The difference between looking good and looking ‘put together’ may be subtle, but it’s an important distinction to pin down when scanning your closet. While it’s become common to throw considerable effort into your style just to say “I woke up like this,” looking put together offers a welcome inversion.
An outfit that looks put together conveys intentionality and purpose behind its sartorial selections—so much so that it’s your prep that becomes effortless rather than your look. As for the effort to get you started, we’ve compiled our tips on how to look put together.
Pay Attention to the Fit
Looking put together starts well before you find yourself pulling different tops out of your closet and holding them up for comparison. It starts with making sure you find the right fit.
Too loose and flowy? You might look like you’re a kid again, playing dress-up with your parent’s clothes. Or you’re left to constantly worry about snagging that new dress on every door knob and drawer handle you walk past. And we don’t need to cover all the potential wardrobe malfunctions that can happen when clothes are too tight or short.
However, just as important as how fit affects the way you look, it also affects the way you feel. And when you feel good in your clothes, no matter what they are, the options you can draw from to put together an outfit suddenly expand.
Rather than anxiety or physical discomfort, choosing correctly sized clothes will help you maintain confidence, composure and a relaxed air. Few things come across as being ‘put together’ more than seeming unflappable in any outfit you choose.
Read more: Are Wide Leg Pants in Style? Tips for Staying Chic
Flattering Colors
Unfortunately, we can’t all look equally stunning in every color. Each of us has some shades that lend themselves to show-stopping outfits, whereas other hues just don’t seem to achieve the same effect. And while many neutrals and monochrome combos tend to compliment most everyone, they sometimes lack a much-desired vibrancy or personality that a pop of color adds.
If you find yourself dissatisfied with your closet’s current color palette, the easiest place to start is with your skin color and its undertones—particularly around your face. Next, identify whether you think you look your best with ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ colors:
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Warm colors – If you think you look better wearing oranges or golden yellows than pink, warm colors probably suit you better. Consider colors reminiscent of Fall or described as “rusty,” darker neutrals for browns and blues and lighter neutrals for greens and creams.
- Cool colors – If you find yourself more drawn toward silvery, blue-hued or pink options, consider more soothing and calming color combos. Deeply saturated colors like plum, fuschia, emerald and burgundy will be easier to pair, along with ‘true’ neutrals like black, white, soft white and gray.
Clothes Are in Good Condition
You don’t need to be making a statement to look put together. However, dirty, ripped, wrinkled or generally worn-out clothes will make a different kind of statement you’d probably prefer to avoid. At the very least, it tells everyone that you didn’t have enough time to prep and organize for where you’re headed—which contrasts pretty heavily with any effort at coming across as put together.
Especially for important events, be sure to give your intended outfit a good once over to ensure it’s free of stains, holes, excessive fading or other signs it was ‘thrown’ rather than put together. If needed, turn to a trusty steamer to combat wrinkles and pilling. And leave your project clothes for when you’re truly getting your hands dirty.
Invest in Quality Basics
Just as many of us regard foundation as an essential part of our makeup routines, filling a portion of your closet with quality basics is a must. Stylish, comfy tops and bottoms can be called upon any day to rotate into your outfit with ease.
Whether you’re using them for layers or going for a classic look only achieved with a crisp white shirt, well-fitting and clean pieces show how put together you are on the surface and beneath it.
Capsule Wardrobe
Becoming increasingly popularized, the ‘capsule wardrobe’ attempts to make looking put together as effortless as it can be. The strategy employed here aims to compile pieces—especially basics—that generally match most other items in your wardrobe. That way, any items you pull off a hanger or shelf will match without a second glance, whether you’re bringing a little one into the world.
Commonly, a capsule wardrobe will contain somewhat similarly styled tops and bottoms in your go-to complimentary colors and neutrals. But any restrictions are ultimately self-imposed. So be sure to keep some of your favorite statement pieces and accessories to still add some individual flair. If you build a capsule wardrobe right, you’ll have the perfect foundation to choose from when building outfits that emphasize your more unique favorites.
Be sure to consider the various scenarios and weather you’re likely to encounter when initially picking out pieces for a capsule wardrobe. For example, the perspiration wicking qualities of the fabrics used by Softies will help prevent sweat marks on hot days but maintain that soft, snuggly feel for when you want something warm and cozy.
These capsule setups also lend themselves toward minimalist living—perfect for spending some time abroad (work or play), college semesters and similar circumstances or lifestyles.
Wear Matching Sets
If a capsule wardrobe sounds a little too monotonous or restrictive, try investing in matching sets and outfits intended to be worn as a particular combination. While you might need to spend a little more overall than a capsule wardrobe will run (and require a bigger closet), there’s never any second-guessing whether an outfit works.
Home Clothes
Yes, you can still look put together even when lounging and relaxing at home. Yet too often, people lump project clothes and home clothes into the same closet category. You don’t need to ditch the hole-filled band t-shirt you’ve kept since that concert in high school, but it won’t help your outfits look any more organized or intentional—just effortless.
If you’re already looking for quality basics, loungewear or the contents of your future capsule wardrobe, consider adding a few extra pieces to cover quiet, relaxing days at home and ‘staycations.’ These pieces from Softies will fit right at home:
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Dream ¾ Sleeve Boat Neck Top and Short Set – Our lightweight and breathable set stays suited for at-home lounging even as the temperature starts picking up (plus, pockets!).
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Heather Marshmallow Johnny Collar Lounge Set – Add a touch of refinement to your loungewear without compromising on plush comfort.
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Marshmallow Cocoon Cardigan – Once the weather starts turning a bit brisk, you can still enjoy a steaming cup of coffee outside or run a quick errand by throwing this versatile outer layer.
Quality Jewelry
Leave treasure chests overflowing with fake metal to the pirate-themed kid’s restaurants. A few pieces of quality jewelry or statement accessories will help with looking put together more than wearing a different cheap alternative every day.
And remember that quality doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. It’s more important that any jewelry won’t tarnish or have a plating that starts to peel—otherwise, you’ll encounter the same issues as with wearing clothes in poor condition. Stick to real gold, silver and stainless steel as much as is possible (accounting for any allergies, of course).
Hair
A bad hair day will threaten any outfit’s ability to look put together no matter what combinations you try. Still, some days we find ourselves rushing unavoidably and need a quick fix. In that case, remember that a simple blowout goes a long way toward freshening up your locks.
And if your hair just refuses to cooperate, just put it up in your preferred style. Or, you could always grab a stylish hat or scarf that compliments the rest of your look.
Manicured Nails
Bear in mind that having manicured nails doesn’t mean booking regular salon visits—just regular care that keeps nails trimmed and healthy does the trick. Painted or bare? Doesn’t matter as long as you can keep up the maintenance to minimize chips and peeling.
Grooming Is Essential
Putting a new coat of paint on a house isn’t enough to remedy visible damage and unkemptness; neither will the most chic outfits disguise someone too disheveled or inconsistent with their grooming habits.
Much like for your nails, staying on top of your regular grooming routine—no matter what that includes—will significantly contribute to your coming across as being put together rather than unkempt.
Just remember to still treat yourself on occasion—the rejuvenating effects of a spa visit might be just what you need to add more of your own confidence and take a put together outfit to the next level.
Subtle or No Makeup
Being put together doesn’t require ‘putting on a face.’ Rather, sticking to a solid skincare routine and regularly moisturizing will help ensure that you look your best whether wearing makeup or not.
Moreover, wearing subtle or no makeup helps convey a confidence in your own skin—and more confidence (usually) only helps punctuate the statement your outfit makes.
Quality, Clean Footwear
Clean kicks cover a good portion of what makes an outfit look put together or not. If your shoes look dirty or are falling apart, your outfit will start looking the same. So, it’s also a good idea to check over your footwear from time to time and spot clean as needed. Keep a small kit with various cleaning and polish supplies that are safe to apply to your different types of footwear.
And if your current footwear isn’t quite doing it, picking up a classic, pure white set of tennis shoes should sit towards the top of advice on how to look more put together.
Elevated Outerwear
Sometimes, the seasons complicate our best efforts with how we look. But Fall, Winter and living in colder climates can offer additional opportunities to augment outfits. Particularly with layering, it can be easier to achieve that put together look simply by matching your different choices (reinforcing the advantage of capsule wardrobes).
Yet your outerwear selection can still be tricky to perfect. As you’ll likely cover most of your outfit, it all falls onto that top layer to deliver.
Wool peacoats, puffy goose down, shearling-lined jackets—various pieces will have you looking your best on top regardless of the outfit beneath it. Choose what you like and think looks best, and then invest in a quality piece to ensure it holds up against the weather or anything else you might encounter and still leaves you looking flawless.
Good Posture
With over half of all communication being nonverbal, your posture and general body language will often say more than the words you use. So, if you want to convey to others that you’re put together, how you wear your clothes matters as much as the clothes themselves.
Revisiting how your clothes fit, an outfit that has you feeling and looking the part will also foster confidence and keep you mentally relaxed. Strong posture? That conveys assuredness—make sure your outfit doesn’t undercut or inhibit your ability to be and project your best self.
Accessorize With Confidence
Lastly, remember to be the most confident version of you, as assuredness in yourself and your self-image will be the most important accessory to any outfit. Looking put together is as much a mindset as it is your clothing choices. If you don’t feel it—whether you fake it or not—you won’t look put together to others.
And if you lean on the tips provided here, you’ll have the utmost confidence in your closet.
Softies—Looking Put Together at Home
Achieving that perfect, put-together look becomes much easier after adding a few pieces from Softies to your wardrobe. With the comfiest fabrics and coziest fits, robes will give you the stylish looks and plush, breathable feel that can only be achieved by searching the world for the softest fabrics.
From getting all dressed up for breakfast-in-bed to jumping into the day’s to-do list, how to always look put together starts with Softies.
