a person wearing glasses

Want to look your best? Then you should take a closer look at your sense of style. To quote the old saying, clothes make the man (or woman). So what are your clothes making out of you? It’s not just your clothes, either: Accessories and other small details can transform your appearance.

Style can be a daunting thing, though. To many of us, style is a confusing and alien concept. Don’t worry! You’ll find lots of great resources for perfecting your sense of style online—including this article, which will outline some of the basics to get you started.

It’s all about the fit

If there’s one thing that separates the fashion-conscious from the rest of us, it’s a good sense of fit. Though many of us associate fashion with frilly details and careful thinking about color combinations, the reality is that no single factor in fashion looms as large as the fit. If you can choose clothes that fit your body type in a flattering way and are cut in modern styles, then you are much more than halfway to a more stylish future.

So how can you get clothes that fit? You can start by figuring out what sort of body type you have. Look for clothes cut in ways that flatter your body type. Try different chain clothing stores in search of a reliable brand that fits you well, because having a reliable source of well-fitting fashion is a huge deal. Look at local boutiques, too, and turn to tailors to create perfect fits out of imperfect garments.

Layering makes everything better

The simplest trick in fashion is to wear layers. When you layer different garments on top of one another, you gain a more visually interesting look. Plus, wearing layers allows you to play with different color, material, and style combinations. You won’t find a good-looking top that includes cotton, wool, gore-tex, and metal, but you could easily get that diversity of materials by layering a T-shirt, sweater, necklace, and rugged rain jacket.

Layering materials can be great as solo acts, too. When you shrug that rain jacket off, make sure that you’re wearing a great sweater underneath! If you’re having trouble picking out something great, just look online for tips. You’ll find lots of great stuff—like this sweater guide by Inhabit, a New York-based fashion brand.

Don’t forget to accessorize

If you really want to be fashionable, dressing well isn’t enough. The devil is in the details—and, when it comes to fashion, the details are the accessories that you pair with your perfect outfit.

Accessories give you a ton of options for customizing your look, but you shouldn’t assume that all accessories are rarely-worn bracelets, rings, and necklaces. A watch you wear every day is an accessory, too—and so is your smartphone. So if you’re rocking a smartphone with a cracked screen, that’s very much a style issue. It looks sloppy and clashes with the neatness and cleverness of your best outfits. Happily, you can get a style fix for your phone at your local repair shop, explain the iPhone repair specialists at uBreakiFix. You don’t have to go to the Genius Bar to get your iPhone runway-ready again; just find local pros who are manufacturer-trained and certified.

With your phone taken care of, look over the rest of the details: Your wallet or purse, your everyday watch, and yes, even your once-in-while specialty pieces. Smart accessorizing can take your style to the next level!

These style tips are pretty simple, but there’s so much more to discover. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll have much more fun exploring the different ways in which you can use hip clothes and fun accessories!