      ✉

10 Ways to be Unique with your Fashion Wardrobe

10 WAYS TO BE UNIQUE WITH YOUR FASHION WARDROBE

Being unique and creative with your fashion wardrobe is a must for individual style, as this will accentuate your personality and in turn make you feel more comfortable with the amazing person you are. Each one of us is a unique being, with different features to which certain colours, styles and even fabrics will favour. You do not need a fashion stylist, catwalk shows, fashion magazines or the various fashion weeks to set perfect trends for you. Just being a little creative with clothing will provide you with a wardrobe envied by others, and which will give you tonnes of confidence knowing you created these personal styles.

The fashion industry, including those fashion shows in New York, London and Paris, the fashion magazines and even High Street, are all part of a multi-billion pound industry. Fashion designers are merely being creative when they compose new collections and seasons of clothing. Each one of us is born with creativity in-built to us, most never really explore this or exploit it like these fashion designers, artists, musicians, architects and other creatives.

Time to 'buck this trend' and take ownership of your wardrobe and its contents. Simply put you can style your own wardrobe starting today.

Take Control of your Wardrobe

Some women wear as less as 20% of the clothing in their wardrobe. Just a thought, but if you don’t like the rest of the clothes in your wardrobe, please, be ethical and donate or sell them, make room for other clothing you like or you think that suits you best. You need to appreciate that to be fashionable with your wardrobe, you just need to be creative. Here is a list that will help put you through.

1. USE A SEAMSTRESS

Many women are reluctant to have their clothes tailored. This is a mistake as most women have the preconception that sewing is expensive. However, like most tasks you can shop around and will usually be able to find someone in your price range. Firstly to note, that having properly fitted clothing makes a hell of a lot of difference in the look. It is a well-known fact for example that most women wear the wrong sized bra for many periods of their lives. Personal stylists will always have tailors or seamstresses available to tweak clothing to make them rock. Just image the clothing industry is catering for the whole population, and not just you. Realistically, what are the chances of even one piece of clothing fitting you perfectly.

Designers have the luxury of putting clothing on models that have a specific size and shape. The average woman has a lot more average measurements, so clothing is rarely a perfect fit right on the shelf. A dress that does not fit your size or a pair of pants that are too long can make even expensive clothes look cheap and uncool. By investing a small amount in making adjustments, your clothing fits your body better, which automatically creates a higher quality feel.

One last point to note is to be higher quality items too, as you must take into account the cost benefit of tailoring clothes. Certain items can be 'forever fashion', like a stunning little black dress, which can be accessorized to appear different at different events or occasions. Choose well in terms of fabric, as certain fabrics like silk have natural longevity. You would not want to adjust an item of clothing where the fabric was likely to colour fade or disintergrate after a short period of ownership.

2. SELL

You have to get used to continually cleaning your closet and taking items to a consignment store or clothing bank. Your wardrobe can be updated constantly without having to spend a lot of money, simply because most of the budget for the clothing can be derived from selling on clothing. The buy and sell business can raise funds in a two-way motion, as you can also buy trendy, designer pieces form charity shops. There is a frugal secret in that if you buy items at goodwill or second-hand stores, you can probably sell a year later at a profit.

It may be more prudent to use an online auction service, like eBay, if you have expensive or designer pieces to sell. This will eliminate some of the stress in obtaining the best price, or setting a minimum selling price.

3. CARE PROPERLY FOR YOUR CLOTHES

Most people literally regard clothing as 'fast fashion', sadly with the ease of low cost purchase power, most do not 'care' for their clothing. The law requires that clothing has labels with fabric composition and care instructions. Of course time is precious, but so too are your clothes, and appearance is everything in the current visual world. Care instructions must be followed to ensure the longevity of your fashion collection. Fading, wrinkles, and contraction are all telltale signs of cheap clothing. However, you can fool all the people all the time by taking care of all your clothes. Always check your clothing labels on how to best treat your clothes so that they stay crisp, shiny and expensive. This may seem common sense but try to use good quality detergents and conditioners, as cheap always produces cheap results.

4. MAKE A FASHION LOOK BOOK

Admittedly, it can be challenging task to put clothes together, so invite a friend with a keen fashion sense to review your closet. The best way to do this task, with actual dressing up, is to produce your own fashion look book Example: tight jeans, cowboy boots, brown tank top, Guatemala belt, khaki jacket, turquoise jewellery. Select outfits with specific accessories, or even draw them in to check for shapes and colour.

A look book is a great way to promote recycling of fashion, as often visually we can see better the way to style an item, or which colours will accentuate a fashion piece. It is portable too, so you could take your look book with you on shopping trips. This would allow you to access your wardrobe to make more informed choices about accessories, and ensure avoid duplications of similar items. We must all do our part to be ethical about fashion, and this little tactic will give you a head start.

5. CUSTOMIZE YOUR CLOTHING

We are all used to shopping for clothes off the rack, but how many times has it not been quite the right colour or size that you want. Truth is - we usually settle for what is available, rather than creating a custom item to suit our needs. Sometimes a dress could be longer, the sleeves are a bit short, or the pants are a bit too light. We have all had these feelings and often bought the clothes anyway because it is passable. Why settle for it? When you turn to custom clothing, you get the opportunity to specify exactly what you want, from your choice of colours to buttons, fabrics and so on. Be creative and let your imagination go crazy!

It is much more gratifying to wear something just for you, rather than wearing something that could be for anyone. This is why we appreciate designer clothing as it is exclusive and limited in quantity. Customization provides the ultimate exclusivity, and imagine when someone gingerly approaches you, asking where you purchased that item. You would confidently turn and say 'I'm so sorry - it was made specifically for me, so you won't be able to get it in a shop."

6. IGNORE THE FASHION TRENDS

This is one habit we must erase, as we are unique beings so using imagination and creativity we can set our own fashion trends. One thing about trends is that, over time, they will decline in the same place "Hammer Trousers" and butterfly hair clips went dead. If you really want to make your clothes more expensive, focus on buying classic pieces that never go out of style. The same goes for 'forever fashion', as certain items, like silk scarves are timeless. Skip the trends, and you can avoid spending money on cheap imitations of the so-called trends; and instead focus on clothing your budget can afford which is always up to date and well done.

7. GROOMING IS A MUST

You would not dream of getting dressed for your wedding, without first grooming and pampering your body, before donning that expensive dress or outfit. If you really want to make your clothes expensive, make sure the rest of your look is well to do. It is much easier to make clothing looks a million dollars if combined with a flawless manicure with a stylish, clean, neutral make-up. You do not have to see your hairdresser every day to make sure you have a million dollar look. Instead, it is a neat and classic aesthetic: it is quite difficult to look expensive with a ton of turquoise eye lids and anyhow colour of manicure modes. Instead, go for the neutral colours and remember that a well made beige manicure surpasses a failed design any day, no matter how expensive your clothes are. A classic look never goes out of style.

Grooming is a holistic affair, so this includes underwear too. Many people neglect this, believing it is concealed and does not matter. This is a fallacy as often under garments impact the look of the clothing over them. Wearing a poorly fitted bra or the wrong coloured under garment can completely alter the sophisticated and elegant style you seek to achieve. Just remember to dress to impress from inside out!

8. USE OF ACCESSORIES

Try to always make use of accessories when dressing up. Accessories give even a basic outfit a spectacular look. They are also ideal for testing a trend without having to spend a large amount of money on something that could go out of style soon. A good rule of thumb for buying expensive looking accessories is to go for something that is not too obviously fake. A huge necklace of cheap gemstones would be out of their price range if made of real diamonds, but a good pair of cubic zircona earrings are more realistic, and they have a more expensive look when they are used because they are obviously not fake.

It is always wise to buy accessories which are timeless, like a silk scarf or gold diamanté earrings. Make sure you know your colour tones and buy accessories which compliment you. Another great tip is to keep accessories in one place, matched by colours if you have the space. This is perfect when trying to find something to dress up an outfit.

9. QUALITY OF CLOTHES

Do remember when bargain hunting to first examine the item for parts which may fail in time, like buttons and zippers. Even cheap clothes must have a solid work quality, or you risk ruined clothing, sagging heels and thread loose. Always check the attachments first: Is the zipper closing freely? Are the buttons and thread loose? Then check the stitching of the clothes from the holes and loose threads as well, which are signs that the garment is of low work quality and will probably get worn out quickly or lose its shape.

Choose the best quality that you can afford, but remember that some parts even though fragile could offer and opportunity for creative customization, like buttons and closures. You could upgrade an item by adding expensive buttons for example, whilst creating a unique fashion piece.

Sometimes an item of relatively low quality, can be upgraded with the addition of other fabrics, like voile, silk or lace. An example of this is simple cotton vests, which are great in the summer, but a bit exposed in the autumn or winter. You could add sleeves made of luxury lace or voile to make this item classy and stylish. Transforming it to an evening or daytime wearable fashion item.

10. GO MONOCHROMATIC

A sure way to look cheap is to accumulate in a ton of different colours and patterns. While you certainly love a touch of colour, use of monochrome from head to toe creates an idea of quality. You do not have to wear black from head to toe, but clothes made of different shades of grey appear sophisticated and expensive.

The main point here is to be different, and black with white, or even fifty shades of grey, can add add an air of sophistication. Colour is great but like all things, is best applied in moderation.

~~~

If you have enjoyed this article about fashion, maybe take a read of these similar articles:

13 Exquisite Ways to Wear a Luxury Silk Scarf

How to be a Fashion Trendsetter