How to Elevate an Outfit: 3 Easy Fashion Hacks

1. Proportions

In this stylish outfit, my goal is to highlight the importance of proportion. Start by determining where you can afford to go big – for me, that’s my smaller, upper body.

This is an oversized look all around. I would wear this at certain times, but I’m careful about overdoing the baggy look, because it makes me look bigger than I actually am.

Here, I’ve changed the pants to a pair that’s slightly more fitted to help balance the proportions.

Next, I tucked in my shirt to draw attention to my waist and elongate my legs.

Another way to elevate the outfit is to show some skin by rolling up your sleeves in an elegant way.

I also made the swap for a more fitted blazer and put my hair back for a cleaner look with the turtleneck:

I’ve added a touch of feminine sophistication with these pointed-toe slingback sandals:

Swapping the turtleneck for a V-neck creates more visual space around my neck, and the V draws the eye down an invisible line that makes me look leaner. 

I chose pants that were even more fitted and suddenly I appeared skinnier and taller.

If you have a short torso, this won’t be the effect.

Instead, you’ll want to move the waistline slightly downward by untucking your top or wearing a mid-rise pants.

Looking at all versions together, the 1st, looser option I see some women can pull off while the 2nd and 3rd are more polished. 

2. Raising the visual line

To start off, I’m wearing a fitted blazer with a baggy button-down and loose pants that are lower than I usually would.

The first thing I’d change is to swap the blazer for a looser one.

Then I’d raise my pants to the narrowest point of my waist while adjusting the bottom hems to show off the narrowest part of my legs.

It feels intentionally cool while showcasing those slivers of skin.

I’ve opted for a more fitted top underneath the blazer for the right balance.

My fashion hack to make it look like your clothes were tailor-made for you is to wear your actual size and place volume only where you lack it. 

Rolling up your sleeves to the thinnest part of your arms and unbuttoning to create a V-neck effect is slimming and flattering.

This drop-shoulder blazer has the shoulders in line with my hips, which in turn deemphasizes them. 

With just a few small tweaks between these 2 looks, the 2nd modern outfit looks more elevated:

3. Contrast

If you have wider shoulders than your hips, it’s most flattering to wear a dark top paired with a lighter bottom.

I’m counterbalancing the volume of the pants with the shoulder pads.

It’s contrast like this that gives overall balance to this comfortable, stylish outfit.

I’ve swapped the square toe for something slicker to stretch everything out in an appealing way. 

Adding a long necklace has the effect of elongating the neck. This works especially well on a bustier figure.

Allow it to end at your narrowest point to help draw the eye for the illusion of a long, vertical line.

Here are the looks, side-by-side. They are similar but a few clever tweaks make the look on the right look more purposely put together.

Coupled with a tailored blazer, the look showcases a beautiful, hourglass silhouette with the blazer hitting the narrowest part of the leg:

How to elevate an outfit 

I hope these tricks will help you look at your clothes with a critical eye to help you elevate your outfits. Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this post.

Next, check out 7 of the hottest 2024 fashion trends.