No matter what she wears, actress Cate Blanchett always seems to look so polished and classy. 

Want to bring some of her enviable style into your own wardrobe? 

Here are 10 fashion tips from Cate Blanchett that just about everybody could learn from. 

Embrace New Designers

Cate Blanchett at the AFI’s 46th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute To George Clooney held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, USA on June 7, 2018. | © Tinseltown / Shutterstock

While there is nothing wrong with wearing big name brands on a regular basis, there are so many new designers out there with pieces that deserve an equal amount of praise. 

Cate Blanchett is an actress who always tries to mix it up a bit when it comes to the brands that she wears. 

Rather than sticking to the well-known names, Blanchett constantly seeks out new and upcoming designers, before discussing their work with her stylist. 

An example of this would be with the dress that she wore to the premiere of Carol at the New York Film Festival. This edgy, hand-embroidered dress featured tattoo designs, making it look as though Blanchett herself was covered in artistic ink. 

The dress was by French designer Yacine Aouadi, and took 200 hours to create.

While you may not be in the position to have custom designer dresses made for you, just about every new designer out there will have ready-to-wear pieces that stand out from the more conventional garments that you would otherwise find at stores. 

Stay Away from Fast Fashion

Fast fashion refers to fashion that has been inspired by the catwalk, but has been created extremely quickly and at as low a cost as possible. 

Why is this a bad thing? 

For a number of reasons, such as: 

• Overseas workers are usually exploited in order to meet the demands of fast fashion 
• Fast fashion damages the environment, not only in terms of the resources used to create all of these new clothes, but also with the amount of extra clothing that is now ending up in landfills 
• Clothing is usually poorly made and of a low quality

All of these are reasons as to why Blanchett recommends that people stay away from fast fashion as much as possible. 

So what do you do when you are strapped for cash but need something new to wear? 

Spend some time browsing ethically-produced items that are on sale instead, as you will likely be able to find something at these sales that works for your budget.  

Give the Pant Suit A Try

Cate Blanchett at the photocall for the Cannes Jury at the 71st Festival de Cannes | © Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock

There is no denying that Cate Blanchett is queen when it comes to pulling off some of the more glamorous gowns at there, but this starlet sparkles just as much when wearing a pant suit too. 

The actress has rocked a pant suit so many times now, with some of her favorite brands including: 

• Armani 
• Salvatore Ferragamo 
• Stella McCartney (pictured above)
• Gucci 
• Monse
• Givenchy

Never bought a pant suit before? 

Here are some tips to help you out: 

• Shape – make sure that the shape of the suit flatters your frame 
• Color – for your first suit, a neutral color is best, as this makes the suit so much more versatile. However, unless your suit is for business purposes, stay away from black 
• Shoulders – the shoulders of your suit should gently hug your own shoulders, without feeling tight or uncomfortable 
• Fabric – opt for a breathable fabric that will help to regulate your body temperature, such as silk or linen

Use Fashion to Boost Your Mood

As Cate Blanchett says, fashion can be “mood-enhancing”, and basing your clothing on how you are feeling is a great way to pick out your outfit for the day.

Feeling a little blue and have nothing exciting planned for the day? 

That doesn’t matter, because your fashion choices can make your day so much more eventful. Even if you are just taking a walk to the grocery store, do what Blanchett does and put on your favorite outfit, whether this may be an Armani suit or a Chanel dress, and you will definitely have a smile on your face long before you are back home again. 

Cinch Your Waist In with a Belt

Cate Blanchett arrives for the InStyle Awards on October 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, CA | © DFree / Shutterstock

Whether you are wearing a dress or a t-shirt, cinching your waist in with a belt is a great way to show off your figure, while also making yourself appear slimmer. 

Cate Blanchett does this all the time, and it is a look that just about everyone can emulate. 

Need some inspiration? 

Here are a few ideas: 

• In the winter, tie a belt around an oversized jumper, making sure to place your belt at the same level as your natural waistline 
• Belt a blazer for work, experimenting with both buttoning the blazer before belting, as well as leaving it undone 
• Belt a dress, but gently tug the top half of your dress so that the fabric hangs over the belt in a natural way 
• Wear a statement belt at your hips with some jeans, because emphasizing your hips makes your waist look narrower 
• If it is winter and you are wearing a few layers, as well as a coat, try adding a belt over the top of all of this

Pack Jersey When Traveling

Just like any other celebrity out there, Cate Blanchett spends a fair bit of time travelling. Rather than having to deal with creased clothes every time she arrives at a new location, Blanchett has found a way around this…

When travelling, Blanchett fills her suitcase primarily with clothing that has been made from jersey. 

What is jersey? 

A stretchy knit fabric that used to be made from wool, but now commonly contains a mix of cotton, wool and other synthetic materials. It is a light fabric, but one that is still warm and insulating, making it perfect for so many different climates. 

While jersey doesn’t usually require any ironing, you do need to make sure that you care for your jersey garments in the right way in order to prolong their life…

When washing jersey…

Use a cool temperature and don’t over-fill your machine. If any of your jersey garments feature embellishments of patterns, turn these inside out so as to keep them safe. 

When drying jersey…

Naturally air drying the garments by hanging them up is the best way to go about this. Keep jersey away from your tumble dryer, as this poses the risk of shrinking the fabric.

Black and White Is Always In

Cate Blanchett at the Los Angeles premiere of her movie “Blue Jasmine” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, Beverly Hills. | © Jaguar PS / Shutterstock

When you don’t have time to mix and match different colors, black and white is always a classic color to go for. 

Whether with pant suits or dresses, Cate Blanchett is also a fan of this sophisticated color palette, and these colors are a combination that anyone can pull off. 

The most obvious way to wear this combination is with a white top and black bottoms. However, this pairing can sometimes look a little dull, so try adding some interest by going for unusual textures and silhouettes. 

Switching this around and going for a black top with white bottoms also works. This is especially the case if you are top-heavy. 

Why? 

Because the black will be so slimming. 

Don’t forget about prints either…

Mixing black and white prints with black or white solids can create a fun but toned down look. Just remember to make sure that the scale of the print you choose is one that flatters your body shape, opting for larger prints if you are larger built but smaller prints if you are on the petite side.

Organize Your Closet By Color

This is something that many of you may not agree with, but Cate Blanchett firmly believes that organizing a closet by color is the easiest way to keep all of your clothing in line. 

When it comes to doing this, you have two main choices: 

• The light to dark spectrum – start with white and then gradually work your way up to darker colors, ending with black 
• The rainbow – this can sometimes be easier, as sorting your clothing into the colors of the rainbow provides contrast between each color group

Know that your closet needs to be organized but don’t like the idea of sorting your clothing by color? 

Here are a few other options: 

• By clothing type – this is extremely simple, requiring pants to go with pants, shirts to go with shirts, and so on 
• By outfit or occasion – if you tend to wear similar groups of clothing items together, it may make more sense for you to group these items together in your closet 
• By weather – if you live somewhere with temperamental weather, it may be worth having different sections in your closet for different temperatures 
• By wearing frequency – if you often wear the same few items of clothing for the majority of the week, then keep these together in your wardrobe, putting the lesser worn items towards the back 

If you want to be extra organized…

Make use of a few of these methods at once. For example, organize your wardrobe by clothing type, before then sorting each of those sections into groups of colors. 

It will take at least a couple of hours to organize your wardrobe, depending on how much clothing you have, so make sure that you set aside enough time to give this task your full attention. Once you have everything well organized, keeping it all neat and maintained will be a breeze. 

Use Cut-Outs to Show a Bit of Skin

Cate Blanchett attends the screening of ‘Blackkklansman’ during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2018 in Cannes, France. | © antoniobarrosfr / Shutterstock

Cate Blanchett isn’t one for wearing outrageous skin-revealing outfits, but she still manages to show just enough skin to make a relatively covered-up dress look sexy. 

How? 

By making use of cut-outs. 

This is something that has been extremely trendy lately, with everything from geometric shapes to slits being found on just about every type of clothing you could imagine, from almost every designer out there. 

The fact that there are so many cut-out styles now available make it easy to have full control over how much skin you want to bare. You could go for a small and chic cut-out at the back of a dress, or a cleavage-baring cut out at the front. Even simple tees can be given more interest with cut-outs at the shoulders. 

Make Use of Statement Necklaces

Statement necklaces can really make or break an outfit, and Cate Blanchett is well aware of this. 

The actress is commonly seen in a simple but stylish outfit, with a statement necklace being enough to make the entire outfit so much more attention-grabbing. Her choice of statement necklaces is always varied, with everything from sparkling jewels to sophisticated gemstones being seen around the actress’ neck. 

Not quite sure how to style a statement necklace? 

Here are a few tips: 

• Go with a single color necklace for during the day at work, but feel free to go more extravagant for the evening
• Vibrant and bright colors are so pretty in the summer, while darker colors with more sparkle work well in the winter 
• Use a multi-colored necklace to add some color to a monochromatic outfit 
• Try layering different statement necklaces together for an even more standout look 
• Add a statement necklace to a simple graphic t-shirt to glam it up 
• A statement necklace made from pearls, worn with a modern outfit, will give your look timeless sophistication 

Don’t like wearing necklaces? 

Then go for another type of statement jewelry instead. Whether you opt for statement earrings, statement rings or statement bracelets, using your accessories to give your outfit some extra pizazz is always a great idea. 

Cate Blanchett is no stranger to the best-dressed list, finding herself featured on it countless times. If you have been looking to mix up your style a bit, give one of these tips from the fashion icon a try.