Have you ever looked into your closet and realized you have nothing to wear? It is often a struggle to find clothes that not only fit your body but also look nice. Sometimes, it feels like nothing you own matches with anything, so you have no choice but to throw on a random shirt with jeans. While there is nothing inherently wrong with not having a sense of style, elevating your wardrobe can greatly improve your mood and self-confidence, so here are some tips to dress better even if you are on a low budget.

To start off, let’s talk about color. The easiest way to make an aesthetically pleasing outfit is to understand the basics of which colors match with each other. Even if you have very basic clothes like T-shirts and shorts, you can elevate the outfit by matching the tones. There are many ways you can do this. My personal favorite way is to use a base color like white, gray, black, or beige to match with a more colorful color. For example, I love matching purple and white because if I match purple with any other color, it might seem a bit too colorful. For beginners who are just starting to build their wardrobe, it is best to stock up on base colors such as white because once you have a cute white skirt, you can basicallymatch that with any top. 

Additionally, you can make a monochromatic outfit. A popular color to do this with is with black, but if you don’t want to see super emo, you can do this with a more colorful color. Just make sure that there is at least some variation in the tone of the color. For example, you can match a lighter red with a deeper red. 

Another way to match colors is to look at the opposite colors on the color wheel. For example, since purple and yellow are opposite, you can use a little bit of yellow to elevate a purple outfit. This does not mean you should wear bright yellow pants under a purple shirt because that would be too much of a statement for some people, but you can certainly use a small yellow accessory to make the outfit stand out. For example, you can use a yellow bag or a yellow headband.

Speaking of bags and headbands, accessorizing is also a great way to elevate an outfit. This is a more advanced tip, but this can save you a lot of money because accessories can be very cheap if you find the right places to look. Although bags are expensive, I would recommend buying some bags in basic colors such as black, white, and brown, and if you have more money, you can buy a statement bag in a brighter color. This will ensure that your bags match all of your outfits. When it comes to jewelry, you really don’t need to buy too much, either. I would recommend buying a few pieces of silver and gold jewelry because they can match your warm or cool-toned outfits. For example, if you are wearing a black and gray outfit, wearing silver would be the best choice because it adds a little bit of life to the outfit without taking awayits grayish-grungy vibe. It is important to note that you should only wear silver if your overall outfit is cool-toned. It would be weird to wear silver when there is a lot of yellow in your outfit. 

But enough about color, let’s talk about layering, which is another very important concept in fashion. For beginners who are just starting to build their wardrobe, this is not as important as color; however, it is still important to understand some basic layering techniques to help you elevate your style. Firstly, layering can be as simple as putting on a jacket over a t-shirt. This is probably the most basic way to layer, but I highly recommend beginners try to ditch the boring sweatshirts and opt for a jacket instead. Think about it: the jacket and the sweatshirt both do the same exact thing by keeping you warm, but the jacket creates a more fashionable layering effect; that way, people can see your shirt inside and also see the jacket. It doesn’t seem like a big change, but I promise you a good jacket can greatly improve your fashion. Also, you can add a vest to a basic shirt. This is one of my favorite techniques as well because it is so simple. Vests are great because you can wear them on top of anything from turtlenecks to blouses. When asked to give a tip on fashion, Noor Shmara (alumni) commented on his own favorite jacket by saying, “Find a piece of clothing that you know you will wear frequently. For example, I have a favorite jacket.”

So, with these tips in mind, how do you actually start building your wardrobe? I recommend starting with basic bottoms in colors such as gray, blue, white, and black. You can be a little more experimental with tops, but you should still mostly stick to basic colors and slowly add more colorful and unique pieces once you have a higher budget. Try to experiment with the style of the topics and find which neckline suits you the best. I recommend shopping in person when you are firststarting out because you really want to get a feel for what looks best. I can write a whole other article on my tips for online shopping and getting the sizing right. Any dress that fits your body type could work. The most important part, in my opinion, is to invest in good outerwear. This does not just mean jackets. This means a variety of outerwear like cardigans, vests, and even shawls if you want a more elegant look. My favorite is a black leather jacket because it instantly makes any outfit look super cool and chic. Even if you wear a basic top, the intricate floral cardigan that you layer on top could elevate the outfit to a whole other level.

You are free to take these tips with a grain of salt, but these are just my best tips for beginners. Obviously, there is so much more to fashion than just this, but this article is already pretty long. Overall, as long as you stock up on some basics and do your best to explore what fits your style, you can build a useful wardrobe in no time.