Create Endless Outfits in Your Closet with THIS Trick

It happens to all of us. Before you know it, Monday hits and it’s time to figure out what to wear to work. Again. You hit the snooze button for an extra ten (ok twenty) minutes and won’t have time to get creative in your closet. In just five minutes flat, you need to think of a fun, interesting, and DYNAMIC outfit to wear to impress your superior in the high-level meeting you’re attending and client appointments you have throughout the day.

But how the heck will you come up with an interesting outfit before your first cup of coffee? When you’ve barely had a chance to wake up? When your face is still puffy from sleeping?

Watch the video below to learn one of my FAVORITE ways to outfit my Style Shop Denver clients’ wardrobes when I go to their home for a Closet Shop session. This unexpected way of pairing pieces together will give you a fresh dose of creativity, an outfitting HACK to use again and again in your closet, and a dynamic way to create new outfits with pieces you already own! Watch the video below and don’t forget to comment with ONE new outfit idea you have in YOUR closet.

[00:03] Hello and WELCOME back to the "Simplify Your Style" video blog series with your virtual stylist, Sandi Mele, where we talk about super straightforward ways to create a flattering and functional wardrobe! Today we're talking about one of my most favorite subjects - outfitting your wardrobe. If you're anything like my clients, you probably get stuck pulling out the same pieces again and again and putting them together in the same way in the same outfits. You need a fresh way of thinking about your clothing and approaching your wardrobe so you can create new outfits with the pieces you already own! Today I want to teach you one of my favorite ways of putting outfits together. When I do my Closet Shop sessions (which is my outfitting session) for clients, I'll go to their home and create outfit options with pieces they already own.

[00:53] One of my favorite ways of putting outfits together is to think about how to combine edgy with elegant pieces to create a balanced outfit. The idea is to balance a really elegant or feminine piece with something a little edgier so the outfit doesn't look overwhelmingly feminine or overwhelmingly edgy. Let me show you some examples because I think you're going to have a lot of fun with this! One way you can combine edgy with elegant is to pair a floral blouse with a pointy-toe heel. A floral is traditionally a really feminine piece, and a pointy-toe heel will edge it up and create balance overall. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten a compliment when I've worn these two together!

[01:46] The second way you can combine edgy with elegant is with a bright color; a bright color, for me, feels really edgy. I love florals (I'm more of a feminine personality) so I'm always looking for ways to add edge to my feminine pieces so I don't look overly girly or even delicate with too many feminine pieces. I want to have a balanced look! I've worn this particular floral blouse (in more of a modern print but still primarily feminine) with this bold-colored blazer, and it feels really balanced to me.

[02:28] Here's another example. This top is edgy in that it has an opening up top and a neckline that shows skin so you can see my shoulders. It feels really edgy when I wear it because of the lower neckline and neckline style. I really like wearing this top with a pleated skirt in a shorter, flirtier style because the two pieces balance each other really well. I've gotten a lot of compliments when I've worn these together because again, it's a balanced look! Neither piece is too girly. If I were to wear this pleated skirt with an over-the-top feminine blouse and polka-dot scarf, people might think, "WOW. She's really girly, she must be a stylist!" And I'm personally into a more balanced look. So that’s another idea!

[03:29] Another way you can combine edgy with elegant is with an accessory. You can combine an animal-print accessory, which is traditionally more edgy, with (guess what??) a floral! I'm getting really predictable here. But THIS is why combining edgy with elegant is one of my favorite ways to outfit my wardrobe! Because I DO have a lot of feminine pieces in my wardrobe, I want to make sure I'm edging them up to create a more dynamic look. I've worn this animal-print belt with this floral top before and really liked the way it looks. Combining the animal-print belt with the floral top is also combining patterns, which is an edgy thing to do. It avoids creating an outfit that's too matchy-matchy and demonstrates a fun and unique way to wear things!

[04:11] Another example is with a leather jacket. I'm getting embarrassed that I have yet ANOTHER floral top to use in this example, but I do think those four florals are all the floral pieces I own. When I wear this floral top with a leather jacket, it looks really balanced because the leather jacket is an edgy piece. It has the zipper detailing and balances the femininity in the floral blouse!

[04:37] Ok, I have one last example for you guys! This example combines an animal-print pointy-toe heel with a lace cream-colored silky blouse with peplum detail at the waist. It's definitely a feminine piece, and I've previously worn it with a dark-colored pant and this pointy-toe heel. The outfit feels really balanced and doesn't make me feel like I'm over-the-top feminine or over-the-top edgy (which would take some work to do with my personality and wardrobe!). This outfit feels super balanced to me.

[05:14] I hope this video gave you some ideas of fresh ways to pair outfits together in your wardrobe! Remember to think outside the box with the really feminine pieces you have and the edgier pieces you have. You might have a structured, embellished jacket you can pair over a feminine floral, lace, or bow blouse. Or you can add edge with an accessory, such as the style I have on (it looks like I'm being choked by a snake, but I'm not I promise!). This is a scarf I wear with really simple pieces to add edge to the outfit so it's not just a classic look.

[05:56] Play with this, have fun with it, and make sure to tag @thestyleshopbysandi on Instagram so I can see what outfits you're coming up with! I'll see you in the next video!