How to Dress Like a Style Blogger: Ashley Madekwe Shares Her Best Tips with PeopleStyle

It’s impossible to pick a patron saint of off-duty celeb style, but Ashley Madekwe’s effortlessly-cool way of dressing is hard to ignore. We’ve long been fans of her acting (on Revenge and more recently, Salem) and her sassy blog, Ring My Bell, so she was the perfect fit to model PeopleStyle’s first-ever capsule collection with Gilt. Check out the insider-y style tips we learned from Ashley on set and get inspired to shop the entire collection now at Gilt.com/PeopleStyle!

(Warning: You’re going to want it all.)

Kenneth Cappello

• If you want to to drape your jacket, stay in motion. “It looks better if you’re moving,” she says (shown below expertly “fashion draping” our new moto). “It’s a real fashion editor thing to do.” A stagnant pic of a caped coat can look super-weird, especially if your arms aren’t totally visible.
• Take a pic of your outfit before you go out.  “The eyes lie but the picture does not,” says Madekwe. “I think we all have a different version of ourselves in our head, what we look like compared to what we actually look like. I know I do.” But even if you’re not hitting a red carpet, snapping a shot with a flash is a great way to make sure your dress isn’t see-through and that the entire look is on-point.
• Hands in your pockets seem like a cute idea, but the pose is tough to pull off. Madewke noted this while modeling our Winter White dress (below). We noticed that pics came out best when her hands weren’t entirely in her pockets, but just peeking out. Translation: You shouldn’t actually be trying to hold anything in those pockets if you’re trying to look cute.

Kenneth Cappello

• Tailoring is worth every penny, and opens up your wardrobe options. “The best style advice I got from Jill Ohanneson, the costume designer on Revenge,” says Madewke. “Jill was famous for buying everything on sale. She would really stretch her budget, and would wear these amazing pieces. She once bought this dress from The Row which is incredibly expensive but she bought it on sale at least four sizes too big and she cut that dress right down. I’ve never seen tailoring like it… It made me think about sale shopping actually because now I buy things on sale that I previously wouldn’t have looked at.”
• When you have to pose, channel your inner actress.  “Mischa Barton and I used to be quite close,” she says. “I remember when I was on carpets next to her, she’d kind of laugh on the carpet. Not like a big ‘ha ha,’ but just like a little laugh. It can be just so awkward to stand there. So she’d just make a little noise and it feels more natural. I remember seeing those photos and thinking how natural she looked.” 

RELATED PHOTOS: See all the pieces from our new capsule collection with Gilt!

Kenneth Cappello

Don’t forget to shop our PeopleStyle x Gilt collection here. What’s your favorite piece from line? How would you wear it? Sound of below.

–Catherine Kast

RELATED VIDEO: Ashley Madekwe Models PEOPLE x Gilt!