The Art of High-Low Dressing

Everyone, yes everyone, has a budget—they are only differentiated by the number of digits they contain. Mastering high-low dressing is a great tool meet your budget and can guide you on when to spend on which garments.

Here, I’m not talking about basics such as an inexpensive tank vs. a pricier one. High - Low dressing is about the way in which you pair garments. To succeed, you must be strategic in putting the look together, highlighting the expensive garment and downplaying the other.

For example, you purchase a pricey, fabulous print, stand up collar blazer. Now, pair it with a $20 pencil skirt from a fast fashion store. When building this outfit, the center piece is obviously the blazer and the skirt the backdrop.

Now, you purchase an inexpensive, collared blouse online that matches a shade in the blazer and happens to be your coloring. When it arrives, you notice there are some loose threads, or the buttons are not of high quality. However, it highlights the jacket beautifully.

What do you do?? Wear it strategically. Wear it with the blazer but stand up the blouse’s collar inside the blazer’s collar. Perhaps add a scarf or chunky necklace. By doing this, you’ve accomplished three things: you’ve hidden the stitching, and hidden the buttons, while highlighting the blazer. All people see now, is the top of the blouse’s collar and nothing more.

How do you know you’ve succeeded in high-low dressing?? Close your eyes and when you reopen them, your eye should automatically go to the more expensive one.

Tammy’s Truism: When choosing a plain garment, its weave or finish can make it look more expensive.