What Fashion It Girls Do Everyday..

There are girls, all over the world, from all walks of life that have a certain je ne se quois: They know how to dress well & they make it look effortless. I live in New York City, & every once in awhile you see a girl like that: with high heels, sunglasses, hair in an updo & not a strand out of place. While everything is carefully planned, she walks with an air of confidence like she just happened to roll out of bed that way.

I do believe that every well dressed person has some secrets up their sleeves. It doesn’t have to be anything major, but there are tips & tricks to looking well groomed. And the question is, what are they? Here I will list some tips on how to dress like a Fashion It girl!

-Prepare your outfits the night before. If you don’t find joy in getting dressed, you’re missing out on the fun of being a girl! That is, unless you are required to wear a uniform for work / school. The great advantage that we have is that we have so much more to play with than men! What adds to the fun is prepping the night before. I do find that I’m more well prepared on the days I do; & the days I don’t I end up rushing & just throwing things on. It can be a hit or miss sometimes, but the person who plans almost always looks better than the person who didn’t.

-Be well groomed & polished. It may sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised at how many girls just skip this. This means not having dry, peeling skin (or lips), broken nails, or split ends. None of the above are sexy. Not to mention that having well maintained hair, skin, & nails make you look younger. Give yourself that manicure, hair cut, face mask, massage, or whatever it may be to keep yourself well groomed. Not only will you look better, it’s an opportunity to pamper yourself!

-Invest in quality pieces. Sure, there are fashionable women all over the world, who are well off & have wall to wall designer clothes in their closet. Not all of us can be Ivanka Trump, but it doesn’t mean we can’t try! Or at least, get the look for less! Of course, there will always be women who can afford to shop like that, but that doesn’t mean you have to. A real Fashion It girl can rock a dress from H&M look just as good as a dress from Chanel. In this modern day & age, a girl could be wearing a designer jacket, but the white t-shirt she’s got underneath is from Target. And who says you can’t?

The everyday woman usually can’t afford a closet of high end clothes; so what can you buy? You can get designer things in your accessories, from your bag, wallet, a scarf, shoes, etc. They’re small, things you can get a lot of use out of, & that would want to last awhile.

-Utilizing accessories well. I mean just going on beyond putting on shoes. This means wearing statement jewelry, or putting a twist on your accessories. Love pumps? Wear them in an accent color (in contrast to your outfit). Love belts? Wear a lovely statement belt, & keep the rest of the outfit simple. How about boots? Get some strappy booties that let your toes peek out. It’s not only about basic accessories, it’s about taking accessories up a notch; and maybe even let them be the focal point of your outfit.

-Understand proportion. This may sound simple, but important. You’d be surprised at how many women are unaware of it. Too many women wear things that are too long, too short, too small, or too big. As Project Runway’s Tim Gunn once said, “Think of your body in thirds.” The first third being from your shoulders to your waist, the 2nd third is from your waist to your knees, & the last third would be from your knees to your ankles. i.e., What’s the most flattering skirt length? Knee length. It’s short enough to be professional, but not too long that it would make you look short. Usually anything ankle length looks best on taller girls, but I have seen petite women pull them off. And only wear mini skirts, if you have the gams to show off.

-Always wear matching colors. Yes, there are the basics that everyone knows: that black, white, & denim, goes with everything. But do you know what shades of makeup match your outfit? In terms of makeup, when in doubt, stick to nudes: for they match almost all skin tones & definitely all outfits!

There was a popular trend that started a couple years ago, where they featured mixing prints at Fashion Week; meaning that you would wear different prints on top & on the bottom. It is a hard trend to pull off; the easiest way is to stick to prints in the same color story. i.e. a black & white print easily matches with another black & white print. It’s a styling challenge; are you up for it?

Colors that clash? Think complementary colors. Without having studied color theory, complementary colors always cancel each other out. Popular ones are i.e. red & green, blue & orange, etc. In my opinion, complementary colors always clash. Don’t wear complementary colors together. Don’t know what they are? Check out the chart above, for the colors on opposite ends are the ones that complement each other.

-Always check your look head to toe, before you walk out the door. Always have a full length mirror. I honestly don’t know what I would do without one. When you don’t have one, you end up just gazing at yourself in bathroom mirror wondering if the bottom half of you looks good. I remember when I first started living with my husband (at the time boyfriend), we didn’t have one initially. (I get aggravated just thinking about it!) When I left the house, I would look at my reflection in store windows as I walked down the street, to see if I looked OK. This not only comes in handy before you leave the house, but it’s also great for when you’re planning the next day, as well as when you’re trying on new clothes! I don’t know about you, but at the time it really bothered me that I couldn’t see the whole picture but other people could.

-Lastly, wear some makeup. And I don’t mean paint on your face. (There are girls who do that too!) I think it’s become common courtesy for women to wear some makeup every day. Whether your staple is eyeliner, or lipstick, put it on! You’d be surprised how a small touch can affect people, most importantly at work, and to men! You know that saying, “Love strikes when you least expect it”? Don’t you want to increase your chances of meeting Mr. Right by looking your best?

I could make this list longer, but these are the fundamentals of looking good & dressing well. Not a Fashion It girl? That doesn’t mean you can’t try!