Sometimes it doesn't matter how much you love an item of clothing, every outfit you try it with falls flat. Sound familiar? We've got two words: sandwich dressing. (PSA: If you've landed on this page looking for mayonnaise alternatives you might want to turn back now.)
We've all got our fashion icons and style inspirations that we look up to and aim (frequently!) to emulate, but sometimes putting a look together is considerably trickier than it sounds. You may have a new skirt that you love, or a new shoe, or coat, but regardless of how many different ways you style it up you *just* can't get it to work.
“Some people have just got it”, you might tell yourself, but we're here to tell you that there is actually one very simple formula behind almost every single look on your mood board. Whether those wearing it - or, of course, those who've been paid to style it - consciously consult it or not, the sandwich dressing rule is a very simple way to approach your outfits which will ensure its super polished and pulled-together. Every. Single. Time.
Explained perfectly by British style influencer Lydia Tomlinson, “If you think about a sandwich it has the bread at the top, the bread at the bottom, and something different in the middle. This in turn creates a balanced effect to the sandwich. The same rules can be applied to your outfits.”
Showcasing the sandwich rule through colour, first, she shows the difference in impact between an all-neutral outfit with chunky black boots and the same outfit with a black accessories thoughtfully added.
“The chunky boots make this light outfit feel bottom heavy,” she explains. “To balance out the boots there are a few tricks you can use. Accessories are one of the things you can use to bring the darker colours to the top of the outfit. Like a sandwich, we are mirroring what's on the bottom to the top.”
The 14 summer fashion trends you'll actually want to wear right nowGallery14 Photos“Belts can also be used to balance out these heavier boots. The key is to bring some of the colour on your shoes through to the top of your outfit to create that balance. Another way to do this is through coats and jackets.”
Showcased perfectly by the street style set photographed during fashion week, Yoyo Cao (below) expertly employs the sandwich dressing rule in a full Miu Miu look at the brand's Paris Fashion Week show; pairing the oversized charcoal grey coat and chunky black socks/fisherman sandals combination with a lightly-hued, slim-fit mini dress with delicate florals and a flowing distressed hemline.
Going on to focus on the sandwich dressing rule in terms of silhouette, Lydia showcases how the aesthetic weight of a piece also needs to be considered via an oversized blazer paired with skinny jeans and a delicate, nude ballet flat. “This feels too top-heavy and disproportionate,” she explains.
“Instead it's important to balance the blazer out with something heavier on the bottom,” she says, switching the flats for a knee high brown boot. In this instance, the ‘bread’ is therefore the oversized blazer and chunky boots with the ‘filling’ being the skinny jean.
The same formula applies in a second explainer video, where she showcases the lack of ‘sandwich contrast’ in an all grey look comprising wide-leg trousers, a baggy sweater and an oversized coat. Making the look work she switches the wide-legs for a black legging, with the oversized coat and sweater acting as the ‘top slice of bread’, the slim-fit leggings as the ‘filling’ and the heavy boots the ‘bottom slice’.
If you want to keep the wide-leg trouser as the ‘filling’ then it's wise to switch out the ‘bread’ elements instead. Swap the oversized jumper for a slim-fit knit and the boots for a dainty sandal to complete this sarnie.
“Essentially,” she explains, “it's all about mirroring what you've got on the top to the bottom.”
See? We told you it was simple.
For more from Glamour UK's Fashion Editor Charlie Teather, follow her on Instagram @charlieteather.
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