7 Closet Swaps That Will Make Your Outfits 5x More Flattering
Small edits. Massive improvement.
by The Candidly Team
About 72% of the time, we get dressed in clothes we like and still feel like there’s something off about our outfit.
Honestly, it’s very annoying. Especially because we can’t quite put a finger on what it is. The fit? The proportions? The strange sensation to torch everything in our closet and start again?
Well, whatever IT is, we just don’t feel flattered.
We suspected we weren’t alone in this sinking feeling, so we decided to share 7 lessons we’ve learned about clothes that can pretty much make this feeling go away.
We’re talking about clothes that look good on real human bodies. Bodies that have broadness. And bulges. And thick bits. And scrawny bits. And that weird indent none of us even know we have until we try on something silk.
Rather than bore you with the mechanics of how and why these particular pieces work so well, which you’d only really need if you were planning to pursue a career in costuming, we decided to make things simple and just give it to you in swaps.
So without further ado, here are 7 things you can swap into your closet today that will flatter you to no end and make you feel like the finest, chicest, most put together version of yourself.
With nearly no effort at all.
Swap straight-leg pants to wide-leg pants.
We’ll start with an easy one - one you probably already know, because for a while now wide-leg pants have been riding a monstrous wave of popularity. Every woman knows how good they feel, but they also know how good they look. The trick is to choose a pair with a spacious, but smartly tailored, leg and a high waistline that smooths over your tum and hits very close to the small of your waist. All of this makes your legs look longer and your waist look nipped without adding volume to your hips.
Maeve Wide-Leg Trouser Pants
And here are the only trousers you should buy if you could only buy one pair of trousers. They are, and we don’t believe we’re overstating here, perfection. Every detail from the draping to the swoopy, slimming shape makes them the most flattering pants you’ll reach for.
We actually have a little bonus trick here that some of you will find silly and some of you will find genius. Because we loved these pants so much, we bought two pairs, both in black. One we tailored to wear with flats and sneaks, and the other we left long to wear with boots and heels. That way, we always have the exact right proportions. Trust us, these pants are worth it.
Price: $148
The Junie High-Rise Wide-Leg Flare Pants by Maeve
For a cleaner, more French style we turn to these 10-out-of-10 pants, also from Anthropologie (the brand is just working miracles at the moment with fit). They come in many gorgeous fall colors, and you will want them all once you realize how stretchy, and sculpting, and smoothing the fabric is - without being too tight.
Price: $128
2. Swap crewneck tees to scoop-neck tees.
We had no idea how much our t-shirts were working against us. Making our shoulders look wider and our arms look thicker and the rest of our bodies just look like rectangles. There’s one stupidly simple way to avoid this. Choose a scoop-neck over a crew. It also helps to pick a tee with a sleeve that covers more arm, which scoop-necks often do. A good tee will frame your upper body to perfection and work with every bottom in your closet. And here are two of the best.
Everlane The Luxe Micro-Rib Scoop-Neck Tee
Have you heard us drivel on about this tee before? Well we’re not stopping anytime soon. It’s the most flattering, fitted tee being made: the thin ribbing, the 3/4 sleeve, the scoooooping neckline that works with every bra. Every season there’s a new color to fawn over, but of course, get it in black and white. Each will look excellent with everything.
Price: $40
Splendid Deep U-Neck Tee
The softness of a Splendid tee continues to go unmatched. But with this neckline and the whispery drape, you can tuck it into your $40 jeans and look luxurious.
Price: $48
3. Swap longer jackets and button-downs for a mid-length crop.
Longer, looser pieces can always run the risk of looking frumpy. Nevertheless, we’ve learned to fear the word “cropped” to the point that we’ll wear some sad, unflattering thing instead of taking a chance on a shorter style. We swear crops aren’t early-2000s scary anymore, and they’re not just for 19-year-olds. In fact, many of them are more mid-length and hit right at the top of your pants, creating what is actually the most flattering silhouette. The best examples of this are a slightly shorter jean jacket or button-down shirt. Both will skim your waist while giving you some coverage and make the bottom half of your body look longer.
DOLAN Washed Cropped Jacket
Jean jackets make forgettable clothes into cool, classic looks. And there is some magical stretch to this jean jacket. The fit is spectacular. It looks just as good with skirts and dresses as it does with loooooong, drapey trousers. We tried it on and the thought was immediate: we want to live in this jean jacket.
Price: $138
J. Crew New classic denim jacket in Bianca wash
For a more fitted style that still has stretch and enough room to move your arms, this is actually our favorite jean jacket of all time. Just look how perfectly it cuts riiiiiight at the top of your pants to make you look elongated.
Price: $79.50
J.Crew Cropped button-up shirt
If you want a hack for looking chic with zero effort, immediately go and change whatever top you’re wearing to a button-down. This one looks as crisp and graceful and expensive as they come, but the fact that we don’t have to tuck or tie it? We’ve never hit “add to cart” faster.
Price: $47.50
Gap Cropped Denim Shirt
Ditto for this chambray button-down. Incidentally, is anything more useful in your closet than a chambray button-down?
Price: $69.50
4. Swap baggy sweaters for a sculpted blazer.
Note: Blazers can be very restrictive and boring and shrug-offable. We are not talking about those blazers. We are talking about the ones that feel as good as sweaters but that still give us clean lines and a certain polish. There are blazers being made, one in particular, that feel like literal sweatshirts. And owning one has changed our sartorial lives.
Avec Les Filles Relaxed Blazer Jacket
Don’t let the stunning autumnal vibe fool you, this blazer feels like a lightweight hoodie. Soft, moveable. Heaven.
Price: $168
5. Swap A-line skirts for bias cut.
A reaaallly good everyday skirt is not easy to find. So many of them add a weird amount of bulk to our bellies and hips or are so tight we never feel remotely comfortable in them. But few people realize the powers of a bias cut. This cut is designed for curves, and we found a skirt that’s pretty much the gold standard where bias cuts are concerned. It’s called “Tilda,” which somehow just makes it all the sweeter.
By Anthropologie The Tilda Maxi Slip Skirt: Linen Edition
If, like us, you’ve been on some fruitless hunt for the perfect skirt that melts over bumps but doesn’t dig into your lower belly - a skirt that makes you look wildly elegant but also feels like it may as well be joggers, then, my friends, stop the search. The shape of this skirt is incredible on curves. The waist is elastic but without any cinching so it falls smoothly all the time. The linen itself is unlike any other linen skirt we’ve tried. Not wrinkly or thin - still soft but with actual hold, so it keeps its shape. We have not been this thrilled by a skirt in a looong time.
Price: $128
By Anthropologie The Tilda Slip Skirt
The silky midi version of the skirt you saw above. The color and size range is the stuff of dreams, but again, the fit is what will make you fall in love.
Price: $88 - $98
6. Swap shapeless jackets for a trench.
One of the big outfit-ruiners is the whatever jacket you toss on as you exit the house. That’s never the case with a trench. You can literally layer it over a sad tank and baggy jeans and stained shoes with unbrushed hair (all which you can see on display in the above photo) and you’ll still look effortlessly chic. The tie-waist and slightly A-line shape are also very narrowing. Not that we need narrowing but never hurts to look elongated by an item of clothing.
Pilcro Hooded Dickie Belted Trench Coat
Forget the perfect shape or color. The built-in dickie 'bout near killed us.
Price: $178
7. Swap sweatshirt and jeans for a sweater set.
We are, at our core, “cozy people.” Anytime there’s so much as a rogue breeze from the window, we’ll reach for a sweatshirt that swallows us into oblivion. We are also “set people,” because once you turn said sweatshirt into a set, you get to feel both cozy and like you put in a little effort. The knit set is sort of a new thing, but it’s also a classic and elevated way to look really good while being cozy. Here are two of our favorites, and incidentally, all we might be wearing this fall/winter.
Free People Freya Sweater Set
It’s not Amazon cheap, but the quality of this set truly makes you feel like you spent twice as much. The color selection will leave you aching for more than one, though you can’t go wrong with black or the oatmeal bone combo.
Price: $128
Free People Hailee Cardi Set
Another flawless set. This time in cardi form for extra layerability.
Price: $128
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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