Details

“Luxury is in each detail” –Hubert De Givenchy

People often overlook the details in an outfit that can take it from being so-so to stunning. The key to looking as best as possible is in the details. The biggest thing going into styling an outfit focuses on how the details can enhance it. Some details include the fit of pants, skirts, shoes, shirts, and coats.

Fit in general is considered to be the most important detail when dressing. Vasquez states “if something is too big, small, long, short, or baggy, you run the risk of looking heavier, shorter…” (279). She recommends tossing something that is not able to be altered by a tailor. Shoes should comfortably fit the length of your foot comfortably without improper fitting at the toes, or the back of your feet. If you can fit a finger between the back of your heel and the back of the shoe, the shoe is too large (279). For pants, there are a variety of options available such as wide-leg, boot-cut, flare, straight-leg, skinny, etc. Different shapes suit different type of bodies. “But a good universal cut is one that hugs the hips and then falls straight to the floor, offering a little legroom without creating an overly baggy look” (281). For skirts, there are many types also including mini, pencil, knee-length, maxi, and midi. Specific body types would extremely fit into all these categories. No matter the shape however, skirts should always be well-fitted and comfortable at the waist (284). When choosing shirts, you want to pay attention mostly how the fit is in relation to your arms and waist. “If your arms are short, get sleeves taken up so they don’t puddle; if your arms are extra-long, you may need to get shirts custom-made or roll up sleeves to disguise the length” (286). When choosing coats, you should always make sure there is enough space for the coat to be slightly loose, since you will be wearing layers underneath.

               Using these tips from the author, I decided to apply them how the way I wear my button up shirt as well as my shoes. Before, I used to wear this button up shirt without rolling my sleeves up which would not cover my arms completely making it seem ill-fitted, however using her advice to roll up the sleeves to minimize the length, it makes it seem more professional. As with the shoes, the brown flats look extremely tight on me, I sometimes wear tight-fitting shoes because I never paid attention to how they would really look, but with the same type of shoes that fit me well such as the gray ones, I can see the difference the details for the shoes make in enhancing the outfit.

Which part of your outfit would you most focus on considering details? How can you style something differently detail-wise to enhance your outfit?

Vasquez, Lilliana. The Cheap Chica's Guide to Style. New York: Penguin Group, 2013. Print