Every fashionable woman wants to look effortlessly stylish. If that is you, you are lucky. This post explains the meaning of effortlessly stylish including the difference to looking cool and the common goals of the two: looking your best. It reveals the secrets to look effortlessly chic starting from the Must-Have clothing over how to shop for the right clothes for your personal style, body shape, skin and hair to adopting trends. The secrets encompass tips how to create cool outfits, accessorize, and get inspired. Finally, the post addresses grooming and what to avoid. Enjoy this list often overlooked ways to look your best every day with some efforts.
What Is the Meaning of Effortlessly Stylish?
The meaning refers to an uncontrived, unfussy, simple, comfortable, not constricted outfit.
What’s the Difference between Effortlessly Chic and Looking Cool?
There is a distinct difference between looking effortlessly chic and looking cool. The latter is about getting the je ne sais quoi? right, i.e., the one odd, weird out of context, but hard to define touch. The essence of a French woman look.
How to Look Effortlessly Stylish Every Day?
Effortlessly stylish is a contradiction in terms. You can’t look stylish without putting in the effort to look chic or stylish. If you don’t put in the effort, you will look like exactly that “effortless”, i.e., like not trying at all. So, is looking effortlessly chic or stylish a bad thing? No, not at all! On the contrary, the term “effortlessly chic” or “effortlessly stylish” means that you try hard, but your look doesn’t look like being forced or like you tried too hard.
Fact: Looking effortlessly stylish takes effort.
What Are the Secrets of Style?
There is no need to worry about whether you want to look effortlessly chic/stylish or whether you want to look cool. Why? Because both have many things in common. In the end, it all nails down to dressing your best.
Here are 41 secrets to dress your best.
Secrets of Effortless Style: Clothing
- All clothing has functional cuts and designs without awkward bumps and bulks.
- Skirts end slightly above the knee when you have great legs, around the knees otherwise.
- Clothing takes your body shape in mind: no cap sleeves for heavy arms; no midi skirt hem or boots ending at the widest point of your calves.
- Classic pieces like cashmere sweaters, a shirt dresses, trench coat, car coat or pea coats are investments.
- A crisp tailored white button-down shirt is a Must-Have.
What Clothes to Buy for Effortlessly Cool Style?
- Buy only clothes that you can’t wait to wear.
- Never buy an item just because it is a high-end brand and on sale. If it is not your style or doesn’t fit, it will just take up real estate in your closet. Consequently, the piece will not be a bargain.
- Always buy for the body you have, not the body you want to have in half-a-year from now after loosing weight.
- Before you buy an item, think of at least three outfits that you can create with the potential item with what you already own.
- Fit is everything. Size is just a number. Go for fit, not for the smaller size tag.
- Have a great tailor on speed dial.
- Be befriended with a sales person to get notified when new merchandise comes in that you may like or when things go on sale.
Secrets How to Create Effortlessly Chic Outfits
- Have an inspiration board. It can be an actual board in your closet or a folder on your digital device. Add things you like, visit the board for inspiration. Analyze what the non-outfit items tell you about your style preferences.
- Create a photo lookbook to have outfits ready when in a hurry.
- Add at least one unexpected or surprising accessory, e.g., killer heels, cool watch, bold bag, interesting belt.
- Dress for the life you live, not the life you dream of.
- Layer for style, not only for thermal comfort in winter.
- Know what works for you and stick to it.
- Know which colors flatter you.
- Don’t wear the Pantone color of the year when it fails to flatter you. Instead fake wearing the Pantone colors with similar colors of your personal color palette.
- Focus every outfit around one key item.
- Be unpredictable, i.e., never wear the same outfit twice. You can repeat the outfit recipe, but use different pieces each time.
- Have the right attitude: be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
- Master the proportions: Try long-over-short, short-over-long.
- Take a selfie before you leave the door. When you don’t love what you see, adjust the look.
- Never wear one designer head-to-toe.
- Wear black with brown, navy with black, so chic.
- Take a look at my style recipe book for inspiration what to wear when.
How to Have Effortless Beauty
- Aim for a barely there natural makeup.
- Pay attention to grooming: nails, hair, roots, facial hair, armpits, legs, eyebrows, skin, makeup.
Secrets of Accessorizing for an Enviable Look
- Finish every outfit with a great pair of shoes.
- Ensure your shoes are polished and have intact heels.
- Mix silver and gold in one outfit. So chic.
- Mix expensive with cheap items.
- Accessorize your outerwear as well. In winter, it may be the first a new to you person sees you in.
- Avoid over-bling with jewelry. There is no need to compete with the Christmas tree!
- Add a pop of color to an all neutral outfit with a silk scarf, statement necklace, large watch, belt or the shoes.
What to Avoid
Every season there are many ugly trends that ruin your style. To have effortlessly chic style
- Don’t wear too many trends at once.
- Be selective on which trends you adopt in a season. Ask yourself whether the trend will look plain ridiculous in a decade from now. If you would be embarrassed, skip the trend.
- Stay away from neon colors.
- Don’t be a copy cat. It is great practice to adopt outfit and styling ideas, but wear it your way, not one-to-one. Every copy machine can do that better. An outfit that looks great on your friend may be so wrong for you because your body shape, skin undertones, lifestyles, characters, etc. differ. Only adopt what works for you and add your personal twist.
Photo of post banner: AllaSerebrina. Source: depositphotos.com
Photos of me: G. Kramm
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