Photo by chelsea ferenando on Unsplash

I commute to the city everyday for work and I am always observant of my fellow commuters. The way they dress, speak, and even stand is interesting. Sometime in 2017 during my regular morning commute a lady entered the train, she was wearing a bright yellow fit and flare lace dress, her hair was well done, and she finished her look with bold red lips and pearl accessories. I was mesmerized, but I wasn’t sure why, everything she wore seemed ordinary but all together it was nothing short of stunning. It turned out that we both worked in the same building and I decided then that I would look out for her and her refreshing style as often as I can. I eventually assumed that she was probably attending a special event that day and decided to jazz up her work look.

Man was I wrong….

It didn’t take long for me to realize that this lady was consistent with her style and confidence. Below are the 10 secret tips that I have observed from my chic commuter friend, myself and other women that seem to always look “put together“.

• The fit

  Fit is life: It is important to understand the shape of your body and the type of clothes that compliment it. If you are unsure, there are many style guides (try Pinterest) available to help you dress your body well. The fit of your clothes is the foundation of your outfit, If the garment is too loose or too tight you may feel unkempt and if you feel unkempt, take a wild guess as to how you may feel, that’s right …unkempt. Knowing your correct size is important to get the right fit.

  note - knowing your size in various brands will save you time while shopping.

• The details

  Have you ever glimpsed at an object only to take a quick second look to clearly understand what you were looking at? That’s your brain processing details but the brain doesn’t always jolt you to give a second look does it? that’s because not all details are interesting. When you incorporate details into your look it creates a intrigue, something that needs to be understood. Whether your handbag has a gold bar, or your belt has a gold circle or a unique shape, all patterns and textures can be considered details.

• Your colors

  Knowing what colors work for your skin tone, or just works for you in general is super important when looking your best. We all have a special color or shade that we feel electric in. Personally, I love all things black and it has been that way since I was 16. However, I do know that a burnt yellow or orange turns heads.

• Style trends

  Trends sometime get a negative wrap in the media, the idea that everyone is doing, wearing, eating, or even watching the same thing makes people nervous. The fear of being categorized forms a resistance to trends but ironically most people who don’t subscribe to one trend are completely engrossed in another. Know your style, it’s great to be trendy, but try to identify how trends fit into your style. This way you can be trendy, fashionable and comfortable in your ensemble.

• Your comfort

  As a young girl I remember always hearing that beauty is pain. Today it’s all about comfort or die (OK I made that up) but why would you want to wear something that doesn’t make you feel your best? Pay attention to the type of fabric before you purchase an item as some materials could be scratchy, non-stretching or not breathable. You want to be pampered in your outfit, it will make you look good and most importantly it will make you feel good.

• Item care

  I know this one may be a stretch but in order to keep your “pieces” looking good you must follow the care guidelines on the inside tags. Tags are usually itchy and annoying, but they contain key information on how to treat your clothes. Some items maybe hand wash only, others are dry clean only, some items are delicate others have to be washed only in cold water. Fabrics treated well will be around longer to aid in your fashion shenanigans.

• Your make up

  Make up is not beauty, it is only there to accentuate beauty. I don’t know about you but love a good accentuation :) I always believed that make up should have one goal, to be cohesive. Your face is also something that is getting dressed and will be on the front line as soon as you go out in public, but this doesn’t mean you can’t play around with your look. A hint of color can be added to your eyelids to add warmth or a pop of color.

• Your Accessories

  A little can go a long was with accessories. Balance is important when selecting your accessories, I usually apply one basic rule, have a main piece. If you have large earrings pair these with a skinny and understated necklace a nice watch and or bracelet however, if you have a large necklace, go for small or thin hoops or stud earrings to balance out a chunky piece. Once you have decided on the combination take the time to evaluate if your accessories feel overwhelming or boring.

• Your confidence

  The most import thing a woman can wear is her confidence, trying to look flawless without the right attitude is like a beautiful sail and no wind. Your confidence is your driving force, control it, people think you will be more confident if your clothes are new, or if you spend hundreds of dollars on your attire and I guess it will feel good to own nice things however your own personal confidence is what makes you presentable. Everyone has insecurities, but you should ensure that confidence is always present and is ready to dominate your fear. Stand tall, chin up and be positive you already know your best features so work them!

• Your Shoes

  Shoes is such an interesting topic because it makes or breaks your outfit because if it is cute and not comfortable that’s a disaster, but if they are comfortable and not cute it may take your outfit down a couple notches. Know your style and be comfortable with it, people may not always think this is the best style in the universe but guess what? This is your show, when I was younger people always said, “oh this shoes or handbag looks like something you would wear” and it drove me crazy, I spent a period of time trying to change my style so that it was less predictable - Big mistake! Never do this! all I ended up doing was accumulating impractical outfits that I was never comfortable wearing anywhere, a big waste of time and money. Identify your type of footwear then play around with colors and different versions of the same thing if that makes you happy. Remember, those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind :)

To finish my story, one day I felt compelled to compliment her on her outfit, and she had such a great personality, she shook her head, laughed then said “honestly, most of these are older pieces that I acquired a few years back, but I really enjoy finding new ways to wear them”.

Do you have secret tips to looking flawless? drop them in the comments.

Update: As soon as I uploaded this post someone asked how to be flawless if you are at home and not heading out!!!

Ans: Wake up, shower, brush your teeth, brush your hair (make it almost as cute as if you were heading outside) :)