I thought I would try something a bit different as now autumn is here, how to dress sensual and sultry on a budget, from a fashion and aesthetical point of view. Sulty doesn’t have to mean sexy, sultry can be powerful, flamboyant, mysterious, it can represent a powerful means of dressing oneself and a way of making a statement. An expression of identity and who we are, it’s like our normal style, taken underground. Here is how to be elegant, become a femme fatale with these autumn and winter outfit ideas…
2. Sultry is texturally rich – sultry is tieing textures together to create a sensuous way of dressing. Different textures like matte and glossy add dimension and can turn you in to a badass ninja lady haha. In this way sultry is quite a maximalist style, yet worn minimally, powerful velvet, satins, quilting, lace all make up its texture palette and will be perfect for creating autumn and winter outfits. Try a velvet scrunchie you can match to your outfit for instant power!
3. Sheer pieces – little touches like these sheer socks, £4 from ASOS bring extra depth to an outfit, sheer pieces don’t have to be revealing, elaborate or expensive! Think semi opaque tights, you can even get some with little metallic flecks that catch the light, maybe that’s me being five again haha!
4. Classy and elegant – the black turtleneck, the jumper dress… they can all come out now the weather is cooler. Swap jeans for jeggings and tuck your top in to them, ten points if they are leather look!
5. Dark, dark hues – just like in the dark woods, where can’t see anything and we do not know what is lurking, the colour black stimulates interest and curiosity and fear because it does not give us anything, it does not give out anything and what we don’t know we fear. It oozes connotations of power, elegance, formality, rebellion and mystery. Accord it with dreamy greys and light catching details, like sequins, to accentuate it, even enhance it, and provide a beautiful contrast.
6. Matchy matchy skintone to find your perfect black – this is a really good trick! Often a powerful jet black can wash out a pale complexion and steal attention away from the features, rather than complimenting them. To celebrate and accentuate your skin tone, discover your perfect black, maybe a gentler tone. Think about all the colours light brings out in a black garment, very dark matte grey, browns, even silver and all of these can still be thought of as black. Burgundy is powerful too, think of Elekta Natchios, and seriously chic when applied head to toe.
7. Silk, satin, silk – your secret weapon to sultry. Fabrics like this that reflect the light and make you look instantly super glowy and put together. Channel vintage glamour in a silky slip dress, vamped up with maybe some dark boots and paired with a dark lip…
8. The cupid’s bow – a sultry look is often accompanied by a deep, dark lip that steals the show. Grab a lip liner or lip paint and emphasise the cupid’s bow, sharpen your lines to accentuate its shape and maybe finish off with a tiny dab of highlight on the cupid’s bow. I’m absolutely breaking the rule that you’re not meant to apply highlight on the bottom triangle of your face, I found a small dab really helps to accentuate the shape and makes your lipstick stand out. You can also pop a bit on the bottom lip to create the illusion of fuller lips and direct the eye there.
9. One colour outfits – a quick way to create a one colour outfit is a coat, especially a chic long, trench coat or maybe a shorter one paired with matching over the knee boots. Matching sets can be amazing for this also, as all the work is done for you, a really easy effortless gorgeous look!
10. Figure shaping – it excites me that sultry can be worn by all sizes, any size. There is no one size to sultry, I love how it’s all about you and your power, dressing yourself is like a little act of self love. Slender and fuller figures can ooze goddess power and feel empowered in dreamy, sultry textures. Investigate pieces like jeggings, that have really good structure and are comfy too, that will accentuate and bring out your curves or favourite features and make you feel amazing.
11. Symbolism – use connotations to your advantage, think of common associations and maybe style in some secret symbols too. You could slip in some symbols like snake inspired jewellery, faux pearl details, horse print… I think the idea of expressing yourself through symbols in your outfits is so romantic and wearing something that has a secret meaning to you can make you feel so powerful.
12. Wear evening gowns in public – make a statement by making a formal garment comfy, chic and wearing it in an informal fashion! You can layer any cami dress over an underneath top and make lace details pop by contrasting a light colour, like baby pink, with a much darker hue. I love the maxi dresses with side slits in the skirt. Wearing ‘out there’ pieces can ensure eyes are on you and is an easy way to stand out and look chic.
13. All the metallics – add little metallic touches to your outfit to catch the light. These don’t have to be expensive, try a shimmery gloss or a shimmery show stealing shadow, small glitzy jewellery, channel your inner magpie, it’s all about how you catch the light, how it defines you.
14. The smoky eye and thick, full lashes – Chanelling the darker hues of our outfit, we can create drama about the eye by creating an extended lash line, using an eye liner to draw the flick or wing longer than you would normally. Angle it up towards the brow, so it doesn’t look too flat or heavy – you could even use a tiny bit of tape to make it look extra sharp! Try a touch of cornstarch baby powder on the lashes before applying mascara, it really worked for me and helped to visibly enhance my lashes, the faux lashes look without the faux lashes!
15. Channel your inner femme fatale – do what makes you feel powerful, whether that is kickboxing, going for a run, saving the pennies, donating to charity, buying the shoes, wearing pretty nightwear, applying a body lotion or dusting powder, ensuring all eyes are on you.
Any of these will come together to create a dark, dangerous style that commands attention and exudes glamour. Sultry is sometimes thought of as erotic, baring all, but it really doesn’t have to be – it can represent empowerment, strength and goodness, power and courage of self and being a bit badass haha. Autumn is good because it kind of acts as a cover and allows us to be powerful and creative, let loose with our style, autumn is madder and a bit badder and anything goes ♡
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Interesting! A person can be elegant without spending a lot of money, and a person can be elegant without looking so metallic!
Mysecretluxury.com
Thanks so much! We can definitely look super chic on a budget 😀 ♡
Love this, as it's so true that you don't need to spend a lot of money to achieve a certain look. I love the look of a smoky eye and lashes, it's such a classic xx
Hannah | luxuryblush
Thanks so much Hannah! It's so perfect for autumn time 😀 ♡
Great suggestions dear!!
julesonthemoon.com/
Thanks so much Jules! 😀 ♡
I love this! especially number 11 because I could totally see how pretty that could look.
Stephanie Vainer | a learning story blog
Thanks so much Stephanie, I'm so happy you liked it! 😀 ♡
I love this post, and I think that these ideas are all definitely something I could work with.
Have a great week 🙂
Amy x Wandering Everywhere
Aw thanks Amy, have a lovely week too! 😀 ♡
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Those are so pretty!
upyourvlog.com
so gorgeous – rivka alice