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So you have a closet full of clothes.

And if you’ve read (or watched) the last several articles on how to dress for your body shape, then you know which items hanging there fit and flatter you best.

If you happened to miss any of the body shape articles, you can catch up here with You’re Not An Apple, Pear, Banana, or Walnut. After that, you’ll want to check out Wow! That Blouse Makes Your Boobs Look Awesome! and Damn Girl! Your Legs Look Amazing!

But how the heck do you turn all those flattering pieces into a cute outfit?

I’m so glad you asked! That’s exactly what we’re chatting about this week.

Or, if you want to watch the video instead, go ahead and tap the link below.

For you smarty-pants, read on…

Step #1 – Color Palette

The first thing I have my personal coaching clients do is pick a color palette for their closet.

A couple reasons this is soooo important…

The first is that if 80% of your clothes fall within a particular color palette, your mixing and matching opportunities increase like crazy.

The second reason is to save money. Weird, right? Hang with me for a second…

Remember that time you were walking through Bloomingdale’s and saw that amazing red Alice + Olivia sheath dress? And oh my gosh! It’s 60% off. Heck, it’s like they’re giving it away. And then, the heavens opened up because it’s actually your size.

So, you buy it. Get it home. Hang it in your closet. And the next day, you put it on and realize you don’t own anything that goes with red. No shoes. No handbag. No perfect accessories.

Two things can happen. It hangs in your closet for months, with the tags still on it, because you can’t put together the perfect outfit.

Or… you’re forced to go out and buy all new items so you can put together a cute outfit. Which suddenly turns that awesome dress that they practically gave you for free into an expensive, time-consuming project.

Not to mention the stuff you buy to wear with that red dress gets very little attention because the only thing that works is that stupid red dress.

Do you feel the pain? Yeah, me too.

Now, that’s not to say you can never go out and buy something fun in an unexpected color. It simply means 80% of your closet should fall into a specific color range.

It’ll make your life so much easier. And make getting out of the house faster and easier.

Sounds awesome, right? I mean none of us has time to try on 5 outfits before we walk out the door.

How Do You Pick A Closet Color?

I’m so glad you asked!

Two things come into play when picking a palette. One, what shades flatter your skin tone most? And what colors do you love and feel confident wearing?

The last question only you can answer. But here are a couple tests to see which colors look best on you.

Wrist Test. Here’s what you do, look at the inside of your wrist where those tiny veins live.

We all have blue blood running through our veins. However, our skin tone can make those veins look like different colors.

Blue Blood – Warm (gold) skin tone = veins will look green.

Blue Blood – Cool (pink) skin tone = veins will look purple.

Blue Blood – Neutral skin tone = veins will look blue.

Now some women have itty bitty veins that aren’t super visible. If that’s the case, then you can figure your skin tone out by knowing which metal looks best on you. Do you gravitate towards gold jewelry? If so, chances are you’re a warmer skin tone. If you love silver, chances are, you have a cool skin tone. If you love and wear both equally well, you likely have a neutral under tone.

So, once you have that pinned down. What do you do with that fun bit of knowledge?

Well, if you’re a warmer skin tone, a warmer color palette will compliment your coloring best.

If you have a cool skin tone, cooler colors will flatter you most.

And if you’re neutral, you’ve hit the jackpot because you can pick any colors you want.

Now, what are some of our choices?

Well, there are literally a bazillion different color combinations out there. But I’ve gathered the 5 different ranges that are the most popular with my clients to give you a bit of initial inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we wrap up color, we need to address trends. Last week WWD announced the Pantone colors we’ll be seeing during Fall Fashion Week.

Now, I have a love, love, hate relationship with trends. While we definitely need to be aware of them. After all, we’ll be seeing these colors in every store and website we visit.

We also need to be discerning about which will look good on us. And be super cautious when it comes to deciding to buy.

It might help to think of it like this… Fads are like glitter. They should be gently sprinkled over our wardrobes.

What we don’t want is for our entire closet to turn into a trendy showroom. Instead, be super picky. Make sure the style flatters your shape and the color compliments your skin tone.

Because a poorly pulled-off trend is much worse than not owning the latest (fill in the blank).

Let’s Play, Shall We?

I thought it would be fun (and helpful) to see an actual example. So, we’re going to put together a cute outfit in three simple steps.

By far, the black, white, and grey color palette is the most popular, so we’re going to start with that.

Step 2 – The Impression You Want To Give

If a picture is worth a bazillion words, the impression you give when walking into a room is worth even more. (Whatever is more than a bazillion.)

The easiest way to pull together a cohesive look is to think about the unspoken message you want to send.

Say you’re walking into an important business meeting, you’ll want to look powerful, smart, and in-charge.

Or if you’re running weekend errands, you might want to be relaxed and casual.

If you’re meeting the girls for a cocktail (or two), you may want to be edgy or fun, or playful.

Whatever the case, pick a descriptor word when putting together your outfit. And keep that word locked in your mind during the next step, accessorizing.

Like color palettes, there are a million words to choose from, but here are six ones to help spur your creativity and imagination.

Let’s Play Around With Step #2:

We already have our color palette. Now, it’s time to pick our word(s). Since so many of us are working from home and because it’s the weekend, we’re gonna’ go with Casual & Comfortable.

And what could be more fun than a comfortable maxi-dress to flit here and there, running errands, or going to brunch? And super-duper versatile, as you’ll see in a bit.

Step #3 – Pick Accessories That Pull It All Together

This is where the magic happens. Accessories will take you from a nice outfit and turn it into a rockstar ensemble.

Most women have a ton of accessories. Yet they still experience that moment when they realize they don’t own that perfect thing that’ll ratchet up the outfit from nice to amazing.

Why is that? Well, a jewelry box full of stuff is rarely the answer. That’s why I recommend my clients choose a signature accessory and focus on that one category. (Earrings, bracelets, or necklaces are all smart choices for your first signature.)

Ideally, our collection will expand, and we’ll add additional signatures. But in the beginning, we want to pick one accessory that accentuates our favorite feature and make sure we have something that compliments every outfit in our closet.

If you’d like to read more about which accessories accentuate which features, you can check out How To Accessorize Every Outfit In Your Closet here.

One more tip: 3-5 accessories is the sweet spot. That may sound like a lot. But, if you’re planning to leave the house, two of those will be shoes and some sort of a handbag.

Let’s Play Some More:

Back to our example outfit. It’s time to turn our cute maxi dress into a rockin’ ensemble. I was going to show one example, but there are so many fun options, I actually accessorized it in two different ways.

The first example is more casual – I’m thinking errands or chauffeuring the kids here, there, and everywhere.

 

The second example is a tad dressier. Perfect for brunch, cocktails with the girls, even a casual date night.

 

So that’s a wrap, Sunshine!

The three steps you need to know to put together a cute outfit. Every. Single. Time.

#1 – Color Palette

#2 – Pick The Word (s)

#3 – Pull It Together With Your Signature Accessories.

It’s way easier than you thought, right!

If you have questions, had a mind-blowing epiphany, or a tip that you particularly like, leave a comment below & we’ll get this party started.

‘Til next week.

Hugs & Happy Shopping.

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