← Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
210 | High-Low Dressing: How to Know What Looks Good and What Doesn't Work
00:16:02
When you’re stuck in a wardrobe rut or wearing the same outfits on repeat, I’m a firm believer in being willing to experiment your way to more creative and inspiring combinations. If you want to maximize what you own and break out of your comfort...
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When you're stuck in a wardrobe rut or wearing the same outfits on repeat, I am a firm believer in being willing to experiment your way to more creative and inspiring combinations. If you want to maximize what you own and break out of your comfort zone all at the same time, you might need to take a few risks. But how can you know when combining unexpected items together works and when it just looks weird? In this episode we're going to break down the art of high low dressing, including how to mix dressier pieces with casual staples as well as high end and affordable items together to create outfits that look stylish, not strange. Learn how to strike the perfect balance between chic and casual, plus tips to avoid outfits that miss the mark it's time to have fun playing dress up without making any major fashion faux pas. Get ready to take some notes welcome.
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To Her Style Podcast where we're all about empowering you to show up and get dressed every day with confidence. I'm your host host Heather Riggs, a 15 year and counting certified image consultant and color specialist. Ready to build a wardrobe and a personal style you love. Let's get started.
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So sorry friend, I am definitely more than a little fashionably late on today's episode. I am still recovering from the wardrobe revamp boot camp party last week and trying to settle back into my normal work rhyth. But it was such an amazing week and I just want to say thank you again if you were able to join us live for that four day event. If not, don't worry. We are going to have more fun in store for you this year and we decided to keep the private Facebook community open. So you are welcome to hop in and hang out with us over there at Her Style Community. This is a free space for you to connect with other women in the Her Style family, share your ideas, encourage one another and receive even more tips and tricks from me throughout the week between podcast episodes. I would love to meet you over in this there so head down to the show notes and grab the link to join us in the free Her Style Community happening over on Facebook. For now, let's get into this conversation about high low dressing and first I want to clarify that this can mean one of two things. High low dressing can be either the combination of luxury and affordable fashion or dressy and casual pieces in one outfit. Or it could also be luxury designer pieces with casual pieces. So any combination of those sorts of things. But I love the idea of all of this because the common thread with this concept is combining approachability and Elegance. So it's equal parts polished and effortless and the perfect concept to try if you have a natural and elegant personal style profile. So today we're going to talk about some easy ways to implement high low dressing in your outfits because I want to help you get out of any ruts or default outfit formulas that you're stuck in right now. I hear a lot of women say that they're defaulting to the same T shirt and jeans or wearing their pieces in the same combinations over and over and just getting tired of the same old outfits. And maybe you haven't given much time or thought into what else you could wear, or maybe you're hesitant about what pairs well together in your wardrobe. So today I want to give you a few tips to help you try out high low dressing and mix up your items in new and interesting ways. So first, let's address the high in high low dressing as it relates to your investment pieces. I think the easiest way to pull off a mix of affordable and expensive or casual and dressy pieces is by focusing your funds on two things. My preference is to invest the bulk of my funds into shoes and handbags. And if you think about it, you could wear the most casual athleisure outfit. I'm talking a sweatsuit or leggings and a T shirt. But if you top your look off with a nice designer handbag, you are going to instantly look elevated. You could dress up a basic T shirt and jeans with a stunning pair of Gucci loafers or Chanel slingbacks and you will just immediately own the room. Now, I realize this may not be a practical investment for you right now. Same girl, same here. I'm not in the market for any designer shoes and handbags right now. But if you're trying to decide what to splurge on in your wardrobe, my vote will almost always be for a high quality handbag or a high end pair of shoes. This is where I choose to invest my own funds. And it is, I think, the most foolproof way to execute on a really solid high low outfit. Of course you know what works best for your personal style. So if you don't care much for handbags and shoes, if that does not feel like a worthy investment for you, maybe you'd rather spend your funds on a very expensive looking tailored blazer. Then you could throw on that chic third piece. Or you could opt for something like a structured jacket or a dressy coat is another easy way to make an otherwise casual or affordable outfit look way more polished and put together. If I am having a lazy Sunday afternoon and I need to make a quick run to the grocery store, I can just throw on my long camel wool coat, I'll grab a nice crossbody bag and slip on an easy pair of sneakers and I feel classic and put together, even if I'm just wearing joggers or leggings underneath. It's easy peasy. Now on the low end of your high low outfits, jewelry and accessories are usually categories where you can find really great pieces for a whole lot less. This is also an area where I like to to incorporate more trends for the exact same reason. It's usually a much lower price point to pick up a trendy piece of jewelry or a fun accessory just to make your look feel more current without breaking the bank. For example, a small hair accessory is generally going to cost a lot less than a trending pair of jeans. I've told you, I wear a pair of cubic zirconia earrings from Nordstrom most days of the week because they're easy. They look great with everything. They make even my most casual loungewear look way more luxe. And accessories aside, on the low or more casual end of your looks, you could try something like rocking a vintage T shirt. Maybe you want to mix in some of your thrift store finds. Of course, you could add in athleisure or some good casual basics like T shirts, a classic cardigan, or maybe even an oversized sweatshirt in one of your best colors. Personally, I love wearing sweatshirts in my eye color and in my best blush color since it's such a prominent hue and it's right near my face. I like to reflect those back to my personal coloring. So how do you find the perfect high low combinations? Let's get strategic now and talk about some specific points that I think are really helpful to consider when you're putting these kinds of outfits together. The first thing I recommend is to look up some high low outfit styling ideas based around items that you already own just to see what resonates and what ideas that sparks for you. I want you to have to go out and buy a whole bunch of new things in order to try this out and make this aesthetic work for you. I'd rather see you start with what you already have because the goal here is to get more creative with your existing wardrobe and see what looks you could recreate from within your own collection. So if you have a matching sweatsuit, for example, maybe you want to head over to Pinterest Google, your favorite social media platform, wherever you like to get fashion Ideas and inspiration. Type it in, see what images come up, and start saving some of those looks to your style mood board for future inspiration. Of course, you always want to tailor any outfits that you find online to work as best as they possibly can for your personal features, your personal style, all of those elements that really are specific to you. And so on that note, the other thing to keep in mind when putting together any outfit combination, but specifically a high, low outfit combination as well as you've got to stay true to your personal style, I want you to look for outfit inspiration that fits your preferences. So please don't be swayed so heavily by trends that you're not being authentic to what makes you feel your best. Basically, I don't want you to try too hard with this. Another thing that is really important is to focus on fit. I think the key to looking more polished in any outfit, especially one that is combining dressy and casual pieces, is to create nice flattering lines and to invest in tailoring when you need it. That can make such a big difference. Making sure that jackets fit you really beautifully, that your pants are the right length. All of those little details can go such a long way. Even if your outfit is overall way more casual, it's going to help you to look a lot more polished and stylish in your efforts. Another great thing to do when starting out with this is to start small. I would straddle the line at first and avoid extreme highs and extreme lows. So for example, instead of wearing a full suit with sneakers, maybe you just want to try doing your regular jeans and sneakers combination and adding a blazer over top. So kind of meet somewhere a little bit more in the middle with your outfit. Or instead of wearing sweatpants with high heels, you could try sweatpants with a chic shoulder bag. Just some little touches to help pull you in another direction without going so far to the opposite end. Another kind of foolproof way to go about this is to make your outfit look intentional by opting for a monochromatic color scheme. So basically what that means is you're going to just pick one color and then you're going to repeat that color from head to toe. I think this could make even the most mismatched high low assortment look really polished and purposeful. So pick one color and repeat it throughout your whole outfit. Or if you want to infuse more color into your look, then maybe you want to just be thoughtful about choosing matching accessories to help tie it all together. So you could try a color coordinated hat and shoes, or do A similar handbag and sunglasses. You could try a patterned scarf and a belt with a similar texture to it. Or print. Really, the sky's the limit. But if you bring in even just two accessories that kind of feel like a matching set or a little bit more cohesive, that can really help to make your outfit look more purposeful and pulled together. Another thing on those lines, be careful that you don't over accessorize. Unless you have a creative or a dramatic personal style, less is usually more. So if you are trying to mix up some new pieces in your wardrobe, I would probably start small with your accessories. Maybe if you're going to do a matching lounge set and you want to elevate it a little bit, just do one statement necklace and keep the rest of your jewelry really simple for the day. Whatever feels best for you. But again, if you are trying to not look too over the top or odd in your outfit, then I would say less is probably more. When it comes to accessories, you also want to make sure that you are considering the fabrics and the textures that you're putting together. I would say that you should stick to one statement fabric and then keep the rest of your outfit more subdued. For example, if you're going to go with a sequin skirt and a classic T shirt, then keep the rest of your outfit a little bit softer again and just let that skirt really shine through. Or if you're going to do a matching sweatsuit with a leather jacket, then I would probably keep again the rest of your accessories a little bit more simple and streamlined and let that jacket be the big statement piece. On a similar vein, make sure that your outfit has a nice overall balance. So try to avoid any top or bottom heavy looks unless that is something you are doing intentionally to balance out your body's shape. And of course keep all of your style foundations in mind. You want to make sure that your outfit is calling attention to your favorite features. You want to wear clothing and accessories that reflect a similar weight and scale. As your body is built to create the most harmony, you can always opt for your best colors and prints. I'm going to link up a few other episodes in the show notes to help you dive even deeper on some of those extra considerations to make. But if you're looking for a few foolproof combinations just to get your creative juices flowing, here are a couple of high low pairings that theoretically should work pretty well for you. So you could try a graphic T shirt with a pencil skirt, maybe relaxed jeans with a tailored blazer. Of course we've already talked about our beloved matching sweatsuits with either a statement necklace or a stunning pair of earrings. Maybe you want to opt for a metallic or satin skirt with a really casual knit sweater. You could do some athletic wear with a designer handbag. Or of course there's always the classic basic T shirt and heels combination. So just a couple things that I really want to leave you with before we wrap up today is first of all, please don't break the bank. I do want you to buy the best quality you can afford, but no more. So do not feel like you have to run out and spend thousands of dollars on handbags and shoes and jewelry and all of the things. Whatever you are in the market for right now, just buy the best that you can for what your budget allows. You can also remember that the low in high low doesn't have to mean low quality. You can look for inexpensive pieces, but I would still again make sure that you're prioritizing natural fibers if you can, more sustainable brands. Whenever possible, look for pieces that are ideally going to hold up beyond a single season or even worse, a single use. And then of course you always want to find combinations that you feel confident in. Because friend, you have to wear your looks, not anyone else. So make sure that you love how you look in them. They should feel good on you. You should be excited to put them together, to leave the house and to know that you are showing up in your authentic style, feeling your absolute best. So I would love to know if you are going to give high low dressing a try, if this is something that you've already done, what pairings have worked the best for you and your wardrobe? Come on over to our free community over on Facebook and share all the details. You can find that@herstylellc.com community I hope to see you over there and I will meet you back here for another Q and A Thursday episode in just a couple days. See you soon.
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Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you want to stop copying everyone else's style and start dialing in your own swoon worthy signature look, head over to take my free 5 minute personal style quiz which you can find at.
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The link in the show notes.
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If you've enjoyed our time together, please be sure to rate review and subscribe to her style podcast so you never miss an episode. Finally, I invite you to make this.
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A two way conversation and send me.
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A DM over on Instagram eatherrigstyle to let me know how I can best support you on your style journey. I'm always here for you in style and service. Until next time.