What are outfit formulas?

Outfit formulas are combinations of the silhouettes or types of pieces in a way that you like, where you have multiple pieces that can be subbed in for the parts. So it’s a way to wear the same thing (silhouettes/looks) while wearing different things (clothes/accessories). These can be very specific specific or broad, and are totally subjective to you and your style. Some examples:

Top Style + Bottom Style + Shoe Style

Tee + Skirt + Sneakers

Button-down blouse + Black Trousers + Heels

How do you know what your outfit formulas are?

If you’re not sure, I recommend documenting your outfits for a period of time (most likely at least a few weeks) and see what patterns you notice. One that I’ve noticed recently that I wear often is:

White Denim Jacket + Solid Top + Print Pants + White Sneaks

I incorporate this formula frequently for a few reasons. I enjoy denim jackets, especially a white denim jacket, a lot in general. They’re cute, comfortable, and protect my shoulders and arms from the sun. My white sneaks feel good all day, look fresh, and work with a lot of my clothes. Printed pants are usually a lot of look, and a solid top with a white jacket and shoes helps to temper them while letting them stand out.

Why use outfit formulas?

When you can identify some outfit formulas that work well for you, it helps you decide what to wear, what to buy, and how to style new pieces in your wardrobe.

With this example, I can see that the white denim jacket and white sneaks are some of the foundations of my closet, and that prints that have or go with white are likely to work with them. I could also branch out to colored denim jackets, or similar sneakers, for more variety that way.

Below are six possible outfits for the example formula if adjusted to include printed skirts as well. I’d have even more if I subbed in printed dresses too!