My friend, Lauren Mills of Sunday Beach blog, texted me in August to ask if I could help her in her closet. Then Harvey happened and her house flooded. Now, if you know Lauren, you know that she is the sweetest person on this entire earth. I wanted to do something for her, but I didn’t know what that would be. Would she still want me to help her in her closet or shop after Harvey? I wasn’t sure, so I texted her. She was in!

After a few chats, we decided to start in her closet. She was able to salvage some of her clothing, and she wanted to pair down and make outfits with some of the new things she purchased for fall. So, we were going to work with what she had in her closet, and well, that just so happens to be my favorite thing to do for clients! It was so fun because Lauren has the most darling clothes EVER (you should follow her)!

This post is full of great outfits from Lauren’s closet and styling tips on how to put together similar outfits from your own closet! So without further ado…

Tip 1: Wear strappy tank tops and warm weather outfits all year round by pairing them with a leather jacket.

Outfit Links: Top – Tibi (old) for similar here, Jacket – Joie (old) for similar here, Pants – J. Crew, Shoes – for similar here, here, and here, Clutch – Clare Vivier

First up was this darling strappy camisole. I immediately started imagining how she could wear this top in the fall. We pulled out her black leather jacket (also darling), and I paired it with black pants. I added a pop of animal print to tie in the cream. Luckily, she has lots of animal print options!

 

Outfit Links: Jumpsuit – Anthropologie for similar here, Jacket – Joie (old) for similar here, Shoes – for similar here

Then we paired the black leather jacket with this strappy jumpsuit! How cute would this be on a date night?!

Tip 2: Wear sweaters tucked into skirts, and when it’s colder, add layering pieces underneath, like turtlenecks and hose.

Outfit Links: Sweater – J. Crew (old) for similar, here,  here, and here, Skirt – J. Crew, Shoes – J. Crew, and  for similar Sam Edelman

Next up was her sweater bin. Lauren, of course, had some adorable sweaters! I usually think of pairing a sweater with black pants, but I wanted to give her a different way to wear her sweaters. So, I had her try on a sweater with this skirt. Instead of leaving the sweater untucked, I had her tuck it in to define the waistline. It looked wonderful on her!

Outfit Links: Sweater – J. Crew (old) for similar here and here and here, Skirt – J. Crew, Booties – for similar Halogen

When it gets super chilly, she can add a white oxford or a black turtleneck under the sweater. I’m also somewhat obsessed with black stockings + leather right now (thanks to Sèzane), which would look great with this look.

Tip 3: Not everything has to match exactly. If it’s in the same color family, it works!

Next up is this new skirt she bought at J. Crew. Check out Lauren’s recent Instagram of her wearing this skirt! So cute, right?! My first idea was to put it with a cream sweater, but then I saw the blue in the skirt…

… and I thought to put it with a chambray shirt and blue heels. Then I saw….

Outfit Links – Cream sweater – J. Crew, Striped sweater – J. Crew, Chambray shirt – J. Crew, Skirt – J. Crew, Booties – for similar Halogen, Shoes – for similar Nine West and Sam Edelman

…her new striped sweater, and I loved that, too! That’s when we decided everything went with this skirt, so we threw it all down!

Tip 4: To give items a new life, pair them with something trendy, and let it be the backdrop to your outfit.

Outfit Links: Top – J. Crew (old) for similar Sanctuary , Jacket – Joie (old) for similar here, Pants- J. Crew, Booties -Joie (old) for similar Halogen

Then we got to this Christmas top from J.Crew that we all fell in love with last year. We still liked it, but we wanted to do something different to mix up the classic pattern. And because the pattern is so classic, it was the perfect backdrop. Throwing a black leather jacket on top was a great way to give this top new life and to edge it up!

Tip 5: Pair your spring/summer items with black to wear them all year long!

Outfit Links: Top – J. Crew, Skirt – Alice + Olivia (old) for similar here, Boots – Stuart Weitzman

We both loved this pretty, light-blue leather skirt, but how do you wear it in the fall? Yup, pair it with black! One trick pony over here.

Tip 6: Reinvent a dress you already have by putting a turtleneck or oxford under it!

Outfit Links: Top – J. Crew, Dress – Gap (old) for similar here and here, Boots – Stuart Weitzman, Clutch – Clare Vivier

Lauren has had this tan leather sheath from The Gap for many years. We paired it with a black turtleneck and black boots. I love the way the animal print tied this outfit together!

Tip 7: Need to add interest to an outfit? Add a pop of color or an animal print!

Outfit Links: Top – for similar here, Skirt – J. Crew, Booties – for similar Halogen

I just love a pretty black and white outfit, and then when you pair it with burgundy booties…

Outfit Links: Dress – for similar here and here, Jacket – Joie (old) for similar here, Booties – for similar Halogen, Shoes – for similar here

…the outfit gets turned up a notch!

Doesn’t Lauren have the cutest closet?! You can follow her on Instagram (here) and her blog (here). And you know what I realized? Helping people is my favorite thing to do, and if that happens to look like putting together a few outfits for a very stylish friend, all the better. I loved every minute of it! I’m so honored Lauren said yes!