in case you missed them: part one / two / three / four
Q: What would you say are absolute staples for a professional/business casual wardrobe? — Laurie
A: blazers, patterned/colored sleeveless tops (great for layering!), cardigans, pencil skirts, sheath dresses, trousers, skinny ankle dress pants (for spring/summer), LBD’s, and patterned button up shirts (great for layering under cardigans, pullovers, or blazers!).
Q: What would be your 5 essential transition pieces to take a wardrobe from “college” to “professional”? — Meg
A: that’s an easy one! blazers, pencil skirts, dress pants/trousers, easy and professional dresses, and blouses for layering under cardigans or blazers. you really can’t go wrong with any of those items and they’re all very transitional for different seasons. they can be mixed and matched easily, too!
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| dress / skirt / peplum |
Q: I have the hardest time figuring out what shoes to wear with jeans in colder weather. I have the skinny jeans/boots figured out, but I also have bootcut jeans that I love to wear. I always feel like my choices look frumpy and weird…any suggestions? — Tamara
A: i’d say to try some embellished flats (if the weather allows), ankle boots, tie-up booties, or loafers!
Q: Do you have any advice for how to mix and match jewelry together appropriately? I never know how to mix together various stone colors, sizes, etc. Lately I’ve been doing just earrings or just a necklace because I have no idea how to figure out if they “match” without getting too match-matchy. — Sarah
A: i’m not much of a jewelry matcher, so i tend to mix and match a lot. if i’m doing a statement necklace, i tend to pair it with some very simple stud earrings (if i wear earrings at all). if i’m doing a pendant necklace, i’ll pair it with more interesting studs or possibly earrings with a bit of movement. if i’m not doing a necklace, then i’ll wear some fun statement earrings that really pop. in terms of mixing metals, i love mixing silver and gold together. i think it’s a really fun way to use all of your jewelry and not get stuck in an all gold or all silver rut. for mixing colors on various different pieces of jewelry, just make sure that the colors are in the same family – i.e. pair jewel tones with jewel tones and brights with brights. you can definitely intermingle color families, it just gets a bit trickier because you still want them to go well together. for example, i would pair a deep, jewel-toned purple with a mint, but not a neon orange.
Q: What outfits do you wear booties with? I have tall boots, so I’m not sure when an outfit is “bootie worthy” or “tall boots worthy”. Is it an issue of weather (like too cold for booties)? — Jana
A: i think whether or not an outfit calls for booties totally depends on the look you’re going for. to me, it’s not a weather-related thing, but a style-related thing. ankle boots can go with just about anything that tall boots can go with, although i would probably stay away from wearing them with cropped jeans. what’s nice about booties is that they can sometimes give an outfit more of a dressier feel (depending on the style of bootie) than a tall boot. here’s a few examples of outfits that you can wear booties with:
Q: Are flared jeans out of style? Bootcut jeans? How do you know when a jean is “too flared”? — Tonya
A: oddly enough, it seems that flared jeans are going to try to make a comeback this fall and winter. i was walking through Gap the other week and saw some dramatically flared jeans on their “new arrivals” racks. i like a slightly flared jean and think that those are pretty much always in style. i have a pair from Banana Republic from years ago that have transitioned well through seasons of styles. if you think the jean is too flared, it probably is. stick with just a slight flare (i love Gap’s “sexy boot” cut – it’s the perfect bit of flare). boot cut jeans will probably always be in style. that’s the classic cut of jeans, which pretty much any body type can wear.
