Hello, Darlings! Today’s topic is How To Build An Outfit. We don’t want to just throw clothes on. The goal is to build a complete outfit that looks put together, Instagram-worthy. It is not hard once you understand the Outfit Building Formula and the Rules of Four. After you master these two concepts, you will be able to quickly put together outfits and have a better understanding of how easy it is to mix and match with a capsule wardrobe.
How To Build An Outfit
First You Need The Building Blocks
Putting together great outfits is easy once you have in your closet the building blocks. These building blocks are specific to your body type. The idea is to wear these pieces over and over again. So it is important to choose clothing pieces of quality and take extra care when cleaning. The building blocks are the basis for your Capsule Wardrobe.
**Helpful hint- if you find a pair of jeans/pants that you LOVE and wear all the time, buy extra pair while you can. Style and trends change so quickly, if you have an “unfortunate accident with bleach” you will not be able to replace them. Lesson learned…
Building Blocks For A Petite Pear -Tops And Bottoms
These Building Blocks are body type-specific. Your body type and best colors will determine your personal wardrobe building blocks. These are my building blocks for Petite Pear in the Winter Seasonal Color Palette.
Building Blocks For Shoes And Accessories
This is the area you can have fun and add inexpensive trendy items. It is important that you know what metals look best on your skin tone (silver, gold, bronze, rose gold). These are my personal building blocks for shoes and accessories. Silver is the BEST metal for my skin tone although I will wear bronze in shoes during the summer because it is close in color to my tan.
Now that your closet is full of your wardrobe building blocks pieces and a nice array of accessories, it is time to create your first outfit using the Outfit Building Formula.
How To Build An Outfit – Use The Outfit Building Formula
This formula is specific for a Pear Shaped Body. Start with dark jeans/pants that are high-waisted and bootcut. Next, we need a top. Choose one that is in your Seasonal Color Palette or a print. Bonus if your top has an interesting neckline. Add a layering piece such as a jacket or cardigan. It is important that this piece does not hit at your widest point. It needs to hit above or below your hips. Finally, choose shoes that match the color of your pants to give the illusion of height.
Choose Accessories
Women with Pear Body Shapes can have fun with accessories. The goal is to draw attention UP towards the face. Choose necklaces that hang above the chest area. Longer necklaces tend to draw attention down. Statement necklaces, pendants, and multi-layer necklaces are great choices for Pears. Larger, bolder earrings will draw attention UP towards the face. Pears can wear watches and bracelets too. Don’t forget you can also use scarves, just make sure you keep most of the fabric above your chest, closer to your face.
Outfit Checklist
After you put together your outfit, it is a great idea to take a selfie. Mirrors lie, but selfies don’t. Look at the picture and evaluate it, and make any needed adjustments. If you like the way your outfit looks, save the picture to a folder or to Dropbox. This is the beginning of creating your own personal style book.
How To Build An Outfit – Rule Of Four
To help take your outfit to the “next level” and create outfits that have visual interest, you need to start using the Rule Of Fours. Your outfit needs to have at least four points of interest. For Pear Body Type, we need most of the “points” to be above the waist, even better if it is above the chest.
What Is A Point In The Rule Of Four
Below is a list of all items that count as points. Not all points of interest work with all body types. The goal is to have at least 4 or more “points of interest”.
- Printed or Colorful Bottoms +1 (black, neutral, cream, tan, white gets zero points)
- Dress of any color except black +1
- Print To +1 (solid color gets zero points)
- Layering piece (jackets, vest, cardigans, sweaters) +1
- Print or color shoes different from your pants +1
- Scarf +1
- Necklace +1
- Layered Necklace +2
- Cocktail Rink +1
- Earrings that can be easily seen +1
- Bracelet or Watch (including Apple Watch or Fit Bit) +1
- Glasses or Sunglasses (if worn entire time) +1
- Hat or belt +1
Additional details that will earn points include
- Jeans with rips/holes/ embrodiery +1
- Lace details or bow, bow tie Top +1
- Cold Shoulder, Off the Shoulder, or Cowl Neck +1
- Rolled sleeve to reveal another color top underneath +1
It is important to remember that not all points will work for your body type. Details on bottoms do not work with Pears. Body type rules must come first. For Pears, the body type rule is… Attention UP and OUT away from hips and thighs.
How Many Points Do I Have?
Let’s evaluate this outfit for Rule of Fours. I get ZERO points for black pants, a fuchsia top, and black shoes. One point for the layered cardigan. Two points for the statement necklace plus my smaller everyday diamond necklaces. Another point for large hoop earrings that you can easily see in the photo. One point for the small silver bracelet. This adds up to five total points. All but one point is in the upper part of my body.
Why Use The Rule Of Four?
The Rule of Four is a quick and easy evaluation to see if your outfit is COMPLETE and interesting. You will know if you need to add “something else” or maybe take something away. More is not necessarily the merrier when it comes to putting together a cohesive outfit. After all the evaluations, step back and look in the mirror- Where Do My Eyes Go? The goal is to see YOU, not your clothes or accessories.
Let’s Evaluate This Outfit For Personal Style And Lifestyle
No matter how great an outfit is, if you don’t wear it, it is useless. Remember the four elements that make a piece of clothing work in your wardrobe – Body Type, Best Colors, Personal Style, And Life Style. We have already made sure this outfit works with Body Type and Best Colors. Now let’s look at the other two
This outfit has several elements that work with my Soft Classic Style that prioritizes -Comfort & Simplicity. The material in each garment has stretch and is comfortable. The base layer is very classic styling with a V-neck top, black pants, little to no detail which works well with my minimalist style. Lightweight layering pieces and accessories with more rounded features embrace the Soft Classic Style.
Finally, Will I Wear It ? If yes, WHERE!
Again, it is easy to create great outfits, but if you don’t wear them, they have ZERO value. The last part of our outfit-building exercise is to list opportunities that will allow you to wear this outfit. Does this outfit work with your current LIFESTYLE?
I have a simple lifestyle but I can wear this outfit on the following occasions:
- Church
- Professional appointments – doctors, dentists, lawyer, business meeting
- Level Up style for running errands
- Lunch out with girlfriends
- Date Night
More Resources To Help You Put Together Great Outfits
Check out the following post
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