How to Dress in an Elegant Fashion

The famous fashion designer Coco Chanel always said that the best color for you is the one that makes you look best. This fashion philosophy is the key to dressing elegantly in all situations, from everyday life to the fanciest special occasion.

Instructions

1. Understand the dress code and generally accepted dress for the place you're going to be. You have some leeway to dress more or less formally than most people but you need to stay within the boundaries of what's acceptable by not breaking cardinal rules, such as wearing short pants to work or wearing a tie to a barbecue.

2. Dress in a way that, when you put the clothes on, makes you feel good. You will never look elegant, even in the most fashionable clothes, if you're tugging at your collar or inching down your skirt.

3. Stick to darker, simpler and smoother colors. If you want to add color, do so one at a time on a foundation of more muted colors. If you find that bright, loud colors are your style then make sure you get second opinions on the color combination so that your outfit doesn't cross the line from elegant to shocking.

4. Accessorize with the mindset that each time you add an accessory, that accessory must be taken out of your accessory cycle for a few weeks. This will make you weigh the value of each accessory to your outfit so you make sure that the accessory you choose makes you more elegant rather than less.

5. Stay away from clothes that have brand names visible to others. Showing brands is the antithesis of elegance, unless the brand logo on the clothing is very small and tasteful (such as Polo's horseman or Lacoste's alligator).

6. Make sure shoes and belt match and don't become negligent when you add "functional" items like these.

7. Be wary of latest fashion since these things often border on trend. If you do go with the latest, make sure it's from bona fide designers like Ralph Lauren or Giorgio Armani whose elegant credibility is high.