“Fashion is what you are offered four times a year by designers. And style is what you choose.” –Lauren Hutton
It is well-known and an accepted fact that how you dress yourself is how you wish to present yourself to others or in a sense, how you wish to convey how you are feeling on a particular day. You may have a very devil-may-care attitude when it comes to your assemblage of clothes and could not care less about what ensemble you are wearing, but this in no way means that it is an acceptable excuse for being sloppy. We all have our lazy days wherein we cannot be bothered in pulling together a decent outfit, but this should not be taken to mean that we can get away with wearing clothing that is beyond simply just distressed, dirty or unwashed for days. Remember, you have an image to present as well and aside from being a good indicator of the kind of hygiene you maintain, how you dress up says a lot about your professionalism. It matters not whether or not if what you have in your closet are simple collections of wholesale clothing or the most expensive haute couture if you are committing any of these sloppy style errors, it can truly ruin your overall appearance.
So, if you see yourself getting the side-eye at work or out in the streets, give your outfits a thorough check and see if you are committing any of the messy blunders below that may be sabotaging your entire look:
1.) Leaving bits of lint and animal fur on your clothes
It is understandable to give our little pooches a little love and affection in the form of hugging and cuddling them. However, if they leave pieces of their fur on your clothing that is an entirely different story. Take note: people notice the little details and something that does not match your clothing is bound to stand out—which means lint is invariably included. Before heading out of the house, check your outfits for lint and fur then use a lint roller in getting rid of them. Always have them handy and always keep one with you at all times—you may never know when you might need it.
2.) See-through fabrics
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing a few gauzy and mesh-like sartorial garments, it is another thing entirely if they become translucent and horribly see through when you do end up backlit. Sheer fabrics might be all the rage, but at times they will do their best to trick you. They might appear opaque in the dim light, but by the time you head out for lunch, you will be giving your colleagues and any passerby a full view of what is underneath your drawers. Maintain a bit of privacy as well as a hint of mystery by always wearing something underneath that is more than just your underwear.
3.) Wearing clothes with observable damage
Little rips and tiny fraying might be something you overlook, but they can immediately ruin the overall look of a particular outfit. Your favorite jeans might be starting to fray, and you may ignore the missing embellishments of a blouse because you have worn it so frequently, but this is not something you should ignore. Nothing lasts forever, and that includes your clothes, and those small rips, holes and other signs of damage that look inconsequential now can go from a minor flaw to a deal breaker. If you cannot absolutely let go of a particular clothing that has minor damages, have a tailor fix it up for you and make it wearable again. But if the damage is beyond repair, consider tossing them out.
4.) Not ironing your clothes
Ironing your clothes might seem just like another thing for you to do in the morning. When you are operating on a perpetually busy schedule, it can be easy to forego this and just grab something from the hamper. But you and your wardrobe will never be taken seriously if visible wrinkles can be seen, it also conveys the message that you do not care enough about your professional image. Just think of the time you had your job interview, did you not ensure your clothes to be wrinkle-free because you want to be considered for the job? You should maintain the same attitude when it comes to your regular work clothes. Preventing wrinkles requires minimal effort that all you would need to do is read the care tag of a particular clothing item as to how to wash it best—even without you having to press and iron them.
5.) Rolling your sleeves incorrectly
As the temperature fluctuates throughout the day, you might need to keep yourself cool so as not to get sweaty and overheat. One fashionable way of doing this is to roll up your sleeves. However, this must be done carefully lest you end up with a slovenly look. Take the time to do a double-roll which means you have to use two simple folds and leave your cuffs looking clean and precise. Simply rolling them up just to get them out of the way indicates an utter disinterest with your appearance and looks incredibly sloppy.
6.) Too many accessories
Accessories are pivotal to making your look a bit more distinct and personalized. For this reason, necklaces, a cute pair of earrings can be a great statement piece and can pull an entire outfit together. However, it is important to consider which accessory would be appropriate for the occasion you are wearing it for. Wearing too many accessories at one time creates visual noise and will do your outfit no favors. Instead, tastefully wear them and try not to cover yourself in too many gaudy trinkets that you would end up looking like an over adorned Christmas tree.
When it comes to sartorial ensembles, it is always the little things and not the drastic changes that count. They really do make a difference no matter your preference, body type or personal taste. With that being said, it is vital that no matter how you dress yourself up, it is imperative to avoid having the sneaky saboteurs above ruin your outfit. After all, looking presentable and clean are two of the initial steps of pulling off an incredibly stylish look.