24 Outfit Formulas for Spring

As you may know, working with proportions is one of my favourite ways to make sure my wardrobe is mixable and versatile, and one of the first things I do when I'm updating my wardrobe for a new season is to choose about 2-4 proportions that reflect the overall look I'm going for and that fit my lifestyle for the next 3-6 months.

Quick recap: A proportion is what I like to call a specific outfit formula of item categories that you can wear in lots of different versions, like 'Skinny jeans + loose-fitting shirt + long-line coat'. I find proportions as a concept super helpful for quite a few different things, like building a capsule wardrobe of 20-30 pieces, developing a signature look or uniform, and also just to expand my repertoire of outfits.

To illustrate the whole idea a little better, I put together a whole catalogue of different proportions in 2013. They are all tailored to the Fall/Winter season though, and so I wanted to give you guys an updated version, with all new proportions for Spring/Summer 2015.

Disclaimer 1: Of course, a catalogue like this will never be complete. Depending on how many item categories you include or how narrowly you define them (anything from 'Jeans' to 'High-waisted, slim-fitting jeans with rolled up hems' is ok), there could technically be an infinite number of different proportions.

For the sake of this post I focused on these variables:

  1. Type of bottoms (skirts, pants, shorts)
  2. Fit of bottom (Loose-fitting, slim-fitting, skinny, etc.)
  3. Fit of top (slim-fitting vs. a looser fit)
  4. Length of sleeves
  5. Optional topper/third piece

Disclaimer 2: A proportion by itself says little about the personal style of the wearer. A person with a very stark and minimal style could wear the exact same proportion as someone with a bohemian and bold style, because it's the specific pieces (i.e. their colour, material, details) you choose to create your proportion that make the look.

So: When it comes to finding proportions it's important that you always try to look past the overall style of an outfit and focus only on its silhouette and the general type of pieces that create it. Most of the images below come from my Pinterest account, so they all share my specific style, i.e. neutrals + simple lines, but all of the proportions could also be used as the basis for a very colourful, detail-rich outfit.

 

Skirts

Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition: Skirts Part 1
Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition: Skirts Part 1
Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition: Skirts Part 2
Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition: Skirts Part 2

Trousers

Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition: Trousers Part 1
Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition: Trousers Part 1
Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition:  Trousers Part 2
Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition: Trousers Part 2

Shorts

Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition: Shorts
Proportions Catalogue Spring Edition: Shorts

Skirts:

Stockholm Street Style, See Want Shop, Framboise Fashion, The Wall by Elin Kling, Diego Zuko for Harper's Bazaar, Harper and Harley, 2x unknown, unknown, Style Heroine, Maja Wyh, Joelle van Dyne, Ada Kokosar via Musings in Femininity, Leandra Medine via Fashiongum.com, 2x unknown, 4x Diego Zuko for Harper's Bazaar.

Trousers:

viaTug Agency, Just Another Fashion Blog, Harper's Bazaar, Diego Zuko for Harper's Bazaar, 2x Kiera Knightley as Gretta in Begin Again,We the People, Elin Kling, via Fashion Telegraph, unknown, 2x via Teen Vogue, Jeanne Damas, Not your standard, AKM GSI via Who What Wear, viaFashion Magazine,Maja Wyh, via a love is blind.

Shorts:

Diego Zuko for Harper's Bazaar,Fashion me now, Pacificcoatnews.com viaWho What Wear, unknown, Country Road viaFashionrising.com, unknown, 2x unknown, viaprettyz.com,Mother Denim.