Belts are one of the accessories that is highly underestimated! They can bring so much flavour to the look and make the outfits look more polished, structured and refined!

Even if it is just a black belt paired with a pair of black jeans, it immediately creates an element of interest. You can make that focal point subtle or make it stand out. The options are plentiful!

How can you wear a belt besides the obvious combinations with jeans?

• team it with all trousers that have belt loops
• wear it over a blazer, a chunky cardigan, a coat or a waistcoat
• belt your dresses and skirts
• team it with an elogated jumper or a jumper dress

There are also lots of creative ways of tying a belt and that little trick alone can make your look more interesting. Remember – style is in the detail and a belt is the kind of detail that can work in any look.

What colour to choose depends on your wardrobe’s colour palette, but having a dark neutral (black, brown) and a light neutral (beige, light tan, nude, cream, grey) will give you a solid start. 

Aim for 1-2 inch width as they work the best. Skinny belts can often look cheap and only work on fine fabrics. 

If you are buying a new belt, make sure that it can be worn with jeans/trousers, but can also be cinching in the waist on dresses, skirts and blazers.

If this is an accessory that you only considered for practical purposes, definitely bring it into your wardrobe for style purposes as well!

Sport chic is a slow trend that has been around for a good few years and sneakers have become a solid must-have staple.

They are a very obvious combination with jeans but actually can be styled with virtually anything.

The key to having this kind of versatility is to go for a pair that doesn’t look like gym trainers. White sneakers are the most practical in this sense.

You can team them with anything – skirts, girlie dresses, tailored trousers and even suits. They bring in a relaxed feel into the overall look and dress it down with a cool, edgy and youthfull vibe. This is one of the easiest ways of making a dressy-ish item feel more casual.

One little tip – hide the shoe laces. This will make the trainers look neater and more streamlined, especially if you are pairing them with tailored or dressy garments.

If you own a pair already, go and see for yourself – pull out any look and team it with trainers. In 9 out of 10 times it will work effortlessly and give you a new fresh combination.

You can get wear out of your work and dressy-ish clothes this way, giving your clothes even more functionality and practicality!

Monochrome is one of the biggest trends this season and the kind of a trend I love – it will never go out of fashion.

Why?

Because it’s simply a way of putting colours together and approaches like that never date.

What is a monochromatic combination?

It’s co-ordinating colours from one colour family. You take different shades of the same colour and put them in one ensemble.

It could be several different shades or the same colour head to toe.

Which one to choose?

Whichever one creates the right vibe for you.

Using a few different shades, for example, lighter and darker ones, breaks up the outfit a bit and tones it down.

On the other hand, there is a big difference between taking bright pink head-to-toe or deep burgundy. Obviously, burgundy will look a lot more subtle.

What colours to co-ordinate depends on your own tolerance of colour. For some people wearing a coloured bag is already a big step out of the comfort zone, while others can wear orange head-to-toe and feel completely comfortable.

Play around with the contents of your wardrobe. Take out all items of the same colour family, for instance, all shades of red or blue you own, and then see if you can find a combination of bottoms, top and, perhaps, an outer layering piece like a blazer or a coat.

Accessories can be from the same colour family or any other colour.

Monochromatic outfits look very chic and are a great way of wearing colour head-to-toe if you go for darker versions of the colour, or the opposite, the light and muted tones.

So this is definitely an approach I would highly encourage you to experiment with!

This is an advanced styling trick, but if you learn how to do it, it will open completely new horizons for your wardrobe!

What is the advantage of layering?

It creates an outfit with a lot of elements that makes it interesting even if every element is very basic on its own.

It’s like a bouquet effect. Take one tulip and as pretty as it is, it looks bland and barely noticeable on its own. But put a bunch of them together and it’s a totally different story! They become a centre piece and have a totally different look!

Layering has the same effect. You combine a variety of different elements to make the look more interesting.

Layering mostly happens in the top part so it’s about mixing a few different pieces in the torso area. You can do it wih smart casual and casul looks, but it doesn’t work for smart looks like tailored workwear. But for cool weekend or smart casual work ensembles, it’s a great option!

Here are some ideas to keep your creative flow going:

• a t-shirt with a print or stripes + a soft shirt (denim or check) + a hoodie/utility jacket/cardigan/blazer/coat
• a shirt with collar + a jumper + a blazer/chunky cardigan
• a rollneck inside of a collared shirt + a blazer
• a rollneck + a dress
• a silky cami + half-buttoned blouse + a blazer

You can start with an outer layer piece like a blazer or cardigan and work your way in, or start with a camisole/t-shirt/shirt and keep adding layers.

The combinations are endless so play around with what you have. Team it all with jeans to start with as jeans can handle pretty much any combination on the top. Once you get more confident, you can start experimenting with other bottoms. 

The most important part is to have fun! It’s a creative process that will really help you to start exercising your styling muscles!

Put these styling tricks to test and I’ll see you tomorrow in Part 3!