Good Basics Make for Great Outfits
By Tayla Santos
Okay, we have all been there and we are all guilty of saying it; “I have nothing to wear *insert crying emoji face*”. But don’t let NOT knowing what to wear lead you to resorting to wearing something that you don’t feel 100% in. Be honest- Are you the type of person who dreads putting together an outfit before going somewhere like work, school or even just a day or errands? Do you say “no” to plans cause you have “nothing to wear”? Don’t let the unknown of your outfit keep you from living your best life!! You’re better than that, so please don’t be that person!
It took me a little while, but I think it’s safe to say that I have now found my true personal style. Not sure exactly how I would simply label it, but ill try to explain my styling process in this blog post!
To be totally honest, it always makes me chuckle to myself when people comment on my photos or send me messages saying things like “I love your style”, or “you put together the best outfits”, “I love the way you dress”. My outfits are usually the simplest, most easy going looks. At least in my eyes! But hey, Coco Chanel did once said:
“It is always better to be underdressed.”
COCO CHANEL
so I’m going to take that and run with it. A few weeks ago I made an instagram post with the caption “If you were a cartoon, what would your uniform outfit be?” In the photo Im wearing a classic white tee, cropped high waisted mom jeans and little white sneakers. I accessorized with a few layered gold necklaces, a black bag, some black sunnies and a long camel colored coat (These are my “Sprinkles of Tayla”, you’ll see what I mean later in the blog post). It’s simple, it’s chic, it’s clean, it’s easy. And it’s honestly my go to look. If I don’t feel like styling heavy, feel like I have nothing to wear, or just don’t have time to put together anything extravagant, I bring out the basics and build from there.
Rocking the base alone… 
Same base, just threw on a coat!
THE BASE OF THE OUTFIT
The bases of my outfits are more times and not the most simplest of things. Usually a good pair of jeans and a plain top. I don’t really own too much pattern unless its a dress (which I also rarely wear) because then I hardly ever reach for it. Im a simple gal and less is more when it comes to styling for me.
The basics and the staples of my wardrobe: Plain fitted turtle necks and t-shirts, well fitting jeans with no holes, white sneakers (They go with everything!), chunky sweaters, and some nice coats and jackets. thats it!
Literally I could style off of just these things alone! As long as you got a good base, you are on the road to a great outfit. From here, you can sprinkle as much personality as you want on top. With a good base, you really shouldn’t have to add too much. I like to keep things simple because I feel like it looks super clean and classy. Sometimes though, I’ll swap out the turtle neck for a chunky sweater, the sneakers for some boots, or the jeans out for some trousers. I find that when I stick to simplicity, there are so many possibilities.
NEUTRALS OR NOTHING
As you probably already know, I rarely ever wear anything but neutrals. I stick to the blacks, browns and tans quite a bit! Just take a look at my Instagram, you’ll see lol. I find that these tones really work for me. Once I finally realized that, and started collecting more and more of these tones… styling outfits became that much easier. Everything matched!! Because everything I wear is the same hue pattern, I feel like it really allows myself to have my own “signature look”. Pretty cool, huh.?
Find out what tones work best with your skin tone…or even which colors you just enjoy wearing in general. Then roll with that. Start shopping with eyes just for that hue. Buy things that you know will go with things you already have at home. That way, when it does come down to putting together an outfit at the last minute, you’ve already made it easy on yourself. It doesn’t have to be neutrals like me, find your own grove and own it!
THE “SPRINKLE OF TAYLA”
This is when I have the whole outfit on and I start to really make it “Tayla”. I add things that make the outfit a little more personable and specific to what my day looks like. I may add a bag, a coat, or even a fun pair of shoes. Accessorizing can really take your outfit to the next level but I’ll be honest- a lot of times I purposefully skip over it because I like the simple, clean, uninterrupted look. However, sometimes even just a pair of sunglasses on top of your head can amplify the look just enough.
Leather Jacket 
Grey Coat & Cross Body 
Camel Coat & Waist bag
Hair styles are another thing that can really change the look of a fit. Try a few different ones if you feel like the outfit isn’t quite there yet. My go to is the slicked back middle parted bun because of how clean it looks, but sometimes the outfit doesn’t call for that and it might look 10x better with my hair out and curly!
If you’re not sure what your personal style is just yet, dont stress it, it will come to you eventually. Just keep wearing what genuinely makes you feel good. Wear what you feel like the most YOU in! If you keep doing that, before you know it, your wardrobe will begin to take share and form a cohesive look!
If you’ve made it this far and have actually read the whole post, I love you! You are a Loyal one haha! I hope you enjoyed it and got something from it. Make sure to follow me on instagram for my daily looks and subscribe to my blog to stay up to date with future styling blog posts!
Happy Styling!
XOXO
Tayla S.
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