Style Fundamentals | How To Build A Good Outfit

Hello, good morning, good afternoon, good evening my friends, happy new year. We are officially in the new decade and I want to kick off this decade strong. Okay that seems like a big statement, we're just talking about clothes here, but I do want to kick off this year strong at the very least by going back to the fundamentals of style. In today's day and age it's easy to get overwhelmed by all of the information being thrown at us on a daily basis and with 24-7 access to this pool of content that is the internet, we're seeing fashion bloggers left and right with widely different styles pulling off some crazy fits. We're being advertised to by a flurry of brands at every click and when we hop onto any clothing brand's website, most of the time there are so many options that it becomes hard to differentiate them. And by the way I don't think it's a bad thing, I love technology, love social media, I think it's a great tool when used right and personally I get a lot of my fashion inspiration from it as well as inspiration for other areas of my life. But with all of this going on and bringing it down to fashion and style, we sometimes lose sight of the fundamentals of what makes a good outfit good and how we can apply those fundamentals to our wardrobes to develop our own individual style. So in today's video I want to go over six key fundamentals to building a good outfit, some basics that are always good to revisit and some a little more advanced. So whether you're just beginning to improve your style or you're a seasoned veteran, stick around, this is going to be a good one. Starting off we have fit. Basic? Yes. Heck of important? Very much yes. If you're watching this video I'm going to assume you're not new to this concept. Your clothes need to fit, period. And by the way fit is different from the shape of your clothes. This doesn't mean you shouldn't wear wider fits or even skinnier fits, this just means you need to take into consideration your actual body shape and size and wear clothes that fit you, that aren't overly large or ridiculously tight. It means your pants should fit comfortably at your waist without needing a belt to hold them up. It means your t-shirt should look like a t-shirt, not like a dress or a crop top, unless the garment is intentionally designed that way to be oversized in certain areas. And there is a big difference between a piece of clothing that was intentionally designed to be oversized or cropped and a piece of clothing that is simply two sizes too big or two sizes too small. The former is generally cut by expert designers with a keen eye in a very precise fashion to be a little longer, larger, or shorter in certain areas of the garment, but not in others. While the latter just makes you look like you have no clue what you're doing. Take this t-shirt for example. It's got a slight drop shoulder, little longer sleeves, more of a relaxed boxy cut overall, but it's not actually longer or shorter than a regular t-shirt. It's got a regular length, just more of a relaxed cut, and it was very intentionally designed to be that way. So be aware of how your clothes fit you, especially the waist, inseam, and shoulder seams. At number two we have color. It's one thing to nail the fit, but if your colors are all over the place it's not going to look very good either. As a general rule of thumb, less is more when it comes to color. Why do you think every style blog out there recommends going for neutrals? It's hard to mess up your color pairings when your entire wardrobe consists of navy, gray, and white. But I assume many of you want to incorporate a little more color than that, and understandably so. One easy guideline you can follow is to stick to three colors max in an outfit, including two neutrals. The colors generally considered as neutrals in fashion are black, gray, white, navy, brown, khaki, and the cream tones like off-white and beige, which are really just lighter shades of brown. This doesn't mean that you can't be more adventurous and wear more than three colors or multiple bold colors. It's just a general guideline to help you not mess up an outfit if you feel like you're more at the beginning stages of your understanding of fashion. But then it's up to you to discover and develop your own style through trial and error, and over time you'll find that you gravitate towards certain colors more. You might find that you like to keep a very neutral monochromatic color palette, or you might find that you like having lots of bright bold colors, or you might be somewhere in between and just have one or two statement colors that you'll occasionally wear. You'll also figure out that some colors might work better against your skin tone, while others will make you look dry and washed out. I'm going to do a full video on color theory and skin tones in the future, but in the meantime I did make a video on how to color block that should bring you a fair bit of insight and help you better understand color regardless of whether or not you're interested by the specifics of color blocking. I'll link to it in the description, and remember when in doubt less is more. Texture is oftentimes the unsung hero in fashion. Proper use of texture can turn a good outfit into a great one, and when pulled off correctly people will appreciate your style even more as they get up close and see the attention to detail that you put in. Different textures can give off different moods, different vibes to an outfit. The key is to be very intentional with your choice of fabrics. For example, blending the cozy wintry feel of fleece with old-school corduroy trousers and chunky sneakers with soft supple leather makes for a great mix because each texture is different enough that no one piece gets lost in the mix, and they all complement each other nicely because they have the same underlying tone of that cozy winter streetwear vibe. Where it gets dangerous is if you try to pull off the same exact texture from head to toe because then you risk having it look too costumey. On the contrary, you can also opt for a look that has no visible texture at all, which can make for a very minimal modern look, and with the right pieces it can feel quite sophisticated and elegant. Consider silhouette as the more advanced version of fit. You could also call it shape, but I like the word silhouette better. I'm essentially referring to the shape as a whole that you're creating with the combination of the different pieces of your outfit. This is where experimentation with different fits comes in. Are you creating a top heavy look with an oversized sweater, slim jeans, and boots to elongate your legs for a chic rocker look that even leans a little bit feminine? Or maybe you want to intentionally go for chunky, wide, and relaxed all over, but bring in that little bit of structure with a sharp press crease on your trousers. Or perhaps you want to create a more classic look with streamlined tailored trousers and a slim fitting top that gently hugs your body without being overly tight. Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and try pieces with different cuts and create different silhouettes. Through trial, error, and experimentation you'll start to form your own aesthetic over time. I think that silhouette or shape, however you want to call it, is quite an underrated topic in the YouTube fashion scene, and I encourage you to think more about it as you progress through your style journey. I could go a lot further into it, but it is such an interesting and complex topic that I think it deserves its own in-depth video, so let me know if you'd like to hear more about it and I'll make a full video on it in the future. Let's not forget the accessories. I'm not saying you should bring out the golden necklace, iced out watch, and stack of bracelets every time you get dressed, but I do think a good outfit is not complete without some sort of accessories to complement it, even if it's just a simple watch. Take a very classic t-shirt and jeans look for example. Without any accessories at all, it looks a little bit empty, but just add a minimal silver mesh watch and it instantly makes it look a little more like an actual outfit and not just something you slapped on without any thought behind it. And if you happen to wear glasses, you can even use that as an additional accessory. You can match the metal of your glasses to the metal of your watch for example. Accessories are another place where you can really express yourself and have your style speak for you. You can go as loud as a bold bright colored scarf, show a little more edginess with an interesting bracelet, or be more subtle with a simple thin silver chain underneath your shirt that's just peeking out at the neckline. From watches to various winter accessories like scarves, headwear, gloves, to actual jewelry, you have plenty of great accessory options to help complete an outfit to really make it your own. Last but not least, let's talk about function. Even if you get all of above right, you get the fit on point, the colors match perfectly, but your clothes aren't made for the environment that you're in, then it's pointless. Whether there is a certain dress code you need to adhere to for work or certain events, or maybe you need to redress for cold rainy weather but then have enough layers underneath that you can remove some and still be comfortable once you're indoors, these are all factors that you need to be mindful of when choosing your outfit. So before you go ahead and bedazzle all of your co-workers with that orange blazer, remember to be mindful of the dress code and check the weather app. Alright, now that we've gone over the theory, let's put these six style fundamentals into practice and see a couple of outfits applying these different principles in action. Alright guys, hope you enjoyed the video. Hope you've gotten some insights or knowledge that'll maybe get you to think differently about how you're building your outfits from now on. If you did enjoy it, leave me a comment below, hit that like button, and maybe share it with a friend who would enjoy it as well. And if you're new here, consider subscribing. I wish you guys a beautiful day. Let's get 2020 started on the right foot. I'll see you in the next video. Peace. What my apartment looks like when there's no light. What it looks like with the light turned on.