There are 3 levels of refinement: one, two and three. These assist with the putting together of outfits and relate to our fabrics, accessories, clothing items and specific styles.
Level 1.
This attire is predominantly formal wear but can be from business-formal to evening wear. The fabrics will almost always be ‘special care’ type fabrics and usually, need dry cleaning. The fabrics included in this level are silk, satin, velvet, superfine wool suiting and fabrics with a sheen or shine, and see-through such as lace. Jewellery with a high sparkle falls into Level 1 as do diamonds and pearls. Bejewelled evening shoes or sandals belong here too.
Level 2.
This level of attire would be everyday smart clothing that’s not too bulky and washing is easily done at home. The fabrics that belong here in Level 2 are stretch dark denim, high-quality cotton, cotton/elastane, viscose and merino wool. Footwear would be ballet flats, pumps, brogues and Gucci style loafers. Jewellery needs to be appropriate for everyday wear and should blend suitably with this level of clothing/outfits.
Level 3
My favourite level of clothing! This is your outdoor leisure attire including active wear. Fabrics will be bulkier and chunkier or very informal and relaxed. Polar fleece falls into this category as does corduroy, distressed denim and lower quality cottons. Footwear would range from sneakers and runners to Birkenstocks, Crocs and thongs. Jewellery would generally not match the level of refinement here, therefore, appear inappropriate.
The general rules regarding levels of refinement are as follows…Level 2 clothing, fabric and accessories can be worn successfully and tastefully with Level 1 and 3. But Level 1 and Level 3 should really not go together unless your personality supports this and you fall into the creative or rebellious personality styles.
Here are some examples…Activewear and pearl earrings look very odd as does a relaxed cotton tee with formal silk trousers or runners with a suit.
