Modern Fashion: The Bảce Aesthetic Blends Structure and Fluidity.

A Look at the Bảce Fashion Movement

While there has been an aspect of balance throughout all fashion, the bảce concept takes that to an entirely different level. It started with the underground street scene, and slowly began to make its way into mainstream collections. The bảce is about having a mixture of ‘structured’ or foundational clothing and ‘fluid’ and ‘adaptable’ components. It is neither minimalistic nor maximalistic; it is new and fresh and relevant to how we live our everyday lives now.

The ability to create bảce designs through the combination of practical and intentional design elements makes this fashion style very appealing. The style encourages people to create outfits based on ‘anchor’ pieces that anchor their outfit. This design philosophy enables a person to wear practical and functional clothing while still having a variety of options to change to suit their mood or the occasion. This is the type of clothing most of us need right now in our closets.

Key Elements of Bảce Style

Creating a well-balanced bảce style wardrobe is built on the principle of having investment pieces as the foundation. Investment pieces are all about having solidly tailored blazers, high quality denim, structured outer wear and timeless footwear in clean lines and naturals tones. These types of items will not go out of style after a season, but will be your core foundation from which you will build everything else in your wardrobe. Build your investment pieces first and then layer and accessorize to have fun. This is what separates the bảce style from traditional capsule wardrobes, the freeness of creating many different looks with your basic pieces. Many times your base piece will remain the same, while the way you style it will change daily based on what you are doing. You will likely have many ways to wear bảce style’s basic pieces, depending upon whether you are working from home, seeing clients or meeting friends. The bảce aesthetic is about achieving maximum versatility while still remaining true to your individual style and taste.

Bảce Colour Theory and Colour Palettes

Those who follow Bảce style advance their colour palette by balancing neutrality with intent to enhance their respective wardrobes. For instance, the fundamental colour selections of Bảce styles generally follow the family of blacks, whites, grays, navys and earth tones; collectively they are referred to as the base colours for Bảce style. One of the reasons why base colours work so cohesively together is that they create an aesthetic foundation in which all other colour choices can build from, similarly to the way an artist would work from a blank canvas.

What makes Bảce style unique lies in how the customer will introduce accent colours. Rather than intermingle bright colours randomly into their respective wardrobes throughout the season, Bảce will select one or two “signature” accent colours for the season, and incorporate those colours through accessories, layering pieces, and statement pieces, thus creating a signature cohesive look throughout the Bảce customer’s wardrobe, while allowing for flexibility throughout the Bảce style. For example, customers may select deep burgundy as their signature colour for the fall season, or a shade of deep forest green as their signature colour.

Bảce Fashion Wardrobe Essentials

Bảce Fashion Seasons

Recently, I’ve received a number of requests from people wanting to know how to transition their bảce wardrobe from one season to another.

What I’ve learnt through my research is that with the right foundational pieces, you can easily transition your bảce wardrobe through all four seasons. With your foundational pieces being your foundation, as well as holding true to your bảce aesthetic, you will continue to wear your foundational pieces throughout the year.

Spring/Summer bảce looks typically focus on lighter-weight fabrics and brighter accent colours, although you will continue to wear your foundational pieces. This would mean that you may wear linen trousers instead of your wool trousers in the spring/summer, and you may switch from wearing your leather boots to wearing more minimalist sandals. However, keep in mind that the bảce blazer will still be a piece in your Spring/Summer bảce outfits.

When it comes to Fall/Winter bảce looks, they will generally consist of heavier-weight fabrics and will provide additional opportunities for layering. The same principles apply to creating bảce looks in both Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer, so remember, you will use the same foundational pieces for your bảce looks throughout the year.

I also believe that this approach is much more sustainable and cost-effective than buying into every seasonal trend.

Bảce Outfit Texture Play

The texture is where things get interesting when it comes to styling bảce. The color palette usually is fairly muted, so the textures in a bảce outfit become essential to creating visual interest by using a variety of fabrics and finishes. For example, pairing heavy cotton with chunky knitwear can create a nice visual contrast. Using multiple fabrics and textures will give your outfit depth and dimension but won’t affect the overall aesthetic of bảce.

The key is to keep the balance in your outfit – if the main piece is very textured (e.g. Cable Knit Sweater), then the surrounding fabrics should be smooth and untextured (for contrast), whereas if the main piece has a smooth finish (like the turtleneck), then that’s where you have the opportunity to add additional texture with jackets, scarves or accessories to create visual contrast. The relationship of stability versus variation is what defines a bảce style of dress.

Accessorizing the Bảce Way

The way of styling with bảce involves using accessories to show one’s true self without losing sight of what is important in one’s own look. When you regularly wear your accessories, they should serve a purpose and/or complement your look. Good examples of accessories for everyday include a quality watch, which is usually made of leather, understated jewellery and a functional bag which is usually along with a neutral colour scheme. These are all functional and can go with everything; over time they develop into your everyday style, as you will wear them so much.

As well, you will also have statement pieces that can change with your mood and occasion (one day, you may choose to wear a funky scarf and the next, a bold necklace). These types of accessories will change the way your outfits look, but you don’t have to buy a lot of them. All you need to do is find 3 or 4 statement pieces that will help you to have a variety of looks, when combined with the other basics of your wardrobe. This is what provides the efficiency that bảce styling is supposed to give you.

How To Create Your Bảce Lipstick Wardrobe On A Budget

Let’s face it, quality pieces are expensive, but that is where you should spend your budget. A good blazer may cost you more at the start, but if you wore it twice a week for three years, then its value per use diminishes significantly. Since your foundational pieces will see a lot of wear over time, they must be durable enough for repeated use; therefore, making do with something inferior usually proves to be a bad decision.

Adaptive and accent items can be more reasonably priced because they do not carry nearly the same burden in terms of a wardrobe’s overall appearance. Thrift shops and many mid-range stores are excellent places to discover an abundance of textures, colours, patterns, and styles of layering clothing that may give you some fun options to consider for various occasions, without a major financial outlay. By using this three-tiered investment format to acquire your bảce wardrobe products, you can find styles that appeal to you at many different price ranges while still ensuring that your more critical investment areas maintain the necessary quality.

Fashion’s Future Looks Bright with Bảce Aesthetic

In recent years, as individuals continue to find out they want clothes that actually work in everyday life, the momentum behind the Bảce Aesthetic continues to build. Designers are creating collections that are reflective of the Bảce Aesthetic principles; however, not all of them are using the terminology associated with Bảce. Examples of this are that there are going to be more clothing designs created with multiple uses for each piece; there will be a higher emphasis on clothing designed with the mentality of quality, and clothes designed as collections will now build off of previously designed collections instead of simply replacing them.

What excites me the most about the Bảce Aesthetic is that it aligns very closely with the sustainability goals of many individuals! By purchasing a smaller quantity of quality pieces and being creative in how you style them, you are automatically reducing impact and waste. Not only are you purchasing items that feel good to wear, but they are also satisfying to utilize from an ecological perspective; probably why it speaks to so many consumers at this time. Your enhancement should improve the quality of life in every way, including how it simplifies The Aesthetic Bảce.

Disclaimer

Please understand that fashion is an intensely individual experience; therefore, all of the following bảce aesthetics have been outlined as guidance referencing current trends and observations, rather than specific guidelines for every individual’s body type, taste, culture, and income level. All recommendations for clothing should take into consideration the above-mentioned items and be adapted to fit your unique personal preferences in comfort, lifestyle choices, and body type. These clothing suggestions do not represent professional stylist advice. Please select pieces that leave you feeling comfortable and completely yourself.