Simple Outfit Formulas
If you have to think about an outfit for more than 30 seconds, you are missing a formula. The four below cover most situations.
- Top + Bottom + Shoe
T-shirt, jeans, sneakers. The default. Variations come from changing only the top — knit instead of tee, oxford instead of knit.
- Top + Bottom + Layer + Shoe
Add an overshirt or cardigan. Layer pulls a casual base toward smart-casual without changing the base pieces.
- Top + Bottom + Outerwear + Shoe
Coat, blazer, or jacket added on top. Use this when temperature or formality require it. The rest of the outfit stays unchanged.
- Top + Bottom + Layer + Outerwear + Shoe
Full stack. Five elements maximum. Past five and the outfit reads as styled, not lived in.
How to vary without breaking
Variation happens at one slot at a time, not all of them. Change the top and keep the rest. Change the shoe and keep the rest. Outfits that change three slots at once stop reading as the same person.
See also: The System · How to Dress Better