How to spice up any outfit

It’s all in the details. That definitely holds true for creating a great and interesting outfit. When it comes to accessorizing my outfits I go through phases. One month I’m piling on the rings and bracelets, another I go easy on the jewelry and opt to accessorize by wearing a crazy pair of shoes, a detailed blouse or I simply use my make up look to vamp things up a bit. A thought through outfit, however, doesn’t just have that bit of va-va-voom, but it is pulled together, practical and has at least one interesting thing going on. Here are some tips I use to add some oomph to my outfits.

Mint green shirt with lace peter pan collar and metal buttons (Forever 21)
Neon espadrille sneakers (H&M)
Black leather belt (My mom)

The belt

I use belts not to hold up my pants, but mostly when I’m wearing dresses (and I wear them quite a lot). When I’m wearing a black and white dress, a fun, colored belt can add that bit of interest or when I coordinate with my shoes or lipstick can tie the look together. Moreover, it adds texture and singes in your waist. That extra allusion of an accentuated waistline can make your look go from frumpy to vampy.

The color pop

Adding a bit of color can lift any outfit. So don’t be shy and steer away from safe blacks, blues, whites and greys and make sure you own a few items that bring some color to your wardrobe. Belts, shoes, jackets, accessories and nail polish are quite possibly the easiest ways to add some color to your look. But, if you dare, you do things the other way round and wear a bright colored dress, pants or shirt and style those with neutrals to make sure that one item stands out.

The button down shirt

To me, button down shirts can be a life saver. They can be plain and simple in black or white and thus go with everything. Or they can be done in bright colors and bold patterns. Add in some fun details, such as different collar shapes (sharp and pointed vs soft rounded peter pan styles), jewels, pockets, or interesting buttons and you have an item that will bring your outfit to life in one easy breezy step. Plus a button down shirt can be worn in different ways: buttoned up all the way up for a hint of prep and that ‘je ne sais quoi’ effortless look, or you can wear it loose and flowy for that just out of bed casualness. The choice is yours.

The shoe

I like adding a good shoe to any outfit I wear. If you saw my shoe collection from a few weeks ago, you’ll know that I’m a bit of a shoe freak. My key to picking the right shoe is to sometimes change things up. If I’m stuck on my shoe choice, I will simply got for the opposite of what would be the norm. So I put sneakers with a pencil skirt for a sporty vibe, brogues with a dress for a touch of androgyny and heels with a pant when I want to go for powerful female.

The texture

What truly makes or breaks an outfit is texture. You can play around endlessly with layers and combining different types of fabrics and textures to create the perfect look. It’s why I love a good cardigan. They are less sleek than a blazer and add some flow and texture to any outfit. Luckily I live in a country where cardigans can be worn pretty much year round and so this comes in handy. I wear my cardigans (from thin short sleeved button ups to thick fluffy teddy bear style cardigans) with dresses, skirts and shirts, pants and anything else you might possibly fathom.

How do you spice up your outfits?