Photo by Daniel Adesina from Pexels
The phrase ‘urban street style’ is referring to fashion that takes ideas and inspiration from the streets of big cities – rather than being cooked up by the top fashion designers. That means many people view it as being fresher and more authentic than high-end fashion.
Street style also has strong roots in different subcultures like hip-hop and skating and is often put together by people without much cash. That means anyone can adopt key parts like colorful logo t-shirts and denims.
This post will look at how you can incorporate the bold colors of streetwear into a sophisticated look.
1. Urban Accessorizing
If your idea of sophistication is cool and subdued, rather than the bright, block coloring of urban style, accessories can be a way to add a little street without sacrificing that. There are lots of different accessories you can consider when putting together your style, but a belt bag will definitely add spark.
This is an accessory that has been adapted from the bum bag and – like that – it has origins in urban style. It slips around the waist to avoid the popping caused by cross-body bags or clutches and a primary-coloredbag in red will add a focal point to a suit or dress in softer pastels or dark shades.
2. Aim for Balance
Street style is intended to be brash and to grab the attention of passers-by, but you can balance it out with more neutral clothing choices if you don’t want to overwhelm. For example, men can take a sharp, logo-covered top from a street style retailer that is one half of an outfit and combine it instead with chinos and a jacket.
That notion of taking a single piece of colorful street fashion and surrounding it with muted choices applies equally well to women. The idea is to give your look alittle edge without feeling like you are trying to compete with teenagers, so take a minimalist approach to fitting urban styles into your everyday wardrobe.
Remember as well that street fashion was ahead of the mainstream in mixing up male and female clothes, so there is nothing to stop you crossing the clothing aisle!
3. Avoid Brand Obsession
The buzz that surrounds big street style brands like Kanye West’s Yeezy, Gosha or Supreme can be exciting, but constantly trying to keep up with them will make you look desperate rather than sophisticated. Once you are past that teenage phase, you should be looking to fit urban styles into your fashion in a way that is unique to you and shows people that you are confident in who you are.
Color and logos are central to street fashion, but there are labels that strip back the branding altogether or keep it small and unobtrusive. Adding a few lively shades from these labels to your wardrobe will make you seem intriguing.
The key to combining cutting edge color and street fashion with a classy adult image is to always look like you are wearing the clothes – not like the clothes are wearing you!
4. Love Layering
Taking a layered approach to color is a great way of blending urban style with sophistication. The best way to achieve it is to look for pieces of clothing that are not saturated in very bright colors, as too much clashing color just looks tacky.
Find street pieces that have splashes of color in the midst of more neutral space and then carefully combine them to provide multiple points of color for the eye to focus on. That will create a lively and attractive look that doesn’t come at the cost of class.
Being able to wear urban styles in a way that looks sophisticated is about knowing yourself and being confident. That way you will avoid falling into the trap of trying too hard and straining for effect in your dress.
