Upstyling. It’s the word I use to describe how I put outfits together. Instead of wearing something as is, I look for ways to give it a little style ooomph! Similar to adding seasoning to bland food, the same concept applies to fashion, adding a little flavor to a plain piece of clothing. To walk you through the upstyling process, I started with a color I rarely wear, light blue. To be honest, my normal response to this shade is a resounding MEH. However, an anti-baby-bluer can be swayed by just the right piece. Normally, I wouldn’t have given this top a 2nd look, but the peek-a-boo sleeves, cape-like flounce, and tie closure drew me in. $7.50 was a small price to pay to try something new. I thought it would be the perfect piece to show that it’s good to step out of our standard color box now and then.

Once I have my base piece, I always start by looking through what I have that has a bit of the color I am trying to match in it, I start with clothing first and move to accessories. My closet is all organized by color to make this easy. A $5 blue pinstriped Express vest had the perfect shade, from the vest, I opted for $10 Loft wool cuffed pants, moving to shoes, Aldo slingback heels, and for outerwear, the waterfall coat was thrifted a few years ago. Now, we have our pieces to get started.

The top by itself is a cute statement piece, so I wouldn’t really need to add anything more to it, the details of it provide enough visual interest. Keeping the pants a solid color draws the eye to the top and shoes. It would also look great with jeans or a cute skirt too.

Adding a vest is one of my style secret weapons, it instantly creates more definition to the waist and gives a tailored look. It also gets rid of a shirt constantly needing to be retucked. Even though it does cover some of the flounce, it still highlights the peek-a-boo sleeves and tie, plus it gives the outfit a different look, breaking up the sea blue. Vests are an easy way to instantly change up how you normally wear an outfit.

Since it’s still pretty cold in some states, I am styling it with a coat. Adding a contrasting scarf around the lapel of a long belted coat (trench) ties your colors together and breaks up a solid piece. A belted coat will automatically upgrade your outfit, even if you just drape it around your shoulders.

You can tie the belt in the back and leave the front open on a coat if you want to keep warm but not hide your outfit.

I almost always use the tie in front, as it again creates the tailored look I love. A pair of cheap gray sunglasses is the fashion cherry on top. Never underestimate the power of small accessories to ramp up an outfit.

The bright shoes bring the eye back down and add that little pop of color back that the vest took away. The gray wool Express fedora compliments the menswear-ish style.

I have to admit that I really love this outfit, I think I might be a baby blue convert! Challenging my preconceived views just opened up new outfit opportunities. If you are in a fashion color rut, think about trying a hue you’ve shied away from, you never know what great combo is out there waiting for you!

Blessings,

Eden