How I add flair to my outfits

It depends on what occasion or event I am invited to. There’s no particular hard and fast rule, but the following points could be of good reference:

1. Location

If it’s an outdoor shoot, I’ll pick my outfit in accordance with the venue or the nature of the event. For instance, if I visit an outdoor café with a good pastoral view of the countryside, I’d choose light summer colours. I prefer the colour of my countryside outfits to be soft and natural, which looks neat and sleek. Suppose you wish to emphasise the main character. In that case, their outfit should be in contrast to the colour of the background location, especially when the background colours are complex and multi-layered.

2. Occasion

Always pick the right outfit for the appropriate occasion. Dressing inappropriately for an occasion may ruin the vibe and cause the audience to lose focus when looking at the shot. Furthermore, your audience might question your sense of fashion, find your work boring and eventually lose interest in your work. For example, you should never wear a sexy black dress with fancy lace to a café or a coffee shop, or you don’t attend a park or a theme park wearing a formal suit.

3. Love what you wear

Most important of all, you have to love your outfit! Nothing feels better than wearing something you like and picking out your own style because that is the only way to look your best.

Preparing for a fashion shoot

For a typical lookbook video, these are the items I must prepare:

• I first determine the theme of my outfit. For example, spring outfits or beach vacation outfits. When determining a theme, the season’s outfit or the newest fashion trend should be considered.
   
• Prepare a mood board for the fashion shoot. I always look for inspirations on Pinterest or explore other social media platforms to have a general idea of the fashion style I would like to express. We are creative by nature, and therefore, we need new ideas to spark our imagination and be inspired by innovative ideas around us. It is recommended that you research fashion trends, fashion blogs or journals to be a decent fashion stylist.

• Try to find similar clothing pieces to match your outfits, or try shopping online for them. I keep track of every outfit I choose, and for prior fashion shoots, I'll jot down any outfits I wore to ensure I do not repeat my outfits. This saves me an enormous amount of time when styling for a fashion shoot with similar themes or styles.
   
• I will then mix and match all possibilities of outfits I have written down and try the combinations to see if the look is consistent with my expectations. There can always be further add-ons. Do not bind yourself to the references you find online, as you should always be innovative. In the long run, you will build up your fashion sense.
   
• After you have decided on an outfit,  you are good to go!