This article has been syndicated to Her Campus from Downtown Demure by Elizabeth Roy, an InfluenceHer Collective member. Read the full post here.
Have you ever seen a photo of a fashion blogger or celeb wearing a simple outfit that still looks polished and thought, “Why does that outfit work SO well?” Some of those women naturally have good style game and can make anything look next-level chic (*cough* Olivia Palermo *cough*). The rest of us can use a little trick called the third piece rule.
What’s the third piece rule? It’s a widely used rule of thumb in retail that encourages more nuanced and stylish outfits. It boils down to simple fashion math:
1st piece (top) + 2nd piece (bottom) + 3rd layering piece = A perfectly polished look
I’m a fan of simple math, so this rule of thumb is genius to me. Better yet, it’s SUPER easy to implement. In order to illustrate the power of this style trick in real life, here are a few pics illustrating my outfit pre- and post-third piece rule:
Let’s start with a casual black and white outfit. In the before photo, my outfit isn’t very exciting apart from the Western-style flats. And then boom—add a fedora as the third piece (my favorite!), and the second outfit immediately has more style and intrigue. It’s still casual, but it isn’t basic.
Here’s a business casual outfit that is heavy on the casual and lacking on the polish. By simply adding a tailored blazer as the third piece, I’m able to transform this low-key outfit into a professional look that is far more reflective of my personal style.
Read the full post here.