I love to see how readers have used the Four Styling Formulas to create exciting looks. The outfit submissions I received to create an outfit using one of these four formulas were fantastic. Today, I am featuring the finalists for you to vote for the winner who will receive a $50 gift card.
Let’s recap the Four Styling Formulas first. You can read about them more in-depth in this post.
Focal Point Styling
Focal point styling is a vivid pop that pulls the eye while making the outfit look complete. Focal points should never distract. While they stand out, they should still work with the outfit. The most common way to use Focal Point styling is through the shoes and quite often the outfit itself is neutral.
Road Map Styling
Road map styling is the concept of using prints, patterns, or even colorful jewelry as a guide. This is likely the easiest way to combine color in an outfit because you have a cheat sheet to follow. The prints are literally guiding you.
Harmony Styling
Harmony Styling means combining colors in a harmonious way. The most common way to style this way is to work tonally but harmony styling is not exclusive to tonal dressing. Basically, you want to think of all the pieces in one outfit blending together as opposed to one piece takes center stage.
Complementary Styling
Complementary styling is the opposite of harmony styling because it uses two colors that work together but don’t blend as harmony outfits do. In fact, many Complentary styled outfits consist of complementary colors and colors that fall opposite the color wheel. This styling formula is different than Focal Point styling because in Focal Point Styling, there is one piece that is popping and in Complementary Styling, the different colors are working together and there isn’t one shade that necessarily steals focus.
Finalists in the Four Styling Formulas Contests
I gave the challenge to all of you to take one of these formulas and work with pieces in your wardrobes to create a look. I have selected the finalists and now it is time for you to vote for your favorite. There is a poll at the end of this post to vote. Voting ends November 25th.
Entry #1- Spice Market
Styling Formula Used: Complementary
Entrant #1 told me she started with a top she really found difficult to style. After that, she grabbed her mustard culottes that seem to work with everything. Once she had those two pieces she looked for some colors that her eye liked with the rust and mustard. She grabbed the green scarf and taupe booties.
She really likes this outfit. Entrant #1 told me it’ss very her but it certainly seemed much more put together than normal as well.
She may have used a formula to create this outfit but there isn’t anything formulaic looking about it.
Entry #2- Autumn Florals
Styling Formula Used: Road Map
This entrant told me she fell in love with a scarf at Chico’s and had originally bought it to go with a dress. The scarf has beautiful autumn colors so she thought she would build an outfit around all the different shades. She already had the sweater and shoes and decided to get these pants to complete the outfit.
Entrant #2 really found her way with this look.
Entry #3- Shades of Grey
Styling Formula Used: Harmony
This was Entrant #3’s attempt at Covid Chic, all in tones of grey and black. The base is a light grey relaxed fit cowl neck sweater and black leggings. On chilly evenings she wears the poncho indoors as a cardigan but confesses it sometimes doubles as a TV blanket. For a walk around the neighborhood, she wears her grey suede Blundstones. But if she’s going somewhere really fancy, she’ll wrap a pewter necklace with little sand dollars, a tiny crossbody, and snakeskin booties.
This outfit is like smooth jazz.
Entry #4- Teddy Chic
Styling Formula Used: Focal Point
Entrant 4 told me this outfit could be either a Focal Point outfit or a Road Map because of the pendant but she thinks of it mostly as a focal point because the jacket stands out in color and texture. It’s the Billabong Cozy Days Sherpa jacket. This was her start. She added I added a medium blue Madewell Whisper Cotton tee and Paige jeans since they’re complementary colors to the orangey shade of the jacket. In addition, she added brown and tan booties from her wardrobe as options that are neutral. The outfit gets tied together with the pendant she has in the gold/orange/blue/brown shades in the outfit.
Could it be that this Entrant managed to use three Styling Formulas in one look, Focal Point, Complementary, and Road Map?
Entry #4- Muted Elegance
Styling Formula Used: Road Map
This entrant bought this jacket on impulse while she was on a painting holiday. So it mostly sat in her closet until she found the plaid scarf and started building outfits with the blue and green tones. Although the jacket and pants are the same tones, the textures in the pieced jacket and pleated scarf and the huge vintage buttons add interest.
The plaid scarf really mapped out the outfit.
Vote for Your Favorite Look
Wow! That’s all I have to say. It’s one thing to see these looks on clients or in a blog post, but to see readers actually execute these formulas successfully just blows me away.
Now it’s time to vote for your favorite looks. Your vote should be based on how well the entrant executed the look and the quality of the look itself. Voting ends November 25th and the winner will be announced shortly after in my Weekly Style Update newsletter.
My sincere thanks to all the entries, you all did great, and congrats to the final five finalists.
