Be aware of what you wear

The Kim Kardashians are everywhere and so are the Hindi serial actresses and their unique fashion trends. The amount of leopard prints in a Facebook upload of your friends just "hanging out" can leave you a little scarred and in need of some quick therapy.

So what is overdressing? If you have a habit of being overdressed, you might not even be aware of it. Of course there is nothing wrong with putting some effort into how you present yourself but certain style choices can make your look work or push your look absolutely over the edge. Whilst it is okay to represent your own personality through your choices, here are some ways to make sure you don't make too much of a grand entrance.

KNOW YOUR CODE 
Ask yourself if there is a dress code and if there isn't, make an imaginary one. If you are pulling out all the stops on a casual Friday hangout with close friends then you are overdoing it just a tad. Wearing heels to a grocery store or statement necklaces for a dinner at a fast food joint means you are fan of dressing up and need to dial it down. Although some situations might ambush us, it is generally easy to guess which outfit would make us look under or overdressed. 

AVOID TOO MUCH FANCY 
Even if you are dining at The Westin, a satin gown for example, would still be overkill. The idea is to make sure that your outfit does not go out of its way to outdo everyone else in your radius. This might make you look out of place and you might even come off as a little high maintenance although the last one can be chalked off to a generalisation. 

DON'T BLING OUT 
Too much bling can never be good for you. While expensive jewellery might be appropriate for weddings, they are somewhat preposterous to try out at work or on a first date. Like it or not, your outfit speaks tons and might give out an extravagant vibe. You might want to be careful how much bling you put on when you are making a first impression because the other person will look to size you up based on your personality, attitude and yes, your outfit.

AVOID PERFECT COLOURS 
There is such a thing as being too colour coded. As ridiculous as it sounds, a perfectly coordinated outfit shows that you spend a lot of time and effort putting it together (which isn't a bad thing, but you mustn't overdo it). Your style should appear to be comfortable and effortless and should shift the attention away from your clothes and highlight you. Colour coordinated eye shadows and tops might look real cool at first but it will come off looking like you did the ice bucket challenge with paint instead of ice. 

So remember that whilst it is okay to dress up, especially since nowadays everyone's everyday life is recorded and posted online, it is important to retain a level of formality especially when attending a specific meeting or event. You should of course be respected for your choices no matter what they are but it's important to remind ourselves that fashion is a social game and that it projects us through our clothes. 

By Naveed Naushad
Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad