to complete outfit
2
4.1
- phrasal verb
- To elevate her style, she decided to complete the outfit with a statement necklace.
Examples
-
White silk stockings and black leather pumps completed the outfit, as he could not bring himself to wear the remainder of the French Restoration ensemble, which consisted of a sword hung from a special belt, limiting himself to his usual restrained jewelry.
Fiction book (1991) -
And then I really wanted to like complete the outfit, so I also bought a little shacket to go with it.
-
Silver bracelets, earrings, and narrow suede boots completed the outfit.
Fiction book (1991) -
He added a bright scarf to complete the outfit for the formal event.
-
The designer suggested accessories that would complete the outfit for the photoshoot.
Synonyms
351
2.7
Put on special clothes for an event or to look attractive
18
4.1
To make a person or a room look special with clothes and decorations
17
3.8
To add small items like jewelry or scarves to clothes to make them look nicer
5
3.4
Make something look nicer or more attractive for a special event
1
8.2
To put on special clothes to look nice for an event
How Complete
2
4.1
26
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to finalize or enhance a clothing ensemble' is directly compositional: 'complete' (to make whole/finish) applied to 'outfit' (a set of clothes) yields the meaning of adding items to make the outfit whole. This is a regular verb + object construction found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Complete outfit comes from the simple image of adding the last pieces to your clothes — when you complete an outfit you might add shoes, a belt, or a scarf to make everything look finished. So, to complete outfit today means 'to finish or improve a look' by adding those final items.