15 Creative Ways to Restyle Your Wardrobe Today
You’ve probably heard me say it before (because I say it a lot) — most women wear 10 - 20% of their wardrobes.
And it’s not because you have the wrong pieces in your wardrobe.
It’s because that 10-20% is your safety zone of pieces and outfit combinations that you know work. But doing that leaves you unexcited about them and puts your wardrobe at a standstill.
My goal is to help you wear 100% of your wardrobe and love every outfit you wear, but the trick isn’t about throwing it all out and starting fresh.
It’s about exploring outfit combinations from your wardrobe that make your closet feel more fresh and fashion-forward than ever.
So this week’s blog is about giving you some of my absolute favorite styling tips and tricks that you can take back to your wardrobe and try today.
15. Turn your button-up into an Austin lightweight jacket.
This one is especially fun if you have a tunic-style button-down (a little bit longer than a normal shirt) to give a dramatic effect.
Just open up the button-down and throw it over your favorite above-the-knee dress, maxi dress, or jeans and a tee. This will give you a little layer that’s light enough for Austin and polished enough for the office.
14. Add your graphic tee over a dress.
To pull this one off, you’ll need a cropped (or shorter) boxy tee. Otherwise, the tee will cause too much friction around your hips or bring the attention downward instead of upward (which is what we want).
Once you’ve got your tee, chose your dress. The dress doesn’t need to be tight, but it needs to be form-fitting, so the tee can easily fit over top without bunching or pulling.
Finish the look with a casual Texas touch like your cowboy boots and gold hoops.
13. Dress up your tee with a silky square scarf.
You may not think these two go together based on the occasions they were made for, but when you mix a casual piece with a dressy casual piece, you often create the perfect level of formality for an Austin office or working from home.
There are multiple ways you can tie the scarf, but make sure the way you choose to tie it goes with the type of tee you put it with.
Try a girl scout tie to fill in the space of a v-neck or a western-style tie with a crew neck to make your scarf into a colorful bib.
12. Pair knee-high boots with shorts.
It’s easy to feel like you need to be super cautious when using sexy pieces like knee-high or over-the-knee boots in an outfit, but these boots become way more approachable when paired with shorts.
Together, these two make a great dressy casual look—a look that’s perfect for dinner with your partner, brunch with the gals, or a birthday party.
Add a body suit underneath a flowy pair of paperbag waist shorts or front tuck a silky pullover blouse into more fitted shorts. Finish the look with a cocktail ring and statement clutch.
11. Layer up those necklaces.
This is a technique I like to use almost every day, and while you may have seen it done on Pinterest or in person, if you haven’t tried it out yourself, you need to!
Layered necklaces make an extra creative look by adding in multiple balance points that bring the energy and focal point of your outfit towards your face.
To try it, simply take two or three chains from your jewelry cabinet. They can be chunky links, dainty chains, or a mix of both. Throw on two or three and see if you like them. If not, keep trying combos until you find one you like.
They can waterfall down, so each one doesn’t touch the others except near the clasp in the back of your neck. They can mix together in a pretty tangle of pieces that make you feel edgy and fashion-forward.
Either way, you’re good to go.
10. Go biz with your jumpsuit.
Jumpsuits have been popular for a few years now.
They can seem just right for a dressy casual or a formal event. You can repurpose this one-piece though into a look that works for your office with one addition: the blazer.
Try a relaxed blazer over your jumpsuit for a start-up office vibe or try a power blazer complete with shoulder pads (yes, these are back too!) for a business formal feel.
Finish the more casual styling with open-toe stacked heels or a pointed-toe nude patent pump for more formal occasions.
9. Add some moto magic to your shorts situation.
This is what I call a sixty degree look, because it’s a balance of warm and cool elements that makes you appear instantly stylish and is perfect for fall weather.
To do this look, there’s just one thing you need to make sure: The shorts can’t be shorter than the jacket. We don’t want you to look naked from the back, so make sure the shorts can be seen from every angle.
Add a bodysuit or graphic tee under the jacket, then finish the look with fashion sneakers in your favorite color.
8. Denim on denim 4EVA
Or at least until the trend goes away. But for now, denim on denim is the hottest way to style up your chambray shirt, so give it a try! Pull out your chambray (denim) shirt and pair it with your jeans or jean shorts.
The denims shouldn’t match, because then it’ll feel like a bit too much. Go light on top and dark on bottom or vice versa.
Finish with white cowboy boots, navy flats, or silver fashion sneakers.
7. Redefine monochrome.
Monochromatic is classic. The look is about having one color all over, but if you don’t want to feel like giant grape, or any fruit for that matter, then it’s time to update your idea of monochrome.
These days you can get the same sophisticated feel of monochrome without doing just one type of a color in an outfit.
First, pull out your colorful pants or skirt. Pair a top of the same color, but not the same shade. Try a lavender top with plum jeans, a raspberry blouse with blush trousers, or a seafoam tee with evergreen jeans.
Finish the look with neutrals like a grey blazer or caramel duster, so you don’t feel overwhelmed by the color. Add a shoe that’s the same neutral as the jacket, and you’re set!
6. Add a feminine touch to a basic dress.
If you’ve got a dress in your wardrobe that you usually just throw on to pick up your kids from school or run errands on the weekend, it’s time to give that dress a little makeover.
To do this, grab a cotton or silky button down from your closet.
Unbutton the button down and tie it over your dress. You can leave all the buttons undone if you want to show off a few layered necklaces across the front of the dress or you can button a few in the middle if you just want a small pendant showing at the top of your dress.
Add your classic sneakers like Vans, Converse, or Adidas to keep you comfortable and fashion-forward for your casual day.
5. Bring out the booties, leave the jeans.
If you’ve got booties in your closet, statement or sporty, you’ve probably paired them with jeans. It’s a natural pairing for cooler weather, but when you want the outfit to feel fall, but don’t have the weather to match, pair them with a skirt.
If you’ve got a bootie that hugs your leg higher up (above your calf), you can show off the detail of the boot with an above-the-knee, a-line skirt or make your look oh-so trendy with the silky midi skirts that are big right now.
For a sporty, western look, add your stacked-heel booties to a denim above-the-knee skirt or a tweed mini skirt.
Finish all the looks by tucking a lightweight, fine knit sweater into the skirt when it’s cooler or your favorite white tee when it’s warm.
4. Sequins aren’t just for special occasions.
For this one, you’re going to have to use lots of imagination, but once you put it into practice, you’ll see just how fun this look can be.
If you have a sequin dress in your closet, pull it out. This look will only work with an above-the-knee dress, so if yours is longer, skip this tip. If you do have one, hooray!
Pair your short sequin dress with your tall cowboy boots, turquoise jewelry like stackable bangles or a squash blossom necklace. Finish it off with your moto jacket and black clutch.
With this look, you can enjoy your sequins not just at a formal occasion, but to dinner at a steakhouse, live music downtown, or to a birthday celebration.
3. Sweater weather is closer than you’d think.
Wanna get away with a sweater when it seems impossible in Austin? Here’s the trick, and it’s all about creating one of those sixty degree looks again.
First, grab your lightest weight sweater. While I love to indulge in a fluffy, cozy sweater, that’ll need to wait till the weather cools down.
Pair your favorite jean or paper bag waist shorts with the sweater. While you’ll get the fall look with the sweater, the shorts will keep everything breezy for hotter days.
Front tuck your sweater into your jean shorts for a tailored, yet relaxed look, and for paper bag waist shorts, make sure to do a full tuck on the sweater, so the top of the shorts and sweater don’t clash.
Finish both looks with open-toe stacked heels that’ll dress up your look and keep it breezy with the open-toe.
2. Mix sporty with sexy.
The 90s are back, which means silky dresses are everywhere to be found. But while the silk dress pairs easily with heels, it’s more fun with something than makes your look edgy and thoughtful: fashion sneakers.
Add a satin fashion sneaker for a feminine touch or a perforated leather slip-on for a downtown feel. Finish either look with a denim jacket and bucket bag.
1. 1 Jumpsuit, 2 ways to style it.
Remember how we added that blazer over the jumpsuit to make it work for business? Well, I’ve got one more way to repurpose your jumpsuit: turn it into pants! For this tip, you can throw a cropped tee over your jumpsuit for a casual look or tying a button down over the top for a dressy casual outfit.
If you add a tee over, the key to the look is making sure the neckline of the jumpsuit isn’t higher than the neckline of the tee. This will make the jumpsuit distract from the look, and both parts should work harmoniously together.
Finish either look with platform sandals to further elongate your silhouette and oversized resin earrings for a playful touch of personality.
And don’t forget! Make sure to take pictures of each look you style, so you can reference them later whenever you’re ready to wear them.
If you enjoyed this post, I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment below and share which tip you’re most excited to use.
Lots of love and joy!
Raquel
