Finding elegant clothes is a matter of knowing which styles of classic, great investments, and how to dress for your body. Elegance is not effortless. You need to invest time into choosing the right shapes for your body, tailoring them, and more. To help you start adding elegance and timelessness to your wardrobe, this guide has been put together.
Know The Style Classics
Style classics are the shapes that have lasted for centuries or decades. They are the pieces that look great on anyone when sized correctly. When it comes to which items to invest in, these classics are where to start:
• The Little Black Dress
• The Buttoned Down Top
• The Statement Sweater
• The Fitted Blazer
These are very minimal classics that can have a home in nearly any wardrobe, but it is important to remember that they are not the only ones. If you have a traditional dress sense, this can also apply. So long as you feel timeless in it, then it is a worthy investment to be made.
Know The Best Materials
Quality craftsmanship is what will transform any garment from beautiful to elegant. A great way to determine the craftsmanship is to first look at the material, and then at the stitching. If you can, you will want to follow up by researching the production process so that you know the item in question is the best on the market.
• Cashmere
• Organic cotton
• Silk
• Linen
• Hemp
Know Your Body Shape
Knowing your body shape is essential to dressing elegantly. If you have short legs then choosing items that accentuate your waist is a great move. You will also want to be honest about your weight and body shape. Dressing in sizes too small is not flattering and can be painful. By dressing for your size, you can look great in beautiful styles.
Be Prepared to Tailor
High quality clothing is often designed to be tailored. That is why trousers are made long, women’s blouses slightly large, and so on. The point is for you to then take it to a tailor to get them fitted to your body shape. This is how you look elegant in clothes of all kinds.
Be Prepared To Invest
The best, most luxurious, and elegant clothes are those that are exceptionally well made. You cannot find this for $5 on sale. You need to be prepared to invest. Thankfully you don’t have to fork out for high-end designer prices to get exceptional quality. With the exception of couture (which will require thousands of hours of work from several Ateliers), high end clothes are often the same in terms of quality to designer. For cashmere, for example, you can find exceptionally beautiful staples on StateCashmere.com for a few hundred dollars. Anything more and you are merely paying for the brand name, not for the cashmere or the quality of the item.
Care For Your Items
Finding the perfect garment, and then tailoring it, means you have invested a lot of time and money into your item. The goal is to wear it again and again over many years if not decades. In order to achieve this goal, you will need to care for your garments properly. This means being careful with how you wash, dry, and store your items as well as fixing them as they need. You can do a lot to repair and revive clothes with the right tools. Holes in cashmere, for example, can be made a new through darning. A master at the art can seamlessly mend the issue and make your sweater look like new.
