10 Rules That Upgraded My Style (And Will Yours Too)

It hit me so hard. I used to spend so much money buying every single micro-trend I saw on TikTok, and yet I stood in front of my closet every single morning crying that I had absolutely nothing to wear. It is the most frustrating feeling in the world.

But over the last couple of years, I really started paying attention. I stopped buying random cute tops and started actually studying what makes an outfit look good. I figured out a system. And honestly? It completely changed my life. I get dressed in ten minutes now, and I always feel like the coolest version of myself.

I wrote down exactly what I changed. Here are the 10 rules that completely upgraded my style, and I promise they will upgrade yours too. Let’s get right into it!

1. The “Wrong Shoe” Theory is Magic

We talked about this a little bit before, but I need to make it rule number one because it is that important. The quickest way to make an outfit look boring is to match the vibe perfectly. If you are wearing a pretty, flowy summer dress, your brain tells you to wear a pretty, delicate little sandal. Don’t do it!

Instead, pick the shoe that makes the least amount of sense. Wear that pretty floral dress with a heavy, scuffed-up pair of combat boots or some chunky retro sneakers. If you are wearing baggy sweatpants, throw on a sharp kitten heel or a really structured loafer.

It adds friction to the outfit. It makes people look twice and think, “Oh, she really knows what she is doing.” Plus, it usually means your feet are way more comfortable because you aren’t forcing yourself into uncomfortable heels when you are just going to get groceries.

2. The Sandwich Dressing Method

Okay, this is a styling trick that I learned from a stylist online and it deadass blew my mind. Think of your outfit like a sandwich. The bread is your top and your shoes. The meat is your pants or skirt.

If you wear a black sweater (top piece of bread), you should wear black boots (bottom piece of bread). Then your pants can be whatever color you want, like blue jeans or a green skirt. It sandwiches the outfit and makes it look incredibly balanced and cohesive.

You can also do this with proportions. If you wear a heavy, oversized jacket, you want a heavier, chunkier shoe to balance out the visual weight. If you wear a tiny little tank top, you can wear a light, delicate shoe. It just balances you out so you don’t look top-heavy.

3. Always Size Up Your Outerwear

This is a hill I will absolutely die on. Stop buying coats and jackets that fit you perfectly tight. A tight coat just looks cheap, even if it cost a lot of money. You want your outerwear to look like it is enveloping you. You want it to drape.

I remember being at this giant thrift store with my sister a few years ago. I found this massive men’s blazer. It smelled vaguely like mothballs and someone’s grandpa. My sister literally laughed out loud and told me I looked like I was playing dress-up. But I took it home, got it dry cleaned, rolled the sleeves up, and wore it over a tiny little slip dress. Boom. Instant fashion week material. She tried to steal it from me the very next week!

When you are buying coats, blazers, or even big sweaters, buy them one or two sizes larger. It makes you look so much more relaxed and effortless.

4. Stop Buying “Fun Tops” and Buy Boring Basics

I know this sounds counterintuitive, but listen to me. The reason you have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear is because you keep buying the spicy, fun pieces but you have no boring pieces to wear them with. You buy that crazy sequin halter top, but you don’t own a single pair of plain, perfectly fitting black trousers to ground it.

You need to spend your money on the boring stuff first. A crisp white button-down shirt. A perfect pair of straight-leg jeans. A high-quality black t-shirt that doesn’t lose its shape after one wash. A solid wool blazer.

Once you have those boring basics, getting dressed is so easy. You can throw any crazy accessory or colorful jacket over them, and the outfit will always work.

5. Mixing Metals is Actually the Goal

For the longest time, I thought you had to be a “gold girl” or a “silver girl.” I thought mixing them was literally against the law. It was so stressful because I had pieces I loved in both colors.

My grandma gave me this incredibly heavy, beautiful silver and turquoise cuff a few years ago. The beadwork and silverwork on it are amazing. For a long time, I thought I couldn’t wear it because all my other everyday jewelry was cheap, thin gold chains. Then one day, I was running late and I just threw them all on together. The contrast of the traditional Native silverwork with the thin modern gold necklaces looked so cool and so personal to me.

Now, I mix everything on purpose. Wear silver rings with gold hoops. It looks lived-in and collected, rather than looking like you bought a matching set from a catalog.

6. Texture is Way More Important Than Pattern

If you want to look really expensive and put-together without trying very hard, stop wearing so many crazy patterns and start focusing on textures instead.

A completely monochromatic outfit – like all black or all cream – can look a little flat if it is all the exact same cotton material. But if you wear a chunky knit wool sweater with a smooth satin skirt and a rough leather boot? Suddenly, that all-black outfit is the most interesting thing in the room. The way the light hits the different fabrics creates all the visual interest you need.

I barely wear floral prints or stripes anymore. I just mix my knits, silks, and leathers. It makes packing for trips so much easier too, because everything matches.

7. The 3-Color Maximum Rule

This is my failsafe rule for when I am getting dressed in a rush and my brain isn’t working. Do not wear more than three colors at once. And honestly, two of those colors should probably be neutrals.

If you wear blue jeans, a white shirt, and a brown jacket, that is three colors. You are good. If you add a bright red hat, green shoes, and a purple bag, you suddenly look like a walking pack of Skittles. It is just too much for the eye to process.

Pick a base neutral (like black, white, or beige), a secondary color (like denim blue or olive green), and then one pop of an accent color. It keeps everything looking super tight and intentional.

8. Tailoring is Your Absolute Secret Weapon

Okay, this is the secret that rich people use to look good, but you can do it on a budget. Clothes are made to fit a generic fit model. They are not made to fit you. Almost nothing you buy off the rack is going to fit your specific body perfectly.

I started taking my cheap $30 trousers to the local dry cleaner to get them hemmed for like $15. Taking up the hem so it hits my shoe perfectly completely transformed the pants. They went from looking sloppy to looking like custom-made designer trousers.

If a blazer fits your shoulders but is too boxy in the waist, get it darted. If your jeans gap at the back, get the waist taken in. Spending a little bit of money on alterations will make your affordable clothes look luxurious.

9. Wear Clothes That Actually Fit Your Current Body

This one is a little bit emotional, but me and you have talked about this before. Stop holding onto clothes that are two sizes too small just because you hope they will fit again one day. It is psychological torture to open your closet every day and see things that don’t fit.

We had this big community gathering last summer. I wore these high-waisted, rigid vintage denim jeans that looked absolutely amazing when I was standing up in front of my bedroom mirror. But the second we got there and I sat down at the picnic table? Absolute torture. My auntie was bringing over all this amazing food, and I was in so much physical pain from the waistband digging into my ribs that I had to physically unbutton my pants under the table just to breathe. It totally ruined the day.

Never again. Comfort is literally confidence. If you are tugging at a hemline, sucking in your stomach all day, or walking weirdly because your shoes hurt, you are not going to look stylish. You are going to look uncomfortable. Buy the bigger size. Cut the tags out if the number bothers you. Just wear clothes that let you live your actual life.

10. The 80/20 Vintage Rule

My last rule is how I keep my closet sustainable and unique. I try to make sure that 80 percent of my wardrobe is secondhand, vintage, or thrifted, and only 20 percent is bought brand new.

The 20 percent of new stuff is for basics that are hard to thrift. Underwear, socks, basic white t-shirts, maybe a specific pair of sneakers. But the 80 percent? That is where the magic happens. Vintage clothes are just made better. The fabrics are heavier, the stitching is stronger, and you are never going to walk into a party and see three other girls wearing the exact same Zara dress as you.

Plus, the thrill of the hunt is the best part. Finding that perfect, buttery leather jacket at a flea market for twenty bucks is a high that fast fashion could never give you.