the long run...they simply do not care.
Though I'm all for a bargain this isn't even a cheapity-cheap piece, no this is a new simple way of becoming your most stylish . Still in order to learn how to be YOUR most stylish you need to learn how to work with what you've got. We're going to shop your closet Darlings. The transformation between envying a fashionable woman and becoming a woman of fashion envy is hardly perilous. There are a few simple rules to learn and employ by which truly chic ladies live by no matter what their spending budget.
1. Brand doesn't matter, quality and style do
The biggest names in the buisness got that way because peope made a big deal about them. A cult-following was started praising them for their style, originality, and uniqueness. Then do you know what happened? Everyone copied and coveted their pieces till in many ways their names became bigger than their style. It became a statement to wear a piece by a certain designer rather than making the statement with the piece itself. Fashion became complicated and we all began to chase names rather than true fashion.
Fashion in it's truest form is raw, starting with a piece of material and an idea. Respect should always be paid to a designer who is producing amazing work but respect should also be paid to the CLOTHES. Ponder on that for a minute.
Do you know the brands your fashion idol wears? All of them? Do any of the names surprise you? In the long run these women, whatever name or title they go by, learned long ago a a name is just a name. If they wear Yves Saint Laurent or Jaclyn Smith no one will care because their jaws will be dropping at how gorgeous they look. The first impression one gets of any piece is how good or bad it is, not who made it. You want to take the first step to chic-ness? Mentally cut the tags out of all the clothes in your closest and then sort through them. Be honest. Are you particularly proud of them? Did you buy them with the exclusive focus being that they were the piece of clothing most worth your money because of how good they looked?
If you can't say yes then it's either time to bring some life to it or relegate it to a storage box in your attic. I don't care whether you only spent 3 bucks on it, if you find it's an unappreciated part of your wardrobe then you wasted your money. Liberate your closet Darlings, if you wouldn't want your boyfriend, mother, and boss (to me the top 3 folks who we all try to impress fairly regularly with how we look) to see you in it....toss time.
2. Fit is everything
Let's run back to that mental image of your fashion idol again. Now everyone makes mistakes we can't avoid that, but have you ever seen them in something frumpy, ill-fitting or uninentionally baggy? If they're as good as you think they are then the answer is no. You want to up your fashion cred in 3 easy steps? Wear every article of clothing in your closet one at a time. Take note of the way they fit you. Don't like it? Find a excellent tailor. They need not be expensive but they should be talented. Ask to see their work before you sacrifice any pieces to them. Satisfied? Come in with your own complaints on the fit of your clothes and then ask them their advice.
Fashion is complicated. There is no golden rule. Some casual jackets should fall below your hips others should rest squarely on them. Still it never hurts to get a second opinion on how to look great. Listen to what they say and then take a good look in the mirror and see if you agree. If so...well I imagine you know where to take it from here.
3. Expensive accessories should only look that way.
Whether you prefer costume jewelry or you're a girl who counts her carats the key secret to captivating everyone's attention? Look like you spent a million dollars even if you only spent a buck fifty. I'm not one for fashion rules, mainly because they change so much there's little point in following them. Do you remember some of these? No pairing silver and gold. Wear your jewelry and then remove a single piece before leaving the house. Don't wear more than three pieces jewelry at a time. No earrings bigger than a quarter or -
It goes on and on.
No matter what your personal preference is there is one good guideline to go with when it comes to jewelry. Wear one (atleast) piece of standout jewelry. Something others will look at and go 'wow'. One piece of truly amazing jewelry helps make an outfit look put together without giving the sense you tried too hard. Just think...effortlessly gorgeous.
4. Emphasize the good, hide the bad.
Do you have stunning arms? A curvacious bust? A figure an hourglass would want?
Then show show show!
Body confidence is in these days (as it should always have been) and it's a good time to flaunt a little skin. Don't be afraid to let your assets be known and admired. Keep it classy always but be a little bold as well. Black is and always will be the gold standard for slimming but don't be afraid to play with louder colors when it comes to showing off your best bits. Summer's rolling around and one of the great facts about that is for the girl who's a little unsure EVERYONE'S going to be wearing lots of bright colors. Try colorblocking -
or...
Wear a bright accessory to bring some color to an outfit that would be otherwise lacking
5. Be your own personal stylist.
A stylist does what most of us do on a daily basis - better. They know their job entirely depends on making their clients look amazing and if they do a bad job...they get canned. Even worse than getting canned they get a rep for being ho-hum boring - which in the fashion industry is worse than death.
What does a stylist do? They take stock of their client's personality and tastes finding items that fit in well with this as well as dare to up the unexpected factor. They emphasize everything that could make their client look stunning as well as bring their own personal signature to every completed outfit. Simply making someone look cute or nice ain't gonna cut it and they know it.
So many women follow unspoken fashion rules in their own minds and never come off looking anything more than ordinary. Want to know how your view on an outfit is different from a stylist's view?
You think, "Do I look cute/hot/adjective of your choice in this?"
A stylist thinks, "What does this piece/outfit say about my client? What image does it portray?"
What makes the big difference?
You're hoping and praying with only a general idea of what you want that you do look good. A stylist has a game plan in mind. The theme is in every article of clothing they pick till the last stitch and accessory, they're willing to toss if something doesn't fit and shake up the system. They know to try new wild and surprising things and to always have atleast one stand-out piece.
I was fairly in awe when I saw a lovely woman invited to a day-time talk show stroll onto set wearing a white and blue striped shirt with a navy blazer and fitted dark denim jeans she was the perfect picture of nautical chic...and then my eyes lowered to the bright pink booties she wore.
I was stunned and amazed by the shock value of such two different styles paired together but as I zoomed out evaluating her on a whole...she looked FETCH. She looked young and creative and smart. Smart enough not to have worn black pumps or blue sandals...but to have staked a little of her reputation on this almost insane choice. She was a fashion deity.
Think about what you're wearing.
Do you think you're inspiring anyone else to feel the same way?
If not, then I think it's time to start.
Last but not least, not included in the steps but more of a personal note let's talk about copycats.
I'm sure you've seen it dozens upon dozens of times on websites and magazines alike. "How to copy her style" "How to steal her look" etc. You really wish to be the chicest lady in town? Then you need to remember emulation not imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Your fashion idol has probably fallen in love with an article of clothing she saw somewhere else on someone else. She probably imagined how cute she'd look fitted in one of her own and searched for something
Do you think she bought one of her own in the exact same color and style?
There's room for some cheating, for instance a simple black pair of open toed booties won't be breaking any fashion laws. However buying a gown that is basically identical to the one Michelle Obama wore at the inaguration ball? Fabulous you might look but creative? Not so much. Unique? Not so much.
posted by Luxe at
6:45 PM
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