STYLE SECRET REVEALED (and it's way easier than you think!)

Have you ever looked at girls on Pinterest and Instagram and wondered what it is about their outfits that just look cool? The good news is I'm here to tell you you don't need a wardrobe full of new clothes, you actually just need to stick to your basics and have the right bags, shoes and accessories. Hello and welcome to my channel, the home of educational style content. Today's video is all about a style secret that I think could transform the way loads of people dress and that is by adding one or two of these pieces that I'm going to explain and show you today to your wardrobe and it's all about essential shoes and bags with a twist. Let's start off demonstrating the first piece which are these beautiful woven shoes. So these are from Flattered and the shoes and bags I'm going to be talking about today are all from Flattered. This video is in partnership with them. Flattered are such a beautiful, beautiful brand. I'm sure you're very bored of hearing how much I love my bonbon loafers from them. I literally have worn them to death in the beige, in the black and now another colour today which I'm really excited about sharing. If you are in the UK as well, they've actually launched in some department stores including John Lewis. So I think that's a really important point to know if you want to get a feel for the brand. Their quality, their textures, their design is honestly second to none. I feel like they just hit the nail on the head every season without fail. Their collections are cool but wearable, relaxed but have a chic feel to them and that honestly just a brand that I feel like epitomises what I try and do within my own style. It's that classic modern thing and I'm here to prove to you today that you only need a wardrobe of very basic, simple pieces if you have the right accessories to go alongside. So the first loafers are classic with a twist because they are simple black flats, a pointed flat but the woven style just gives them a little bit of edge. Also this kind of raffia effect definitely has a cool, relaxed kind of feel but also they feel sophisticated at the same time with them having the ankle strap which keeps your foot in which is important to note. They're really comfortable but also look smart at the same time which is why I love them. I also think in spring and going into summer it is still important to have a black shoe because it's a really easy way to tie pieces of your outfit together. A lot of maybe a black bag, a black belt, a black jacket so it's good to have a black pair of shoes that feel more summery to balance that out. So I just started with this very plain base layer of some white jeans, a black long-sleeve t-shirt and just by adding in these flats it already created a much more interesting kind of look. Now I do have a discount code for you, it's only going to last two weeks. It is LT10 and I will leave it in the description box below but that will get you 10% off all Flutter products. So then what I've done is added in this Alva suede bag. I'm honestly so excited to wear this piece. You know when you just get really excited about a new piece in your wardrobe and you just can't wait to wear it? This is definitely it. I actually have the black suede version. It's a really nice travel bag because it's very lightweight, it fits loads in, it's soft, it can kind of bend, it also feels summery and don't you think this just makes the outfit look so much cooler? You've just kind of thrown it on. That suede fabric definitely provides that relaxed cool girl kind of feel, especially in this beautiful sand colour. I'm going to show how you can style each of these pieces in different ways but don't you just agree that both of these pieces transform what was a very simple, quite plain and boring outfit into something just effortlessly chic and has that kind of cool girl feel to it. So another case in point is outfit formula number two which is just a full long skirt and a blue shirt. So quite clearly it is the accessories here that really make the outfit. So I've kept the same shoes on. I think these are really nice for workwear as well so that's just something if you're looking for a smart workwear shoe that actually feels summery as well then these are a really nice option. They look great with any kind of long skirt from something fuller to something slimmer. And then a couple of other flattered accessories that really fit this bill of essentials with a twist and that is the white top handle bag. So rather than the usual black bag that we go for and you know nothing wrong with that. I love a good black bag but why not flip that on its head. Get something like this with a twist. So it's got the big chunky gold detail. It's almost like a hammered effect gold which is beautiful with the slightly off-white bag. This is the Astrid in leather white and it fits a lot in. It's quite substantial bag so nice for workwear if you're not carrying a laptop but also just for day-to-day. Actually because it's not too big I think for evening this will work really nicely as well. And then I've matched it to the Beatrice belt which is also in white. I have this in burgundy and wear it a lot and definitely wore it so much throughout winter. So it's nice to have a white option as an alternative to that. I definitely think the white belt makes something like a black skirt feel more spring summer appropriate. So if you're somebody who doesn't want to go and get new clothes for the season think about the one or two accessories like maybe a white belt that you've not thought of that could brighten up those maybe autumn pieces that you don't wear at this time of year and transform the way that they look. So I think just another outfit formula that really proves my theory about having these really great accessories alongside all of your basics. Okay next very very simple a long t-shirt dress. I think these are quite a cool piece in themselves but obviously are very very plain and so the styling really matters and the pieces that you put them with really matter too. So I've kept on these woven shoes to show how even a black shoe can work with a dress. I think really because of the woven detail and the shape of them means they definitely lend themselves to skirts and dresses more than kind of like a full black shoe if that makes sense. And then I've gone for the elva bag again. I just think this looks so cool. I absolutely love it with white. So I think it just shows how you can take these really simple pieces and just transform them into something totally different with the use of the right accessories. So big big fan of this look. Let's move on to some other shoes and my next outfit. Okay a change of shoes for this look and I'm wearing the bonbons in this new white colour which I think are beautiful. At first I was like I'm not going to be able to utilise white loafers but as soon as I tried them on I thought actually they make every single outfit pop whilst also having this real kind of modern look to a simple outfit. So again it's a very basic outfit formula. Jeans, a white t-shirt and a trench coat but the bag and the shoes just absolutely make this. And as soon as I put them both on together, the combination of the shoes and the white bag, I just felt the whole outfit come alive. I felt like it made such a difference having the two items. I think they're really cool and again talking about essentials with a twist, these are just your everyday comfy loafers. Very kind of simple in design but because they're white they do just have that twist to them. But obviously white is a very very wearable shade within our wardrobes especially for this time of year and like I said about the white belt, just a really nice way to give a lift to your outfits and I really do feel like the bag and the shoes lift this entire outfit colour-wise. So I'm a big fan of the combo of these two together. I think it is useful if you're going to kind of invest in a couple of things, maybe try and get those two things to match so that you kind of create quite a cohesive look within your outfit and almost it doesn't really matter what you're wearing underneath if you have those two matching pieces like the bag and shoes. I know I've spoken about this before but having those two pieces means you can basically wear anything and it just looks cohesive because of the matching shades. So on to the next look and I wanted to add the loafers with a skirt. So another basic outfit formula, I'm sure a lot of us have a rendition of this, a white cotton long skirt and a grey t-shirt but you could kind of do this with anything like a denim skirt and a white t-shirt, a black t-shirt like I had on before, long sleeves, a sweatshirt instead of a t-shirt, you know there's so many ways you can do these basic outfits and it's not really about the looks but how the basic pieces are transformed by the accessories. So again the white loafers just really giving like a pop to this whole look and quite a modern, fresh, contemporary feel. And then I've added in a firm Flattered favourite. If you've not seen the clay clutch from Flattered, you've been living under a rock because they have really gone viral. They're beautiful, beautiful bags. I am obsessed with my clay bags. I've got the black down here which I've had for years. I've had it since I lived in my old house so I'd say I've had it for, did I bring it out about three to four years ago? And I still feel like it's kind of as good as the day I got it in terms of the style but also the quality. Like it's still in beautiful condition. And I actually have the brown suede clay clutch as well but this one again, I've had this quite a while and I'm sure you've seen it in many styling videos but I do just feel like it gives such a cool edge to every single look. Like even like a day look, I think it's so nice to just throw on a clutch and it creates just a much more elevated, cool girl kind of look. And I think you'll find this with a lot of these Pinterest images that you see. It's all about this kind of cool slouchy bag just thrown on very effortlessly. Maybe even like an evening clutch, like you would think of a clutch as an evening but done in a way that feels like daytime appropriate or worn dressed down with some other pieces. And this is a little bit about fusion styling which I speak about basically combining two contrasting styles that seemingly don't work and put them together to make an outfit. And I feel like the clay clutch does this. It's again, beautiful quality, fits loads in and like I said, just makes every single outfit just instantly look so much cooler and I love wearing this with a bit more of a dressed down daytime look too. Outfit number six and my final one with the white loafers. I've just added the belt in again. Like I was saying before, I think it's really nice to buy a couple of accessories in the same tone. So if you didn't want the bag, you could go for like a mix and match bag but then put the belt and shoes together for example. But I definitely think it creates a cohesive look and brings the color from the bottom to the top which I think is really nice. Bit of sandwich dressing for you there. Just another way to show these loafers as well is with a barrel jean. You could do this with any kind of crop jean, whether it's a cropped wide leg or a cropped slimmer straight leg, they would work with any. They'd also work with like a long wide leg as well but I just wanted to kind of show them with the crop. So it shows them off a little bit more. As I said, they're so, so comfortable. They just basically over time mold to your feet which is what I love about them and my black ones are so soft and supple because the leather just has really molded. So I really recommend the bonbons. I would say usually I go for a size 40 in flattered which is a UK size seven. I'm a six and a half but in the bonbons I go for the 39 because they run a bit big and as I say the leather is supple. So just added the Beatrice belt and then this little jacket. Again a simple outfit, barrel jeans, a tank top or a vest top with a short jacket over the top and I think again the accessories just transform the whole look. So on to the final footwear and my last few looks. So I'm wearing these Ali leather heels with the gold heel which is incredible. So these I'd say are the epitome of essentials with a twist. They're a black two-strap sandal, very simple but this gold statement heel just gives such a lift to the look. Gives it a really unique feel while still being very easy to wear and style with all of your pieces. So again just started with a very basic base layer for evening, a merino light knit jumper. I wear these all the time by the way in the evening when I want to be a little bit more casual, add a bit of warmth. I think these are really nice because they look great with jewellery and then other statement accessories. Then I've added the Bermuda shorts in in this camely tone and again colour sandwich by adding the black heels at the bottom with the gold and I've just brought that through to the earrings and then finished off again with the clay suede clutch. So easy to wear. I just think both of these pieces give off that kind of effortlessly relaxed aura. Hopefully you can kind of see that through the video but yeah I feel like all of these outfits are very me. They feel very kind of comfortable, easy to wear, chic, polished, a little bit modern but not like really trend led and I just feel like the flattered pieces really really contribute to that. So love this look. Let's do the next. Okay then just doing a trousers look with the shoes again and I've added the clay clutch. I think the clay clutch actually makes this black and white monochromatic outfit feel definitely more spring summer appropriate as do the shoes. They're a sandaly heel so it takes the blazer, the black blazer in particular, into a more springy kind of zone and look and the same with the suede clutch. So use these accessories to your advantage with your more autumn winter pieces to get more wear out of your existing wardrobe. You don't have to confine things into boxes. If you have the right accessories they can actually take your looks through all year. I've just styled it with the white trousers again. I think the sandals look really nice just with the trouser. You can just see the front strap which I think looks really really chic and I love how these two items pair together. They're not the same color but I think they work really nicely in balance with each other. So last but not least we have a skirt look with the shoes and the clay clutch again. Just another more evening kind of look with the simple base layer, a long black skirt and a beige bandeau top and then again letting the accessories really do the talking on this outfit. I think these heels are so eye-catching. They're also very comfortable and I like that the heel isn't like a skyscraper heel. So very easy to walk in. You could last in these all night and then the clay clutch just finishes it off. This is definitely a look I will be recreating next time I go out. So that's all the outfits but do not forget that discount code LT10. We'll get you the 10% off which will be very useful. All of the links will be in the description box too so you know what is what. Before you exit the video don't forget to hit subscribe. I really hope you've enjoyed this video. I loved using these Capsule Wardrobe Basics and really playing around with them and making them feel something special using the Flattered items. A big thank you to Flattered for sponsoring this video as well. Thank you so much again and I will see you in my next video. Bye!