My roommate walked in dressed only in a towel asking for help. She didn't know what to wear to a concert and party tonight. Two unrelated activities, where she would potentially need 2 different styles to accomodate. She asks for help fairly often, and I usually stare at her clothes unsure of what to do. But I remember wasting time at work yesterday looking through the JCrew website, and I stumbled upon an outfit that looked like something she owned.

So here's my tip of the day: When in doubt, look on your favorite shopping website, and devise a look from something they have put together. It makes you look original, and you get back-handed compliments like "hmmm...I just never thought of putting that together."

So here's the photo that started it all:

She already owned a military-style jacket, so I added a flouncy, light colored skirt and tank under. Accessorized not with a $70 pearl bracelette, but a gold engraved cuff I own. Not the exact same, but the same look.

Let's try this with another picture.

Here is a merino wool sweater, once again from J.Crew. We all own a v-neck sweater, maybe not in merino, but a v-neck sweater is a basic staple to any wardrobe. We may even have all attempted this look, but failed...and let's be honest, I for one failed miserably. So let's look at what makes this specific look so great:

-light colors: we all like to pair a light color with a darker color to avoid being washed out, but here it is in all it's glory, shining just as well as if she were wearing an entire lavendar jumpsuit.

-scarf: I am a HUGE fan of scarves, and this is a new way of wearing it - just wrapped around your neck. If you're not bold enough to try that out, you can do the European knot, or wrap it a couple of times around your neck and let the tails hang.

-long necklace: when in doubt, go with a long necklace.

-skinny belt: paired with taughtly ironed trousers, it accentuates not only her waste, but ties all of the accesories together.

So there's basic essentials to this look that you probably have in your wardrobe:

-v-neck sweater (preferably pastel, since it's warm out)

-white trousers

-skinny belt

-scarf (if you don't have one, they're like $5 at Forever 21. Invest in 20).

-long necklace (you'll wear it more then you think, believe me).

And if you don't have these essentials, GO SHOPPING! And just remember - buy pants that fit. Probably the number one way to look put together.