How To Make "Less" Interesting
How To Make “Less” Interesting
Lately, every time I scale back an outfit to a slim blue jean and a plain t-shirt, I feel like I’m calling it boring. At the same time, simplicity in my wardrobe is becoming an increasingly important factor, and so these clashing views butt their heads each morning before work when I try to create an outfit that both simple and eye catching. Read: effortless, but effective.
Minimalism as a lifestyle trend has been going strong for a while now, with voices all over the world encouraging a cull of clutter. Stuff and things have been outlawed, to make room for a much more minimalist approach to life. As with many trends, fashion mirrors the world we live in, I also find that I’m wanting to give my wardrobe a breath of space while still having a visual impact.
So how do you make “less” interesting?
Here are three steps that you can try:
Head to toe colour: Or, more appropriately, head to toe black, white or grey. There’s something very powerful about showing up in all white. For example, match a pair of white wide leg jeans to a plain white tee, and sneakers. Add in an acetate headband to push your street-style agenda, but lose the necklaces. The same goes for head to toe black, with black jeans, black tee and R.M.s. Done.
Play with details: A girl I work with does this incredibly well. A single mum, she shops sparingly and has adopted an amazing colour palette of neutral greys, earth tones and khaki’s. Often, she’s wearing a tonal outfit, usually just a loose t-shirt with trousers. The trick she pulls is that she’ll choose paints with really interesting tailoring - such as double pleats, high and wide waistbands and side tabs. For her, it's all in the details.
Think of Shapes: an oversized or too long item of clothing worn with purpose can make a simple outfit eye-catching. Your average silk striped shirt, two sizes too big, layered underneath a bulky utilitarian coat, will create pops of interest around the sleeve cuffs. Its this contradiction of materials that creates an unusual combination for the eye to follow, and lends a feminine flow to a structured piece.