Outfit Ideas Part 3

"Guidelines On How to Improve and Develop Your Style"

Continuing from Pt. 2 this is part 3 of the Outfit Ideas-series. Together we're going to take a look at 4 outfit templates on how to make your style different from the rest! From how to maximize your wardrobe's potential to adding new elements to your fashion style.

One of the positive assets many fashionistas possess is the ability to dare to try something new and different. Now it doesn't have to anything bold and drastic like dying your hair red or wearing silly high fashion garments that look like a costume. I'm talking about injecting something unexpected, something that no one would expect to see in an outfit.

But this has a maximum style impact when you take your personal style into consideration, like for example trying new colors and proportions that look fabulous on you, as well as blending a little bit of every aspect of your clothing personality.

After you've mastered the fashion basics all this will most likely come naturally!

Let's check out 4 outfit ideas on how to add new and stylish elements to your outfits (compared to previous page, the tips here involve spending a bit money):

Outfit Idea 5: Look for Outfit Ideas from Mannequins and Online Look Books

Sometimes you just have to let the "professionals" to lead the way ;-)

If you're not creative by nature, get some outfit inspiration from online look books from great fashion shopping sites such as Singer22, Tobi and Pink Mascara.

Fashion shopping sites have fashion stylists who create up-to-date and refreshing outfit combos for their store.

If you don't have time to surf the net, make sure to walk by the store windows and take note of the outfit combinations.

For even more fashion inspiration check out fashion social sites such as:

Chictopia	Lookbook.nu
Polyvore	Stylehive

And be sure to check out the Street Fashion-section for fashion blogs.

How to Use the Inspiration You See

You don't have to buy the exact garment you see on a person's outfit - no, that will only cost a truckload of money. However, if a celebrity is wearing a combination of a print skirt (eg. blazer, short print skirt and basic tee), then you can select any short print skirt you've got in your closet (to make it more you) and pair it in the same way as them.

Ask yourself why an outfit appeals to you. Take note of the way they styled it; the colors; shapes and proportions; prints, and so on. Click here to learn how to update your closet with the current fashion trends and interpret fashion inspiration

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Outfit Idea 6: Add a Surprise Element

Do you know the difference between a good outfit and a fabulous one?

Olivia Palermo and yet another chic and memorable outfit

Olivia Palermo Via of Celebutopia
A terrific outfit has a hook, something memorable that sets it apart from the crowd. It's different and out of the ordinary, but not flashy.

How to Make Your Outfit Memorable:

This is my favorite part.

First, take out a wardrobe basic you want to wear, such as a white dress shirt. Now, look for something unexpected to make your ensemble out of the ordinary/standard/predictable. By unexpected I mean something you'd normally never consider.

Like for example, add something that adds drama to the plain shirt, like for example a rich and exotic statement necklace. Balance it out again with a pair of black dress shorts. Now continue adding the unexpected but not too trendy. Try lace tights and glossy croc clutch envelope. Add more balance (tone it down) with a pair of black ankle booties.

How about wearing turquoise with a purple dress? It's sure to create an eye-catching but complementary color combo!

Or how about a classy long pearl necklace and gold jewelry along with a boho tunic and leather skirt? Add more interest with yellow ballerina flats and suede, simple studded purse.

You can even mix casual-sporty with glam and classiness - with a baseball tee, jeans, pearl earrings, wedge heel sandals and a cool canvas messenger bag.

By occasionally adding an element of surprise, you will look more up-to-date and people will look at your style as unique!

More ideas and inspiration:

Outfit Idea 7: Experiment with Color Combos

Number 7 of the Outfit Ideas will show you how to make the most out of the colors in your closet and create stylish and eye-catching color combinations.

We're all guilty of keeping it safe when it comes to fashion, especially when it comes to colors. Purple with black, turquoise with white, brown with dark blue. Sounds familiar?

Note: If you have been wearing the same colors (and color combos) for a long time, try something new! Take a look at your personal color palette and discover what colors to experiment with!

There are at least 6 different color schemes that you can never go wrong with. They are classic and great-looking, and the shades from each scheme work very well together. Learn more about Color Theory

However, only 3 of them will be covered here. I'll go in further details about color coordination another time :-)

1. Monochromatic Color Combinations

What it is: A monochromatic scheme consists of numerous shades (darker) and tints (lighter) of the same hue. Because of the lack of contrast the result is a more subtle effect.

Examples: Light blue, medium blue, dark blue. Beige, camel and brown.

Wearing the same color value can also create a monochromatic look (eg. light yellow and light pink with white). The value represents the depth of a color - light, medium, dark.

Monochromatic colored outfits

Pros:

Clean and elegant
Soothing effect
Balanced and visually appealing

Cons:

Lacks contrast, vibrancy and might appear plain
It can be difficult to highlight any areas of your outfit with this scheme

If you're into this type of classy color combo I suggest you to also put your focus on implementing some interest with various textures and details. Adding some *bling* such as gold or silver jewelry ups up the chic and glam factor of the outfit.

2. Analogous Color Combinations

What it is: It consists of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.

Examples: Blues and greens. Orange and yellow. Pink and red.

This color scheme adds richness to your outfit without overwhelming it.

Analogous colored outfits

Pros:

It looks elegant yet richer than the monochromatic color scheme

Cons:

It still lacks contrast and personality

Stick to only 2-3 hues with this combo. Too many colors can ruin the visual appeal of it and make it look like a circus feast. Not chic. Colorful print garments are another topic - they look best with neutrals.

3. Complementary Color Combinations

What it is: The complementary scheme is made of two colors that are opposite from each other on the color wheel.

Examples are red and green, purple and yellow, blue and orange.

They just look great together and make people feel good when looking at them!

Complementary colored outfits

Pros:

Offers stronger contrast than the two first mentioned schemes which brings attention to your outfit as a whole in a visually pleasing kind of way

Cons:

Might for some appear strong on some eyes
Might look "too" trendy for some

Tips on how to make it work for you:

If your outfits appear bright for your taste, add black, dark brown or white to tone it down
Avoid wearing more than two complementary colors in one outfit, unless you're going for that high impact fashion statement!
Pair warm with warm, cool with cool. For example, tomato red with military green (warm). Or true red with emerald green (cool). Looks much pleasing this way
Look through online look books or check out Colorschemer.com for a free automatic color scheme generator

Various shades of both black and white look good with everything and can balance out your Complementary Color Scheme-outfits.

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Outfit Idea 8: Play with New Proportions

If you feel like dressing up boldly and want to look unusual, try creating new proportions in the way you dress.

Here are a few examples:

Prominent shoulder with shoulder pads
Flowy arms with flared sleeves
Cute hip silhouette with A-line or tiered hemlines
Sexy chest with bustier/heart neckline
Trendy 70's vibe with wide leg/flare leg jeans

Note: By knowing your body shape you'll be able determine what kind of clothing proportions will look great on you. However, if you're creative you'll be able to style clothes that aren't a perfect match for your body type, in a way that does look good on you! Learn more about it in the body proportions-section.

This is the end of the outfit ideas-series. I hope my tips have inspired you to start improving your wardrobe and sense of style!

If you need more fashion inspiration and how to's, please visit the TCF's blog!