A Styling Lesson in Threes

My philosophy on creating an outfit that feels fully finished.

I think most outfits have a base of two pieces. A shirt and a pant. A dress and a shoe. A skirt and a sweater. Then there’s a third thing that makes the outfit feel more complete. In so many creative disciplines, things grouped in threes tend to feel more balanced and dynamic. So I’ve started thinking about outfits the same way.

Examples from the latest Resort 2027 runway collections: From left: Khaite: 1.Textural leather against denim, 2. Shape- broad shoulder jacket layered on a straight leg jean 3. Statement bag. Hermes: 1. Tonal yellow 2. Contrast color pink bag 3. Textural leather. Dior: 1. dark tonal black and navy 2. textural sheer and satin 3. Fringe unexpected bags. Chanel: 1. Stripes 2. Long line silhouettes 2. Punch color shoe. The Row: 1. Tonal 2. Textural top and drapey menswear trouser 3. Oversized rounded sleeve

When I’m getting dressed, I first think about the the two obvious components and then I think about the 3rd to be something that creates interest, depth, and an overall pulled together look. These three elements can be anything, as long as they are distinct from each other. A grouping of jewelry, a fabric, a color, a big oversized bag, a jacket, a styling twist. The idea is to create three unique points of interest that make an outfit feel finished.

Here are 4 ways I’m achieving this: