Shopping Renea's Closet

A few weeks ago, I had a fun day helping my friend, Renea "shop" her closet for new clothing combinations. Here's what we learned:

1. You can layer under as well as over.

Think you can't layer a button up under a t-shirt because it's not a sweater and you've only ever layered under sweaters? Think again. As long as the shirt fits well when layered, you can do whatever you want. You make the rules. (And in Texas, where the weather can shift from freezing to sweaty in a day, it's good to have lighter-weight layering options.)

One of my favorite ways to style summery dresses for work in cooler months is to layer a button up underneath it. Once we got the hang of it, we started layering button-ups under lots of things, like the cozy sweater dress below, where we learned lesson number two:

2. A rolled sleeve can make a big difference in how "put-together" something looks.

Compare the unrolled with the rolled side. The unrolled side looks sort of sloppy, because the proportions aren't right. The rolled side looks more professional and cooler. You ever notice how often sleeves are rolled in fashion spreads? This is why.)

3. Professional doesn't have to mean "stuffy."

Just because you bought that skirt in a suit set, doesn't mean you have to wear it that way or that if you wear it, it always has to look like you work in corporate law. Pair the classic black pencil skirt with a longer, cozy cardigan or jazz up that brown A-line with a printed silk scarf in rich colors. And in the winter, invest in some tights so you can wear these looks year-round.

Renea is all ready to teach us about comma splices!

 4. Don't be afraid to mix patterns or colors you've never tried before. You might be surprised at what works!

Yes, you can do aqua and blue without looking like you stepped out of a sea-side gift shop. The brown grounds the colors, so everything works together.

The light aqua and the darker turquoise are in the same color family, so they work! No need for matchy-matchy, here.

Stripes and florals can work, too. Just keep the colors simple.

I learned from Stacy and Clinton that from far away, some patterns read like solids, so you can wear them that way. This jacket is plaid, but the pattern is light enough that it doesn't conflict with the pattern in the top. Also, aren't Renea's shoes the greatest?

Renea and I had so much fun coming up with new combinations from her closet. At the end of the day, we had several different outfits for Renea to wear for work (and some for play, too) and inspiration for different outfit pairings in the future. If you're considering shopping your closet, I recommend having a friend over to help. Friends can see your clothing pieces with new eyes, unburdened by the limits we often put on our own clothing. Plus, you get to hang out with your friend and talk about clothes without having to spend any money. Free "new" clothes and fun friend time are a winning combo for me.