Lesson: RULE of THIRD
MAKE YOUR OUTFIT MORE FLATTERING IN SECONDS WITH THE RULE OF THIRDS
The Rule of Thirds is a powerful tool for easily creating visually balanced and flattering outfits.
One of the key principles behind this rule is the Golden Ratio—also known as the Golden Mean—a naturally occurring proportion that humans find aesthetically pleasing. This ratio, widely used in mathematics, architecture, and art, also plays a significant role in fashion.
The ancient Greeks discovered that dividing spaces into a 1/3 to 2/3 ratio creates the most harmonious proportions. In fashion, this translates into the Rule of Thirds, guiding how we break up our silhouettes for a more balanced and stylish look.
Take the Eiffel Tower, one of the world’s most iconic structures, it follows the 2/3 to 1/3 division, with a broad base supporting a tapering top. Similarly, painters and photographers use this ratio to create compelling compositions.
Applying the Rule of Thirds to your outfits can instantly achieve a more flattering and well-proportioned look.
WHAT IS THE RULE OF THIRDS?
The Rule of Thirds is a concept in visual arts, mainly photography, film and painting, and it’s basic guideline for making images more dynamic or compelling. It consists of dividing an image in thirds, both vertically and horizontally, to create 9 equal blocks and lining up where you want the eye to go to where those lines intersect.
Fashion is also a visual medium, and while we don’t divide our outfits in 9 equal sections, applying the Rule of Thirds requires diving our outfit in three equal parts to visually create a ratio of 2:1. This ratio is basically the Golden Mean, simplified.
HOW DO I APPLY THE GOLDEN MEAN TO MY OUTFIT?
Applying this ratio to your outfits is pretty easy, you have been doing it already without realizing it had a name. The key is to create a visual break in your outfit at either the end of the first third, or the end of the second third. Avoid putting the visual break of your outfit in the middle, because this can make you look frumpy.
HOW CAN I CREATE A VISUAL BREAK?
A visual break is anywhere in your outfit where, if you scan from top to bottom, something changes. The most obvious is any change in color, but the following also create visual breaks:
Where your top and bottom meet
Belts
If you’re wearing a dress of skirt, it’s where the garment meets your skin (if you’re not wearing nude garments)
Where a layer hits you
Where you roll your sleeves to
Where your pants and boots meet, if they are not the same color
The key is to pay attention to the clothes you are wearing, and divide the outfit, not your body, into thirds. The lines are going to hit at different places depending on what you are wearing.
You can create a visual break by where the layer hits your body…
…or by adding a belt and rolling up the sleeves to the first 1/3 line.
If you are wearing an outfit that makes you feel a bit frumpy, try changing the line of the visual break by dividing your outfit in thirds.
Examples:
1) On the left, the long top bisects the figure, dividing the space in half, which is not only uninteresting but also hits the model at her fullest body part.
2) In the middle, adding the belt creates a division of space into thirds, which is more interesting.
3) On the right, tucking in the blouse and adding a belt creates the ideal proportion of 1/3 to 2/3…and notice how it also creates a slimmer, taller appearance overall!
Here’s another example of an unbalanced outfit vs balanced following Rule of Thirds.
You can use both ways vice versa to create the rule of third.
