Fashion’s Most Reliable Outfit Formulas – THISDAY Style

Getting dressed should be one of the easier parts of the day. Yet somehow, a wardrobe full of clothes can still produce the familiar conclusion: I have absolutely nothing to wear.

Usually, the problem is not a lack of clothes. It is a lack of combinations you trust. Stylish people often have these combinations without even realising it. A particular trouser shape they always wear with fitted tops. The dress-and-shoe combination that works whenever an invitation arrives. The jacket they throw over almost anything when an outfit needs rescuing. They may experiment with fashion, but underneath all that experimentation are a few dependable formulas doing most of the work.

Think of them as wardrobe shortcuts. Not uniforms, exactly, but combinations that leave plenty of room for personality.

Here are some worth keeping on rotation.

The Column Dress + One Serious Accessory

There is something wonderfully grown-up about knowing when to leave a dress alone. A long, clean column dress does not need five competing ideas around it. Choose one excellent addition instead: sculptural earrings, an oversized cuff, a fabulous bag or dramatic shoes. It is an easy formula for dinners, gallery openings, holidays and those invitations with mysteriously vague dress codes.

Jeans + A Proper Shirt + A Really Good Shoe

Yes, jeans and a shirt have existed forever. That is precisely the point.

The difference between ordinary and excellent is in the choices. The jeans should have a silhouette that feels current and flattering; the shirt should have some character: oversized, striped, crisp, cropped or slightly undone. Then forget the safe shoe. Try a pointed mule, an embellished flat, a kitten heel, a loafer, or something unexpected.

It is the outfit equivalent of looking like you made an effort…