Have you ever looked at a full closet and still not known what to wear for your outing? We’ve all been there. However, to a large extent, I find that knowing what to wear is a function of experience. So, if you are young and coming up, you’d better listen.

Yeah, there are a few people who seem talented and just know how to put it together right off the bat. But I can tell you most of these people either grew up watching a good example or learned the basic principles when they were younger.

As tricky as it can be, it gives you an air of confidence when you know how to determine the right outfit for any situation. So, let me give you some tips I apply and advise every time.

Know Your Skin Tone

How would you describe your skin tone? Light, dark, pale, or olive? The shade of your skin contributes to determining what looks good on you.

Generally, there are three skin undertones: cool, warm, and neutral. And you can’t just identify yours by looking in a mirror, so here’s what you need to do:

• Look at your wrist veins. Are they colour green or blue? If they’re green, you’re warm in tone. If they are bluish or purplish, your tone is cool. If you can’t tell the colour or they seem greyish, it’s because you’re neutral.
• Jewellery plays a huge role too. If silver looks better on you, you’re cool-toned. If it’s gold, then you’re warm-toned. If silver or gold works, you’ve got a neutral tone.
• How does the sun affect you? Do you burn or tan? If you turn red, you’re cool-toned. If you get a tan, you’ve got a warm tone.
• Eye and hair colour matter too. Blue, green, or grey eyes with blonde, black, or brown hair usually indicates a cool tone.

Picking the Right Colours

Now that you know your skin tone, here’s what works if you have a cool tone:

• Choose jewel tones for your cool skin quality. Next, pick out dark blues, dark purples, and emerald greens. Finally, wear a purple or green top with light grey or neutral bottoms.
• Pick gentle- and camel-coloured clothing for your long coats, jackets, and sweaters. Also, pastel colours like light pink, mint green, and light yellow will go well on you.

If you’re warm-toned,

• Select metallic coloured fabrics, like silver, copper, or gold, and accentuate with bright red lipstick and gold jewellery.
• Add metallic jewellery to your wardrobe if you’re a man. But avoid metallic shirts or pants. That could be a big mistake.
• Dare to wear bright shades on your warm-toned skin. Wear pink, yellow, neon green, and other bright hues. Accessorise with simple, subtle accents and jewellery, so the bright colour stands out.
• Choose shades of red, orange, olive green, and warm colours to offset dull or ashy apparel.

And if you have a neutral skin tone:

• Don’t shy away from bold colours. A neutral tone affords you a wide range of options to choose from in terms of hues and tints. So, your complexion will pop when you wear bright or pastel shades.
• Greys of all shades will look charming on you too. Your complexion will serve as a backdrop for some unusual colours and shades other skin tones couldn’t try.

Dress for Your Body Shape

Knowing the shape and dimensions of your body is also key to deciding what to wear. To know your shape accurately, you’ll need a measuring tape to gauge your shoulders, bust, waist, and hips.

Women

Women have four main body shapes: inverted triangle, triangle, rectangle, and hourglass.

Here are some tips for dressing for your shape:

• Select t-shirt-shaped, collared dresses if you have an hourglass figure.
• Wear an empire dress on a rectangle-shaped figure. Let it snugly fit around your chest, then flare out.
• Wrap dresses work well with any figure.
• Opt for cargo pants if you have an inverted triangle figure.

Men

For men, body shape is more about the length of your torso and the size of chest and shoulder muscles. There are five main body shapes for men – trapezoid, inverted trapezoid, oval, triangle, and rectangle body shapes.

Some tips for you are:

• Always go for the latest trends if you are trapezoid shaped. The newest colours and cuts should be right down your alley.
• Pick out apparels that balance your top and bottom halves for an inverted trapezoid shape.
• Layering shirts with knitwear work very well on a rectangle-shaped body.
• Don’t wear jackets with wide lapels or shoulder padding if your shoulders are much broader than your waist.

Finally

It shouldn’t be too difficult to choose what to wear now that you know and understand these basics. The best advice is, don’t be edgy and don’t be too bland if you’re unsure. Instead, choose what makes you comfortable and happy.

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