Completing an outfit: Where to begin?

Now, let me just start right off the bat and say that I am not a celebrity stylist. I am not a fashion student from FIDM, and I'm most definitely not a professional in the fashion world. But, I am a person with a good eye or at least that's what I'd like to think.

Whenever I have that one pair of shoes or that one amazing graphic hoodie that I've been looking for for months, there does come a time where I have a brain fart when I'm trying to create an outfit in my head. I'm into fashion a lot, hence the reason why I took several fashion classes. So for those of you who might not know what to wear with those pants you've been saving for the right time, or if you just want some outfit ideas, then I got you.

First, look at the article of clothing/accessories that you have and decide if it's bold enough to stand out on its own or if it seems to be like a normal article of choice. If you have something that can stand out in its own way, then you have to decide if you want that item to be the main focal point of your outfit or if you want to go all out from head to toe. If your item isn't as attention-grabbing, then you must decide if you want an item that is bold within your outfit or to keep it simple and clean.

The second thing you need to do, once you've made your decision, is to see what other articles of clothing can best compliment that one item or what articles of clothing can tie the whole look together. If you're having trouble with that too, don't worry, I think I can still help. If you have a general idea or vibe that you're going for, then you're on your way there. All you need to do is think of the colors, silhouette, and accessories.

Colors

Now, colors can be easy to work with if you have a general knowledge of aesthetic colors. I've never used the color wheel method when planning out my outfits, but you can definitely look at that wheel if you're ever trying to figure out if colors like Neon pink and Creamsicle orange go together. You might see an article about it later ;).

For now, if you wanna choose some colors but you're not quite sure, I've got you. There are multiple color trends that you can get inspiration from.

Monochromatic - You can choose one color and have its other shades be part of your outfit.

Or for a bit of differentiation pair it up with black or white.

Analogous Palette - This is the contrast of warm and cool colors. Choose a color out of the 12 on the color wheel. The next 2-3 colors that appear on the left or right side of that color gives you your analogous palette.

Complimentary - On a color wheel of 12 colors, you choose a color of your choice and go directly across the color wheel in a straight line. That color paired up with your color of choice is now part of your complementary palette.

Split Complementary - This is what I call the thin triangle on the color wheel. It's a bit hard to explain, but thank God for pictures. Basically, you choose a color on the wheel (Color A) and go directly across the wheel in a straight line, hitting another color (Color B). The colors that are directly on the left (Color C) and right side (Color D) are the only colors that count in your split complementary palette. This means that colors A, C, and D are the only colors that are now part of your palette.

Triadic Complementary - This is the equilateral triangle on the color wheel. On the 12 color wheel, there are 3 colors that separate each color that is part of the triadic palette. The picture might explain it a bit better.

Tetradic/Double Complementary - This means you have two pairs of complementary colors. Choose one color and go in a straight line to another color. That's your first complimentary pair. Do that again, but this time choose a color that is to the left or right of the first color you chose and go in a straight line again. Now that you have two complementary pairs, you can go along with planning your outfit.

Here's a picture of the color trends, because I know pictures definitely help in this case.

A good tip for quick inspiration, and what isn't as hard as looking at the color wheel, would be to go outside and look at nature. Not just for a breath of air, but to look at the colors that are already in place in nature. These colors are considered to be harmonious in color theory, so you don't have to worry if the colors work. Just walk outside to look at the sunset and garden, or search up your favorite flower and you can go from there.

Silhouette

It does feel good when you've got an outfit that makes you look, and feel, just right. But, before I give out any more info, I would just like to say that if you feel good in a certain dress or pair of pants, then you go out with those clothes on and walk like you're in Milan at Fashion week. Fashion is subjective, so as long as you know how to work those clothes and feel, confident in them, then you go and do you boo! For those who do wish to know about what outlines are traditionally known to go with a specific body type, it's all at this link on theconceptwardrobe.com. The blog has multiple articles on the different body types that exist. But, before listing them down the article also educates individuals on the importance of balance when choosing a silhouette, not so much drawing a lot of attention to what a body type "shouldn't wear". I really like the article, especially since it caters to the audience the right way, so here's the link to theconceptwardrobe.com.

Just know that you can experiment with different silhouettes and see what you feel comfortable in. Since fashion is subjective, experimentation can definitely be called to order. Try out what silhouette you're drawn towards and see how you like it.

Accessories

Now, accessories can be done through various degrees. You can go dainty, or go big and loud. For regular to formal attire, that can be managed here. If you're looking more towards Avant-Garde or Couture, I'll get an article on that soon!

But for accessories, depending on if you have something bold already or not, your accessories can help frame and complete the look.

If you have bold clothing already, it's best you have dainty or simple jewelry that doesn't try to take away the attention of the bold article of clothing. I only say this just in case. Sometimes, it can be a bit scary to use a bold accessory and not know if it works with the outfit. I find that the safe route is to use dainty jewelry that's simple but understated. However, if you're confident about using bold accessories, then you can go ahead and do so. What I do, preferably, is that I use one bold piece and two smaller simple pieces max to complete the look in terms of jewelry. I'm really big on being careful with accessories because typically one can over accessorize when they plan their outfit. It might look nice in general to match a certain aesthetic, but really there's a chance that those accessories can clash with the outfit and make the eye look at too many areas on the body.

Everything should flow if you're not trying to make a look that is editorial or inspired by couture. If you would prefer to have one central focus on a part of your outfit, I find this to be one of the many effective ways one can approach this. For more elaborate outfits, I'll be working on an article that will hopefully give some sort of inspiration for Editorial/Couture looks.

For more detail, I'll probably have articles on each subject to give an in-depth point of view, just in case. But, for now, that's all I got. I'm new, so if it's possible to let me know about the many different opinions on fashion, let me know. The more perspectives that can benefit this side of the internet, the better!