Amy Smilovic’s Style Guide: Tibictionary II
Continuing from the previous article, here’re more principles to use as reference when shopping or styling an outfit.
Rule of 3
Rule of 3 is more of a guiding principle like the old saying of not more than 3 colours in an outfit. Here it is used on ‘elements’ of an outfit. In any outfit the golden rule of 3 has been a yardstick to the ‘perfect’ outfit. In any outfit that Amy has found she really liked the outcome or how she felt in it, she realised there are usually 3 standout elements that tie it all together.
These elements could span from textures to closures, even silhouettes or small details like additional embellishments. The basis of this is any ‘statement’ the piece makes is 1. So for example, you’re styling a pair of patent pants with an oversized blazer. That’d be 2 elements, the texture of the patent pants and the oversized silhouette of the blazer will stand out. That leaves you with 1 more to play around with or your shoes and accessories.
HTH
HTH = have to have, this is a shopping principle she uses to describe pieces that she purchased that might not have longevity but in that moment she had to have it. It could be the full sequinned skirt that you fell in love with or the smallest micro bag that you knew you needed in your wardrobe.
These moments are perfectly normal and as long as these pieces don’t make a majority of your wardrobe, they usually come out to play when it’s a life milestone or a fun event to make a statement. They remind us again why we love fashion.
I&O
In & Outs, these are experimental pieces in your wardrobe that you bought that one season because it was fresh and new. You wear them for 3 seasons straight and suddenly they feel tired and boring again. That’s perfectly normal, how can 100% of your wardrobe be staples?
You ‘retire’ these pieces to the back of your wardrobe and maybe 3 years later you dig them out in a spring clean and fall in love with them again. These aren’t fad pieces that are ‘trendy’ at the moment. They are more likely classic pieces with a funky or playful twist that just differentiates them from their classic twin.
WOF
This is your favourite part of you wardrobe, the Without Fails. They will never fail you, they tie together your HTH and your I&Os. They are essentially the backbone of your wardrobe and can be used on many occasions. These are the ones you always put in rotation because they help you feel good about any look.
It could be the perfect jean or the slip dress of your dreams. Even the perfectly cut oversized jacket, they really could be any item of clothing in your wardrobe that has been your clutch in times of need.
With these guiding principles, you can now set forth and work with what you have and still feel like you are creating new ideas all the time. There really isn’t any hard and fast rule in style or fashion, it’s too individualistic a concept to have a guidebook that works for all. However, I find that keeping these principles in the back of my head has greatly helped in my shopping for new pieces or just feeling good about putting together a new look.
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