Last week we talked about outfit building blocks; this week, we are moving on to outfit formulas. What are outfit formulas? Think of them as templates rather than recipes – the individual elements are somewhat interchangeable. By keeping the overall architecture the same, but changing up the pieces, we can create different outfits quickly and with relatively little planning. What constitutes a successful outfit formula will depend on you. Your preferences – for specific types of clothing, for certain colours or patterns, for particular trends or aesthetics – inform how you like to get dressed. Some combinations will check off more boxes (or check them off in a more satisfying way) than others. I can’t give you an exhaustive list of outfit formulas and even if I could, it wouldn’t be worth much. You can’t know if an outfit formula works for you until you try it. A certain amount of “workshopping” is necessary. But here are some things to consider.

The Third Piece

What makes clothes into an outfit? Often, it’s the third piece. That might be a coat, a blazer, a vest. Maybe a skirt over a pair of pants if the thought of revisiting the 00s intrigues you. Or a shirt layered over a tee, worn with jeans (shades of Papa Ralph). There are many different ways of incorporating a third piece into an outfit, and doing so adds a sense of intentionality to the overall look. If a third piece is not feasible – for weather-related reasons or otherwise – and you have to work with a two-piece outfit, consider either (i) making one of the pieces a statement, or (ii) adding a statement accessory.

A statement (clothing) piece can be something in a bright colour, or a bold pattern, or a more unusual texture like leather or metallic fabric. These types of pieces can supply enough visual interest and “drama” to make up for the missing third piece. A statement accessory is something that stands out and draws attention; think an oversized or highly patterned scarf, a chunky necklace, or a colourful bag or shoes. Such accessories can basically take the place of a third piece.

Now, of course, you are never limited to only 3 pieces. The more components to an outfit, the more stylized it will appear. This can look impressive, but it can also appear “fussy” especially in a casual setting. I don’t believe that you should always dress for the lowest common denominator – I’m all about marching to the beat of one’s own drum – but I think it’s helpful to be aware of the impact that your fashion expression may have on others. With a 3-piece outfit, you’ll rarely run of risk of being underdressed or overdressed.

Depth, Texture, Contrast

When picking outfit building blocks to slot into your formula, think about the visual impact. Impact can be created through the use of colour and pattern, but that is only the start. Depth, texture, and contrast also create the impression of intentionality. Depth can be achieved through layers and the use of different shades of the same colour, for example. Texture can be achieved by pairing different types of fabrics and materials. Contrast can be achieved through colour and texture but also juxtaposition – think a men’s shirt paired with a full skirt, or a satin slip dress with combat boots. I aim to have at least one of these elements present in each outfit.

Under and Over

The strategic use of layers can transform an outfit. For example, one of my favourite styling “tricks” is to layer a longer skirt under a (full) shorter one to elongate the vertical line and/or create more volume on the bottom half of the outfit. This also maximizes the versatility of each individual item of clothing.

A similar “trick” is layering a dress or tunic over pants. This isn’t something that works for everyone — some people are still traumatized by the 00s version of this, and it tends to suit more niche aesthetics anyway. But something to consider.

I also love adding lightweight base layers to transition summer pieces into the colder seasons. My favourite “tools” for this are a black turtleneck; a white tee; a mesh turtleneck; and a white collar dickie.

The key thing is that these pieces are lightweight and fitted, so they don’t add extra bulk; and cotton, if possible, so they are also breathable and soft against the skin.

I must also give an honourable mention to another favourite styling “hack” which is layering a shirt or sweater over a dress to create the illusion of separates. Cropped tops are best for this, but you can also use a belt to create the same effect with a faux tuck. A wide belt is required for this, but keep in mind that you only need to tuck an inch or so of your top and then simply fold over the extra material.

Old Favourites

I said I wouldn’t be able to give you an exhaustive list of outfit formulas, but it seems unfair to not at least share some of my favourites.

Shirt + vest + blazer + pants

Long skirt + top + topper

Short skirt + top + long topper

Sweater + pants + statement coat

Crop top + high waist bottom + topper

Dress + vest

The last formula is a good example of how I “style up” a 2-piece outfit so that it looks intentional. A belt or large necklace are my usual go-tos.

I hope these examples give you some ideas to explore in your own outfit-building, but remember the most important consideration of all: have fun!

Details: MaxMara sweater (Poshmark), Jessie skirt, BR belt, Chie Mihara shoes (all thrifted)

Notes: It’s been far too long since I last wore this MaxMara sweater. I still adore its whimsy; it makes me smile. As I was debating what to pair it with this time, I realized that the colours of the flowers matched those of the skirt flowers. The design is different, but visually “close enough” is good enough. I really love this pattern mix, if you can call it that. I was a little bit concerned at first that it might be too chaotic, but I don’t think it is.

Details: mystery dress, necklace (both thrifted), Zara boots (retail)

Notes: When I say this is a mystery dress, I mean it. I have so many questions about it, none of them satisfactorily answered. There is no brand tag. The inside tag lists the RN # for Michael Kors, but a Google Image search for this pattern only returns Dries Van Noten dresses. It’s silk with hand-finished hems, which you would not expect from a counterfeit (assuming that’s what could explain the other oddities). So, who knows? I like this weird, mystery dress and I paid $4.50 for it, so I am not too fussed about it. It certainly has a 2018 Adina vibe to it, but I enjoy a good throwback now and then.

Details: vintage sweater, Woolrich vest, Everlane pants, Laredo shoes, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Notes: My husband said that I looked very Canadian in this outfit, and it’s hard to argue with that. I love this not-really-Hudson’s-Bay-but-pretending sweater and it makes a statement outfit out of any basic pieces. That being said, the accessories are maybe my favourite part; these shoes and this bag are on repeat and I just can’t get enough. Luckily, they go with everything.

Details: Lewit sweater (swap), Elena Wong coat, H&M pants, Gap belt, Modern Vice shoes (all thrifted), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)

Notes: Remember this coat? It’s still one of my faves. I love how unusual it is; the graphic pattern makes a great visual impact. I like to play up the yellow accents. Here, I doubled up with the yellow bag, and added blue for contrast. This shade complements the yellow really well. I wanted to keep the rest of the outfit neutral so I chose my tan paperbag waist pants; they are the best “blank” canvas piece.

Details: Oak & Fort turtleneck, H&M Studio skirt (both thrifted), BCBG belt (Poshmark), J. Crew shoes (retail), Warren Steven Scott earrings (retail)

Notes: I don’t like to wear orange; I feel like it clashes with my hair and isn’t kind to my complexion either. But I enjoy it in this context, because it’s a splash of colour far enough away from my face not to cause me any grief, but bold enough to make a statement. Since I don’t have a lot of orange in my closet, I decided to use red as an accent colour since the rest of the outfit is very neutral. Red and orange might not seem like a very felicitous combination, but I like it here. I added the white belt to tie the outfit together and I think it does that very well.

Details: Toni T dickie, Esprit vest, Higher State dress, vintage petticoat, Nine West shoes (all thrifted)

Notes: I call this Jo March, winter edition. I know petticoats are old-fashioned, but I like how the mostly-black outfit is bookended by white in this way. I think it makes the outfit “pop” more. The grandpa vest gives it some visual definition – otherwise, the black might be a bit overwhelming (and too Wednesday Addams, which isn’t the vibe I was going for this time).

Details: Oak & Fort turtleneck, cashmere cardigan, Twik pants, Fossil belt, American Apparel coat (all thrifted), Mia shoes (retail), Coach bag (swap)

Notes: I’m obsessed with this shade of brown — I call it whiskey brown — in case you couldn’t tell. I’ve been wearing it a lot this fall, and I especially like it paired with black. Here, I softened the palette a bit, adding yellow and grey into the mix. The grey wasn’t something I came up with on my own; I was inspired by the coat itself, which has a brown collar. It made me realize that brown and grey could work together too. See … inspiration is everywhere!

One of the questions I was asked recently on Instagram had to do with outfit building blocks and formulas. I consider myself an “instinctive stylist”, meaning that I tend to follow my gut rather than a systematic process when I’m putting together outfits. But that isn’t entirely accurate, I think. What’s actually happening is probably that I am subconsciously following a process without realizing it. Let’s see if I can reconstruct it all for you here.

To begin with, let’s tackle terminology. To me, outfit building blocks are the individual pieces of clothing in my closet. Some pieces form the backbone of the outfit; they’re like bricks. Some pieces hold outfits together without calling attention to themselves; they’re like mortar. And some pieces are pure decoration; they’re like … I dunno, my architectural vocabulary is pretty limited, guys. Maybe, like, crown molding? Anyway. Here’s an outfit breakdown for illustration purposes:

The backbone of this outfit is clearly the skirt; it’s doing all the heavy lifting here and it’s the immediate focal point of the outfit. The mesh turtleneck and black crop top are very much necessary to complete the outfit, but they are not, in themselves, memorable. They are also pieces that can be worn in an almost-infinite variety of ways because they are simple and versatile. They can “glue” together any number of different outfits. Lastly, the belt is purely decorative (functionally unnecessary) but that doesn’t mean that it’s surfeit. It very much contributes to the overall effect created by the outfit.

Here is another example:

The backbone of the outfit here is blazer and vest; the white shirt is the “glue”. But what about the skirt? The skirt is a statement piece, which is a bit of a sui generis category. More than mere decoration, but not quite foundational either. Going back to our architectural analogy, a statement piece is a like a sparkly brick. It stands out just a bit more, and as a result it’s just a bit less versatile. You can build outfits around a statement piece, but you don’t necessarily need a statement piece to make an outfit.

Now, I don’t want us to get too hung up on taxonomies and classifications. The main thing is to understand that your closet is made up of different types of building blocks, each of which has its own function and purpose in outfit building. In my view, a well-functioning closet depends on 2 key principles:

1. that all or most of the individual building blocks generally align with your personal style or preferred aesthetic(s); and
2. that you have the right proportion of the different types of building blocks suitable to your personal style or preferred aesthetic.

Lets look at that more closely.

If you have a fairly cohesive personal aesthetic, then the first principle is pretty self-explanatory. Don’t buy a bunch of pink clothing if you only like to wear black. Don’t own 10 skirts and one pair of pants if you only like to wear pants. If, like me, your personal style has several facets, the same principle applies but requires a bit more finesse. The “glue” pieces should always be “anonymous” enough and/or versatile enough to work with any and all of your aesthetics. When it comes to the foundational “bricks”, I personally try to find things that can serve as “throughlines” – aka be as versatile as possible across different aesthetics – and then I can rely on the “decoration” building blocks to fully differentiate each particular aesthetic. This is easier to do when the different aesthetics all share some basic DNA. Harder to do if your aesthetics are “goth grunge” and “50s pin-up” (harder but maybe not impossible?). If you’re in that situation, it may be easier to rely on statement pieces – aka “sparkly bricks” – to bridge the gap.

The other thing to consider, when dealing with a multi-faceted personal style, is how much you use each aesthetic. If you’re “goth grunge” 80% of time, there is no point in having half of your statement pieces be “50s pin-up”. You’ll end up with clothes you rarely wear AND feel like you don’t have enough clothes.

This ties in with the second principle.

I’ve seen various recommended ratios for the different categories of building blocks – a common one is 80% “basics” (which I assume includes my bricks and glue) and 20% statement pieces. I don’t like arbitrary rules applied with an indiscriminate hand. The ratio is important because if you have too much of the wrong thing, or too little of the key things, your closet will feel out of whack. But the ratio will very much depend on your personal style and lifestyle. A minimalist aesthetic might need fewer statement pieces than a maximalist one. We’ve already talked about how a multi-faceted personal style (with different aesthetics) will impact the kinds of building blocks you need. I can’t tell you what your ratio is … and you might not know right off the bat either. But there are ways to work out the answer.

The first clue is how does your closet feel? Does it feel chaotic and disorganized? Does it feel like you have simultaneously too many clothes and not enough to wear? If so, your ratio is probably off. In contrast, if you feel satisfied and in control of your closet, you’re probably working with a good ratio.

If you fall into the first category, the fix takes a bit of work but it’s not an insurmountable problem by any means. I would ask myself 2 questions:

1. when I’m getting dressed, do I ever say “boy, I wished I had X to make this outfit?” That is a clue as to what might be missing from my closet. If you start writing down those things as they occur to you, you will start to get a sense of which category of building blocks might be underrepresented in your closet.
2. which pieces do I rarely or never wear? Which category do they tend to fall into? This could be a sign that the category is overrepresented. (It could also just mean that some pieces don’t fit you, or don’t suit your style, so eliminate those first before you draw any other conclusions).

Ultimately, only you can decide what’s too many or too few statement pieces for you. Sorry, I wish there was a generic answer but, hey: if we’ve learned one thing over the years, it’s that style is personal and, therefore, never generic.

For what it’s worth, my own ratio is something along these lines: 70% bricks, 20% glue, 10% decoration. Of my “bricks”, I would say that about a third are statement pieces aka “sparkly bricks”. These percentages reflect the fact that, while I do love bold/unique pieces and have a multi-faceted style, there are many commonalities between my aesthetics, I enjoy having versatile pieces, and I am not an out-and-out maximalist.

A last word on building blocks and shopping.

When you are considering a piece of clothing for purchase, it’s good to consider where it fits into the bigger picture of your closet. Which category does it fall into? Is that category over- or under-represented in your closet? Does it align with your personal style or reflect a new style direction you are consciously exploring? Do you already have something similar and, if so, when given the choice between the old item and the new one, which one would you pick? This one is a big downfall for me. I tend to buy different iterations of items I love – maybe with different patterns, or slightly different cuts, or different fabrics – and then struggle to give each of them the attention they deserve. I find it very hard to choose which ones to let go once they’re in my closet, so I try to be as ruthless as I can upfront – i.e. before I buy. While I don’t strictly hold myself to a ”one in, one out” rule, I do try to follow it as much as possible. And, always, if it’s not a “hell, yes” it’s a NO.

I hope you have found this discussion helpful – feel free to share your thoughts and tips in the comments. Next week, we’ll tackle outfit formulas!