When it comes to fashion, there are two guidelines I live by: Keep it simple, and follow the rules. This stems from PTSD looking at old high school photos, a period of my life in which I took pride wearing as many colors as possible, without rhyme, reason or styling. *Shudders.* I also happen to be a fan of Old Hollywood, so naturally, the classic looks of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, Marlene Dietrich and Marylin Monroe cover my Pinterest board. But admiring someone else’s style, I’ve found, is far easier than actually recreating it, which is where I tend to struggle. Thus, I’m constantly reading up on style advice, from the five fashion rules all French women swear by to the three color rule and the sandwich rule. After scrolling TikTok, I’ve found yet another (easy!) one to add to the roster: The CST rule. These are the three questions I ask myself before I walk out the door, and it’s made getting dressed so easy I don’t even need to think about it.
The “CST Rule” Is the Easiest Way to Make a Boring Outfit Pop
follow at least one of the rules and you’re golden
What Is the CST Rule?
As the plethora of TikTok videos explain, your outfit needs to satisfy at least one of three requirements to be deemed “interesting.” If the outfit isn’t interesting in color, it must be interesting in shape, if it’s not interesting in shape, it must be interesting in texture.
Color
Let’s look at these examples. Israeli actress Dar Zuzovsky and a New York Fashion Week attendee are both wearing clothes that aren’t exactly eye-catching in the shape and texture department. (We could argue that tweed provides texture, but the punch wouldn’t be quite as strong if the suit were black and white.) Though the silhouettes are simple, it’s the colors that make them stand out. In this case, both chose a shade of orange, and it makes you stop and stare. Imagine if their clothes were a neutral hue. Everything would feel elegant, but in this case, the color gives the clothing dimension and fun.
Shape
Shape is an *amazing* way to give a neutral-colored outfit that je ne sais quoi. Above, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and a fellow Paris Fashion Week guest are both wearing black and white. Classy? Yes. Scintillating in terms of the color wheel? Not exactly. Here, it’s the shape that makes the outfit. Randolph’s gown evokes the hourglass shape of Dior’s “New Look,” with flared scalloping to create an A-line silhouette. And those sleeves! Big, dramatic and creating a pleasing triangle composition. Meanwhile, the guest at the Ronald Van Der Kemp show added visual interest by wearing a dress that played with the A-line silhouette, had a texture bodice, added a deep V waist and used black to accentuate the piping.
Texture
If you’re going to go monochrome, using various textures (and shapes) are a must. “Wearing head-to-toe black can be incredibly chic, but it also runs the risk of creating a black hole into which your figure disappears entirely,” cautions PureWow Fashion Editor Abby Hepworth. “By including fabrics with a mix of finishes—shiny silk, washed denim, matte leather, textured linen, etc.—you’ll have a much easier time defining your waist (or playing up/down whatever other features you like) without needing to add any other colors.” Here, both Madonna and Freya Allan have embraced the all-black trend, but it’s anything but boring. The former is wearing a fur and shiny PVC trench coat with spiky lace-up boots, while the latter is sporting a coat with contrasting textures and fringe and fold-over boots.
So the next time you’re running out the door, ask yourself if the ‘fit checks one of the above. Yes? You’re good to go.
