4 Easy Style Hacks For When Your Outfit Isn't Working

1. Steam or iron it

Fabric that’s just been steamed or ironed often falls more nicely and looks better on your body, even if you do nothing else. It will also give you a better sense of what it’s supposed to look like.

Taking a garment that’s been crushed in your closet or a drawer and wearing it without ironing pretty much guarantees it won’t look as good as it could or as you want it to.

Even if you don’t enjoy ironing - I actually find it therapeutic - at least give it a try and see how much of a difference it makes.

2. It’s all about the fit

Look at the garment dispassionately. Are there places where it’s too loose or too tight? Is the waistband in the wrong place for you? Are the buttons gaping open?

Focus on how you like your clothes to fit. There’s no “one size fits all” rule. Decide where you land on the spectrum of oversized versus super tight fit and from there you can figure out what’s wrong with the fit of this particular item of clothing.

I’d also challenge the idea that clothing always has to be “flattering”, for example make us look thinner or taller or meet someone else’s specification of how a body “should” look. 

Of course you want to feel good in your clothes and enjoy wearing them. But first understand both your body and how you want to look in your clothes, then work towards that.

3. Think about proportions

This part is probably the hardest to nail down or even visualize in your head. You need to try things on and switch them around until you get a result that feels and looks good.

Like fit, it’s important to understand how you like to play with proportions. Do you like your clothes to look more dramatic and oversized, or do you prefer something more balanced?

There’s no right or wrong answer. You just need to know what you want the final result to look like before you start tweaking.

The issue might not be with the garment itself but with, for example, the waistline of the trousers you paired it with, or the hemline of the skirt you’re working with. 

It does take time so if you possibly can, try and spend even 10 minutes the night before planning your outfit for the next day. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration with your clothes.

4. Just give it a tweak

It almost never happens to me that I throw something on and it falls perfectly and looks amazing the instant I put it on.

Tuck it in, roll up the sleeves, change your shoes, add a belt - small tweaks can make a huge difference.

Maybe there are certain tweaks that you find yourself making over and over again. They can become part of your signature style.

The more you repeat them the more you’ll come into your own style, which in turn can make you feel so much more confident about your clothing choices.

Style hacks 

With all these style hacks remember - there is never anything wrong with your body! Your body is perfect. It’s the clothing that doesn’t suit you or fit you properly.

I hope these ideas will help you get the most out of the clothes you already have and give you some pointers to what to look for when you’re shopping.