As much as I would like to roll out of bed every morning with a fresh new idea for how to get dressed that day, on most days I resign myself to the reality that relying on a formula is sometimes the key to creating a great outfit.
But wait, shouldn’t fashion be spontaneous and in-the-moment? What’s the fun in a calculated ensemble? A question to which I may answer: there’s always order to madness and having a set of guidelines to steer your decision-making process may reduce the amount of outfit prep time in the morning.
During my college years, I got dressed entirely on a whim. While it made for some interesting memories to reflect upon, I think in all I would characterize myself as a bedraggled dresser then. And while there is nothing wrong with being eccentrically dressed, these days I dress for me but also for my job where, while the dress code is not stoically enforced, I like to think that dressing sharply is part of the job description.
One of my favorite “formulas” for getting dressed in the morning is turning to many bloggers’ favorite tool (watch Wendy’s delightful video about the color wheel here): the
color wheel. In that simple circle lie the secret to harmonious color pairings. In the following outfit I utilized analogous colors to create something loud but coherent so it’s not particularly jarring to those who are especially color-sensitive.
What are some guidelines you follow to put together a quick outfit?
![]() |
H&M blazer (similar)+ blouse, Ann Taylor skirt (similar) + heels, Amrita Singh necklace, and Chanel bag |
<