7 Ways To Always Look Polished

1. Outerwear

Outwear is a genre of clothing that is often overlooked, but adding a coat or blazer to your outfit is the quickest way to appear put together. They do all the heavy lifting for you. If you examine the street style from recent Fashion Weeks, you’ll notice a pattern of layering outerwear, and for a good reason. 

Coats and blazers are unique in the sense that they require much more attention to detail in their design and manufacturing compared to jeans and tops. When shopping for your next coat, look for things like structure through the shoulders and a long lapel collar. These are little details that will make you appear more polished, regardless of what you are wearing.

2. Clean shoes

The habit of regularly polishing our shoes is one that rapidly evaporated, but it’s a simple task that can complete an outfit. Keeping your footwear neat will make you look put together from head to toe. Take a baby wipe to white sneakers every couple of wears to ensure they look out-of-the-box new. Treat boots with regular polishes to condition and maintain the leather. Just remember to do a patch test in a discrete area before popping on the polish. Leather is a natural material and will absorb oils which can temporarily alter its lustre and colour. Also, keep an eye on the soles of your shoes. It’s always worthwhile to replace any that have worn down at a cobbler.

3. Looking after your knitwear

If I had one superpower, it would be the ability to remove pilling from jumpers in the blink of an eye. Knitted clothing naturally bobbles around areas where there is excessive rubbing. This happens through wear and is unavoidable unless you stay completely still.

In the case where a stationary lifestyle isn’t the most practical, there are steps you can take to keep your knitwear looking fresh. Firstly, avoid wearing jumpers with other abrasive clothing or accessories that will exacerbate pilling.

Secondly, purchase a wool comb to brush away pilling. This is a handy tool to add to your clothing maintenance kit, i.e. lint roller, sunlight soap, needle and thread. Use gentle downward motions and always patch test on a discrete location to check how the stitching will react. These combs can also be used to remove pilling from other fabrics where rubbing has occurred. 

4. Tailored silhouettes

A crisp white shirt, no matter what you style it with, will always make you appear pulled together. Any shirt with a collar is naturally associated with smarter dress codes, but don’t be afraid to pair them with your off-duty outfits.

There is something inherently chic about mixing relaxed pieces like denim with structured shirts. Just make sure it’s ironed.

Extra tip: Invest in a steamer! They quickly remove crinkles from even the thickest of fabrics. 

5. Polished jewellery 

It’s almost impossible for me to stay still for longer than a minute, and it’s often my jewellery that bears the full brunt of my fidgeting. Sometimes I reach to play with my necklace even when it’s not hanging off my neck.

If your jewellery is smudged or tarnished, it just won’t have the same effect, regardless of the price tag. A regular clean will put the sparkle back in your favourite pieces. 

6. Tidy basics

Once upon a time, t-shirts with holes in them were trendy and you were hard-pressed to find jeans without some form of distressing or rips. These are not great if you want to appear polished and put together. Keep your basics tidy and hole free.

Invest in clothes made from quality fabrics that will last wear after wear. Spend time in preserving your clothes; that means following the care instructions on the label and using garment bags for delicate items. 

7. Sunglasses

If all else fails, sliding on a pair of shades will take an outfit from shabby to superstar.

Keep a pair close by for the moments where you need to channel your front-row Anna Wintour or just to cover up undereye circles caused by too much Instagram and rosé.