It might be surprising to hear this from a New Yorker, but I'm a morning person. Living in "the city that never sleeps" leads to a robust number of late nights, but no matter what hour I get to bed, I'm always up early doing some sort of exercise. After my trip to the gym, I get to experience my favorite part of the day—playing dress-up.
I used to be a person who incessantly planned their outfits. Every day of the week had an outfit right along with the calendar notifications. Now, I love the flow of getting ready and letting my outfit for each day reflect my mood, so I happily style looks in the moment before I head out the door. The joyous experience of hand-selecting each accessory from my collection is priceless. Below, you'll find the four-step process that has never failed me.
Step 1: Choose the "hero" piece.
Every single outfit I wear starts with one item that I like to call "the hero piece." It's what inspires my creative process. When it's winter, that often tends to be a coat, unsurprisingly. I like to make a good first impression, and outerwear is the first thing people notice about me, so I always make sure my outfits flow right along with it. In warmer months, though, I like to think about what activity I'll be doing and dress for that. If I'll be seated at dinner, I'll think about what tops would best flatter my facial features with color palettes strongly kept in mind. When out and about, it's all about the main piece, so a dress often comes into play.
The story behind this outfit is that I knew I wanted to style a black dress with red accessories, and the rest was history. Even my classic makeup look was inspired by the dress itself and the modern Audrey Hepburn aesthetic that I was going for.
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My greatest Amazon purchase to date.
I had my eye on this dress for a while, and it did not disappoint.
I got compliments on this bag before I even exited my apartment building.
Step 2: Play into the colors and textures.
Once I've chosen the hero piece, my favorite part happens to be this next step. I love finding items in my closet that help accentuate the little details on the hero piece. I often like to narrow in on the color palette, especially when I'm wearing a print, so the accessories can draw attention to the less pronounced colors.
For this look, I noticed that the print on my dress had touches of red, yellow, and blue, so I decided to make a bold move and skip out on my neutral accessory collection by styling it up with red shoes and a light-blue bag. This is a great way to make a look feel cohesive.
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My obsession with this dress lives on.
How good is this mini bag?
They're so comfortable for a pair of heels with this height.
Step 3: Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize.
Accessories are everything. I'm not afraid to be an outfit repeater, so this leads me to pile up accessories so that a favorite "hero piece" feels brand-new every time I wear it. And my mind knows no limits—I have more bags, strappy sandals, oversize sunglasses, and hats than I can reasonably fit into my closet. I somehow squeeze it all in, but that's another story.
For this look, I wanted to play into the sunny color scheme of this set, so I chose to go with orange accessories. This goes back to my second point that playing with similar colors is always a good idea.
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Next on my list.
The perfect way to make your tote feel special.
These sandals are so on-trend.
Step 4: And never forget jewelry.
I don't walk out the door without browsing my jewelry drawers. One of my favorite things to do to treat myself while shopping is just to add a fun jewelry gift into my cart so that I can round out my collection. I highly suggest this strategy. At this point, I have something to go with everything and couldn't feel better about it.
Tossing on the right jewelry for a trip to the airport was smart. It made my basic look feel not so basic.
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I love anything oversize.
I mean, just look at that price point.
You have to see what these look like on.
Still need help building out your perfect outfit? Try copying these looks:
Dressing like a Sprite can is still a thing, and I'm here for it. But if you're not into the lemon-lime look, any saturated combination of colors will do the trick.
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This cardigan will be all over every fashion person for the rest of the summer.
Midi skirts with cutouts continue to call my name.
For an easier outfit to copy, look no further. There's nothing like the magic that goes along with wearing a slip dress and a white button-down shirt. I know better than anyone else that the combination is killer.
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I haven't seen a crisper button-down white shirt.
This slip is so sleek.
If you haven't tried wearing a sweater over your preppy outfit, you're missing out. This is one of those looks that's easy to create using mostly things that you already have in your closet.
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I'm a proud owner of this button-down shirt, and I'm obsessed.
This sweater looks premium.
All about that low-rise action.
I remember when denim skirts were all the rage. Well, that moment is happening all over again, and it's important to note that the French have been loyal to this wardrobe staple through and through.
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The perfect white shirt for summer weekends.
Crisscross everything.
You already know how much Who What Wear editors love platforms.
Up Next: I Spent the Week Test-Driving My Summer Wardrobe—8 Easy Looks to Copy