Shopping your closet: 5 major style rules to follow

Here’s what I follow as general style rules:

1. The shorter the skirt, the lower the heel should be
2. The louder the piece, the more neutral the rest of the outfit should be
3. Tight things need to be paired with baggier items so you don’t look like a stuffed sausage or a bag lady
4. The longer the sleeve the shorter your skirt should be
5. Don’t buy the size you wish you want to be, buy what fits regardless of the size and snip the labels if you must

As usual, there are always exceptions to the rule, like this outfit below that I’d never wear, but love:

I like it because it is perfectly balanced:

• it plays with bagginess up top and something tighter on the bottom
• the colours flow together with no one colour being horribly out of place (no neon pink for instance)
• great textures with the (hopefully) faux fur and the smooth look of the blazer
• the perfect tension between something luxe (the faux fur) with something preppy (the blazer) and bohemian (scarves)
• the mix between the patterns in the scarves that go together without having to match perfectly

While I won’t wear that exact outfit, I will take elements I like and create my own version of it, perhaps an interesting scarf with a blazer and an interesting top underneath.

In the end, the ultimate rule is whenever I think of outfits, I think: Does this look balanced? Do I look like a hot mess, or am I in a suitably eclectic and colourful outfit?

If I look in the mirror and my eye darts all over the place from my necklace, to my shoes, to my shirt, then I know it’s too much.

It gets easier as you practice putting items together. Soon, you’ll do it without thinking.

You can read more of the Shopping Your Closet series posts here.