- Repeating the elements of yourself over and over in different ways in your outfit will create a really harmonious appearance. How can you do this?
- Repeat the texture of your hair.
- Repeat the texture of your skin.
- Repeat the element of matte/sheen or shine that you have in your hair and skin.
- Repeat your colouring in your outfit. Wear your eye colour, hair colour and lip colour in garments or outfits.
- Repeat your natural contrast levels, both value and colour contrast.
- Use your defining features to create harmony with your accessories and the detail and patterns in your clothing.
- If you’re curvy and cushioned choose soft draping fabrics. If you’re hard and muscly, choose stiffer fabrics.
- Repeat the scale of your features in the scale of details and accessories.
- Got a straight shaped body with an undefined waist? Then look for straighter more vertical clothing lines.
- If you’re curvy and more feminine in your body shape, then look for clothes that curve with your body, following the lines.
- And most importantly, harmonise your outfit with your personality to feel and look confident and fabulous.
There are just so many ways to repeat elements of your physical appearance in your clothing and accessories and you really don’t have to look hard to find them!
Read about why this outfit is in harmony with my style here
Take Action:
Note down what you notice about your face and body. Are you seeing more angles or curves? Or are you a combination of the two?
Discover your colour and value contrast then go and play in your wardrobe creating outfits that reflect your natural contrast levels.
Decide if you are overall more textured or smooth, notice if your favourite outfits are in harmony (I can guess they most likely are!)
Figure out if you are more matte, have some sheen or are shiny and choose to wear accessories that reflect this element of you.
Join 7 Steps to Style and really understand how to enhance your natural features and discover your personality style for the best impact.
Further Reading:
Check out Fake Fabulous for great ideas on how to mix colours and textures when you naturally have high colour contrast as Samantha does.
Get to grips with working with your colour and value contrast.
Be inspired how Elegantly Dressed and Stylish wears a lace detail skirt that harmonises with her textured hair and patterned skin so beautifully.
See how Bag and a Beret expresses her personality style through her outfits.
Notice how the fabric texture Ashley Rose chooses and the scale of her bag repeat her own features and proportions.
Use your features as elements in clothing and accessories… It all makes such good sense. I think I might have done this inadvertently in the past, but to be really aware of this idea when shopping may save quite a few buying errors. No more buying things because they look nice on an ideal version of myself i.e. that my eyes are more blue than hazel. ?
Imogen,
You always do such a great job on your videos. Thank you for all the work that goes into them, and into your blog posts that we all get to enjoy FOR FREE! You continue to make buying clothes and getting dressed with confidence so much easier for me. Thank you!
Such good advice!
Just clicked on the link to hair texture and you look amazing with non-straight hair (I know you said that you felt messy), but just had to share my view. (obviously you look great with smooth hair too, but I think wavy just adds interest and drama)
what’s the best texture to wear for semi-long/long hair with loose waves at the end and smooth on top/ at the roots?
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a7/6e/87/a76e87a065fd5a28b3a13149cbb58bd0.jpg
Anything with a little texture – it’s smoothish hair, or just patterns with waves or curves.
What about sunglasses? It seems like this is the one thing where one wears the opposite. For example, someone with a round face will not look good with round sunglasses. Another example: when you have broad shoulders, you draw an opposite line with a raglan sleeve.
How do you know when to repeat what you have and when to balance it out with an opposite?
Great question Jill! I’ve wondered the same thing – when to repeat shapes and lines, and when to do the opposite.
maybe we repeat lines when we want to draw attention to, and do opposite when we want to minimize?
The opposite can be more dramatic, or it can also sometimes look unrelated.
That’s likely to work after lots of practise and research but why did women then in ancient Egypt look so sexy in sheer gauzy linen with enormously textured hair or Liz Taylor for example look so good in smooth, textured, sheen and non sheen?
If anyone has the time to consume on so much theory their natural looks will diminish by the time they’re mastered it and they’ll to start all over again. There must be a simpler way to get dressed. Natural beauty doesn’t require so much science.
I love all of your little informative videos— I am looking for examples. I am short and curvy and I am trying to figure out how to dress the best for my body to look and feel good all of the time.
Lots of petite tips in these posts to help you https://insideoutstyleblog.com/?s=petite