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Readers had a great threadjack recently on ways to make an outfit look more put together — so I thought it might be an interesting larger discussion! In the threadjack, a commenter noted that she was trying to level up before starting a new position (congrats!), but she couldn't wear most jewelry because of a metal allergy.
We answered a reader mail a thousand years ago where she noted that jewelry wasn't her thing and wondered how to make her outfits more interesting and less masculine, but without jewelry — but it's been a while. In the recent threadjack, some of the ideas from readers on how to make outfits look more put together were great:
- Wear brooches because they don't touch your skin — and I was JUST updating our roundup of 7 ways to wear brooches. (This can be a great tip during the Zoom era, because if you have a “Zoom sweater” or blazer, you can just add some brooches to the lapel or shoulder and keep it on the back of your home office chair.
- Invest in tailoring — I'll also point you to our look at how to get Claire Underwood's style (from House of Cards). She often wears tailored clothes with really interesting seaming, but minimal/no jewelry.
- Really pay attention to all aspects of your appearance, from your hair (here are our favorite, easy up-dos for the office) to non-scuffed shoes (here's our last shoe care guide).
My Tips on How to Make an Outfit Look More Put Together
For my $.02, one of the biggest things that I would suggest to help make an outfit look more put together is to add a “third piece.” Similar to our advice on how to elevate a simple t-shirt, I'd recommend making sure that your outfit always has a third piece. This can look different depending on what you're wearing…
- If you're wearing a pantsuit, the blazer/pants/top all kind of blend together — to add polish to the outfit, you want to add a third piece like a scarf, a necklace, or a brooch. Scarves in particular were a favorite of one of the most stylish women I've known — she had a great collection of Hermès scarves that she wore primarily because she found most clothing tags to be itchy.
- If you're a fan of the minimalist look, one of our favorite polished outfits is to do a “column of color” for your base (such as black sweater and black pants) and then add a colorful topper (your third piece) such as a blazer or sweater blazer. (See our work outfit challenge for 4 weeks of work outfit ideas like this!)
- If you're wearing a sheath dress, consider adding a second piece like a topper (cardigan, blazer, sweater blazer) and a necklace or brooch. If the dress has sleeves consider just adding two pieces of jewelry.
- (As I type these out, a lot of these tips remind me of our takeaways from Selina Meyer's style in Veep, as well.)
As I've advised before in terms of how to look great for work every day, of course I'd recommend a good bra and great posture (here's how to improve your posture). As you're building your wardrobe, focus on our wardrobe essentials and our tips on putting together a capsule wardrobe for work — in particular, picking a few colors to focus on and working out from there will be the easiest way to build a cohesive, polished collection of work outfits.
Readers, what are your best tips to make an outfit look more put together or polished?
Stock photo via Shutterstock/Maridav.
Anon
Avoid fabrics that wrinkle easily
Tights or stockings should coordinate
Throw out any garments with pilling that can’t be entirely removed
A pastel top looks better with navy bottoms than with black
Use color combinations that are foolproof. Black and gray, red and navy come to mind. It doesn’t mean you can’t wear others, but if you’re not sure if colors look put together, try a different combo
Anon
For me, it’s jewelry. Particularly earrings in the present time of zoom. I have been wearing larger earrings on my zoom calls – no dainty studs for me.
In the before times, I wore a lot of pearls, kind of a hobby/obsession of mine.
midwest solo atty
Where does everyone shop for Jewelry? Would love to hear. I know I need to up my accessories game. Also, FWIW, I hate bracelets/bangles. They bother me! I’m a minimalist.
Little+Red
For me, the following really helps:
1) wearing that third piece like a cardigan or jacket too elevate my look
2) wearing clothing tailored to fit my body so pants are hemmed correctly and straps gets taken up
3) paying attention to all parts of my appearance like hair/nails/shoes are in good shape
Mal
Finding the proportions that look the best on me is key, and repeating those over and over. For me, that means straight-legged ankle length pants that skim (rather than cling) paired with pointed or almond toed flats, and coverage of at least a short sleeve on top. V-necks are better than crew. Slightly flowy vs fitted. Dresses/skirts are best right below the knee. Also, comfort – if it’s polished-looking, but feels awful to wear, it won’t work. If I wear jewelry, I like a watch, simple necklace, or very long statement pendant.
Alice walks
+1
This is the key and can take years to figure out. You need to know your body, your shape/proportions, and what looks best on you. If you are short waisted, or pear shaped, or small/big busted etc… the same piece of clothing might look wrong on you and great on someone else. I also think it is great to know your best features, and how to highlight/draw the eye to them.
Also, understanding your coloring and how to complement it for choosing your color capsule is so helpful… and needs to be updated as you age and your coloring shifts.
Sara L Martin
Any thoughts on how to do a third piece while having hot flashes?
Coach Laura
I loved having a third piece while having hot flashes because I could wear long-sleeved jackets/blazers/sweaters and short sleeved tops and remove as needed. The long sleeve made the outfits appropriate in fall/winter seasons. The trick is to take the jacket off before! you get hot. I routinely took mine off before meetings or any contentious conversation. People were used to me removing the layer so I didn’t attract attention in the middle of a flash.