How To Master the Art of Layering

How To Layer Like A Pro:

LAYERING is a necessity in winter but many women are afraid of looking bigger than they actually are. While logic would suggest this is true, if you know how to layer like a pro, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Yves Saint Laurent once said that “dressing is a way of life”. But choosing what to wear can be confusing and mistakes can be expensive. However, it is generally expected that a woman should have a sense of style and know how to dress. Truth is, most of us don’t.

Style is an innate sense of what works together, an instinct, unfortunately, that doesn’t come naturally to all women. It’s the ability to mix and match different prints, patterns, textures and accessories to achieve an outfit that looks stylish.

1: Know your body 

Before you head to your wardrobe, you need to know your body. A perfectly layered look will complement your curves and create the illusion of a more proportional silhouette.

2: Proportion 

Balance and proportion are paramount when layering. To keep things simple and rather than getting into the whole body shape agenda, think of your body as a triangle: Narrow upper body + wide lower body. OR an inverted triangle: Wider upper body + narrow lower body.

3: Get creative with color

The best way to create a slim silhouette is to:

• Wear one color head to toe. This is one of the most effective ways of elongating the body. It also provides a blank canvas of sorts to start layering. However, consider breaking the look by wearing accessories in complementary colors, prints and textures.
• A light-colored top with dark-colored bottoms will always be more slimming than the reverse. This is because the eye is kept high with a pale or light-colored top, reinforcing the vertical. So don’t feel the need to wear only dark-colored tops if you’re heavier in this area.

4: Prints and patterns

Don’t be afraid to mix prints with patterns.  Mixing prints with patterns provides unlimited opportunities to really express your personality. 

Mix spots with stripes, stripes with florals, graphic patterns and spots or florals with graphic prints. You can wear them all – with great success – provided the base color palette is the same. Consider it a form of tone-on-tone dressing. 

5: Textures

It’s best to incorporate a mix of materials if you want to layer like a pro. Wearing the same fabric or texture, will make you look heavy and dowdy, plus the appearance of unwanted weight as well.

Add interest and surprise by mixing rough with smooth, matte with shine, sheer with solid, light with dark, soft with coarse.

6: Strategic use of accessories

The use of accessories continues the concept of creating a continuous vertical line, something you will want to consider if you plan on wearing lots of layers that add bulk. But think of accessories as essentials, not extra pieces.