I’m not a fan of ‘fashion rules’. As much as I enjoyed watching a horribly-dubbed-with-a-nondescript-spanish-accent episode of What Not To Wear when I was growing up, I do not feel that Stacy & Clinton’s rules work for everyone’s personal style. But I do enjoy learning what those rules are.
I see wardrobe styling as a toolbox, one that we fill with a bunch of different things to help you take on every possible job. We don’t use the same tools for every job, and there may be some tools that we rarely use, but the more tools we have, the more jobs we can take on. The Rule of Thirds is one of those tools that I think comes in very handy for creating flattering outfits in seconds, and one that I think have to know.
What is the Rule of Thirds?
The Rule of Thirds is a concept in visual arts, mainly photography, film and painting, and it’s basic guideline for making images more dynamic or compelling. It consists of dividing an image in thirds, both vertically and horizontally, to create 9 equal blocks and lining up where you want the eye to go to where those lines intersect. You may have noticed I tend to do this in my videos.
Fashion is also a visual medium, and while we don’t divide our outfits in 9 equal sections, applying the Rule of Thirds requires diving our outfit in three equal parts to visually create a ratio of 2:1. This ratio is basically the Golden Mean, simplified.
Wait, so how do I apply the Golden Mean to my outfit?
Applying this ratio to your outfits is pretty easy, and my guess is that you have been doing it already without realizing it had a name. The key is to create a visual break in your outfit at either the end of the first third, or the end of the second third. Avoid putting the visual break of your outfit in the middle, because this can make you look frumpy.
Cool, got it! How can I create a visual break?
A visual break is anywhere in your outfit where, if you scan from top to bottom, something changes. The most obvious is any change in color, but the following also create visual breaks:
Where your top and bottom meet
Belts
If you’re wearing a dress of skirt, it’s where the garment meets your skin (if you’re not wearing nude garments)
Where a layer hits you
Where you roll your sleeves to
Where your pants and boots meet, if they are not the same color
The key is to pay attention to the clothes you are wearing, and divide the outfit, not your body, into thirds. The lines are going to hit at different places depending on what you are wearing. It can be a bit confusing to understand at first, but the more you practice, the easier and more intuitive it becomes.
If you are wearing an outfit that makes you feel a bit frumpy, try changing the line of the visual break by dividing your outfit in thirds, I bet this will make a world of difference!
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