Picture this: it’s a Monday (or a Tuesday or a dreaded hump day) morning and you don’t have one iota of creative energy to devise a cute outfit. So you stick with your stand-by’s: Navy blazer - check! White blouse - check! Washed blue jeans - your office is essentially business casual, so check! Nude shoes (the ones that all your style gurus say go with anything) - check! And your brown bag - good to go, right? But then you look in the mirror and remember that you’re meeting the COO (or presenting to your team or have a lunch date) and you’d like to make more of an impression than a navy blazer/white blouse/jeans combo can. So what’s the one thing that you can do to appropriately ‘up level’ your outfit?
Here’s the single step trick: upgrade just one item in your outfit to elevate your entire look.
Any time you want to up level your look in general, you should think of four things: pattern, texture, color and shine - add these to your outfit for interest, dimension and a dose of pizzazz (just like they said on What Not to Wear!).
And for a one step solution, just pick one.
Start with this, and then...
Trade in your safe and boring white blouse for a printed one.
Or grab a richly textured tweed blazer instead of basic navy.
Or go for a pop of pink pants in place of your everyday denim (read this for other ways to wear a pop color).
And if you’re willing to try a two step trick (that doesn’t require changing your clothes!), elevate two of your accessories to add impact to your look. And then click here to see 3 outfits I took from drab to fab with a simple change of accessories.
A combination of color and print (via a striped scarf and patchwork bag) make this outfit oh so memorable.
A layered necklace and subtly studded booties add texture and shine that express true style savvy.
What’s your favorite way to up level your look??
If you’re looking to up level your look on a regular basis (but you aren’t sure where to start) follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily style inspiration, and subscribe to Style Mail - twice a month style inspiration sent directly to your inbox.
All clothing and accessories by Banana Republic except for: nude heels by Sam Edelman, tweed jacket by Rebecca Taylor, patchwork bag by Rebecca Minkoff, layered necklace by Lafayette 148 New York, studded booties by Vince Camuto.