When it comes to fashion, some people have it easy — influencers occupying our social media feeds seamlessly throw together elaborate, stylish outfits each day. The rest of us can merely look up to their fashion prowess when asking ourselves what to wear. Nobody has time to curate flawless outfits from our closets, only to be disappointed repeatedly after ending up in the same sweatpants and hoodie — again. An outfit can define your confidence and how you choose to approach the day. Choosing an outfit can be quite a challenging task, especially if you don’t know where to start.
Dressing for You
The first thing to consider when building an outfit is your body type. Body type can play a big role in how you look in clothes, as certain silhouettes and items can be better suited for your body shape. Therefore, dressing for the wrong body type can throw off the outfit you’re building. The goal is to balance out your proportions. Once you identify your body type, here are some tips on how to style it:
Rectangle: This body type has very similar waist to hip to shoulder measurements. You can create volume through more textured fabrics and patterns, such as ruching or asymmetrical designs. It is also recommended that rectangle shapes use belts or high-waisted bottoms to define their waists.
Oval:This body type has a fuller midsection and a balanced bust and hips. Wearing clothing that is cinched at the waist will balance out the fuller midsection, creating a more definitive waistline.
Apple: Apple body shapes have a rounder midsection and larger waists. It is essential to find structured fabrics and pieces with cuts and embellishments.
Pear: This body shape has wider hips and thighs with a smaller waist. Adding volume to the top will help balance out the hips and thighs. You can look for tops with patterns and low waisted bottoms.
Hourglass: An hourglass body type is curvier and has a narrow waist. You can balance your curves by buying more fitted clothing and soft fabric that drapes well.
Inverted Triangle: This body type has broader shoulders with a narrow waist and hips. Focus on drawing attention to your legs through brighter colors, flowy fabrics or patterns. It’ll help balance out your shoulders.
Back to the Basics
Basics are considered timeless pieces that can be built upon, styling them up or dressing them down. . Remember that about 70% of your closet should be basics to make it easier for styling, while the other 30% should be trendy or statement pieces. Not every outfit will look good with a crop top, so finding a range of long and short tops is key too. That being said, you might want to find some tank tops in different lengths, as well as ones with sleeves. When buying these basics, remember that you’re going to want to find some comfier tops made out of polyester or cotton. These basic tops should be in neutral colors, such as black, beige and white. These colors will go with almost anything you’d want to build upon. Again, these are just the building blocks to a great wardrobe
When shopping for bottoms, some must-haves include both a pair of black and denim bottoms because they are so versatile.
Another thing to consider is ratio; how will the length of your top look relative to the bottoms you choose? If you’re wearing low-waisted jeans, you might choose a longer top that meets the beginning of the bottom. Alternatively, if you’re wearing high-waisted jeans, you might wear a shorter top. This creates an illusion that your outfit fits together like pieces of a puzzle.
Regardless of how your outfit comes together, it’s important to find a style of bottoms that makes you feel confident and comfortable when you wear it. When it comes to fashion, confidence can be a projection that goes from the outside-in.
Mixing in Some Personality
Once you pick out the bread and butter for the outfit, let’s add some sugar and spice and everything nice with statement pieces. This is where the other 30% of your wardrobe enters the chat. These pieces are unique to your style, whether that’s through color, shape, texture, patterns or whatever makes these pieces stand out from your basics.
Let’s say you’re wearing plain bottoms and would like to opt for a unique top. You can use color or the shape of the top to curate an original look. Whichever top you choose, ask yourself whether it compliments your bottoms while making them look more voguish. A fan-favorite combo is jeans with a babydoll top. A babydoll top is unique in its shape. The shape of the babydoll top gives the outfit a spiffy, yet refined flair.. The idea is the same when wanting to style more unique bottoms. Yes, you may have a basic top on, but with a statement piece, people’s first impression will be your bottoms. And once they look at you as a whole, they see the outfit come together.
How to Find Your Style
Have you ever been scrolling through an online store only to see a piece you convince yourself would pair perfectly with half the items in your closet? Next time this happens, ask yourself whether “ this piece can work as five other outfits. This is the “five outfit rule,” which helps generate the mentality of reusing pieces to create outfits, instead of buying new pieces every time you get bored of your wardrobe. It’s a good way to build a timeless closet and learn what goes with what, so you can efficiently build outfits.
When building an outfit, stay true to yourself. Of course, many want to stay on trend and update their wardrobes with the latest styles. That can be overwhelming and discouraging. So, here is a list of ways to truly find your style coming straight from fashion-forward students around campus.
Jadyn Cohee, a broadcast journalism and sports administration student, said she recommends going on Pinterest as a source of inspiration and organizing different pins to different boards, then finding stores with similar styles that help you express yourself.
“Is it flattering on my body? Does the style compliment me? Do I have enough jewelry on?” said Cohee.
Cohee also said she recommends a pair of quality, black heels.
“They will have so many uses later in life,” she said.
Genesis Pacheco is a legal studies and global business student with a wicked sense of style. She said her first rule for building an outfit is called the pick-and-choose rule.” In other words, pick what part of yourself you’d like to accentuate that day. And, it seems like Pinterest is every diva’s best friend. Pacheco mentions creating a board and finding icons with similar style. At the moment, her favorite influencers are Sophie Richie and Tara Yummy.
One last thing Pacheco mentions is having a good pair of jeans, as they can be dressed up or down and look great no matter what.
It can feel as though there is no time to stress about what you’re going to wear every day, but if you build an effortlessly-timeless wardrobe, you’ll be guaranteed some killer outfits. It’s all about confidence, so take risks and find inspiration to cater your wardrobe to your dream style.
words_erica kong. photo_valentina gomez. design_charlotte deangelis.
This article was published in Distraction’s Spring 2025 print issue.
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