It's My Full-Time Job to Put Together Cute Outfits—8 Looks I'm Recommending

It might be surprising to hear this from a New Yorker, but I'm a morning person. Living in "the city that never sleeps" leads to a robust number of late nights, but no matter what hour I get to bed, I'm always up early doing some sort of exercise. After my trip to the gym, I get to experience my favorite part of the day—playing dress-up.

I used to be a person who incessantly planned their outfits. Every day of the week had an outfit right along with the calendar notifications. Now, I love the flow of getting ready and letting my outfit for each day reflect my mood, so I happily style looks in the moment before I head out the door. The joyous experience of hand-selecting each accessory from my collection is priceless. Below, you'll find the four-step process that has never failed me.

Step 1: Choose the "hero" piece.

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(Image credit: @_sierramayhew)

Every single outfit I wear starts with one item that I like to call "the hero piece." It's what inspires my creative process. When it's winter, that often tends to be a coat, unsurprisingly. I like to make a good first impression, and outerwear is the first thing people notice about me, so I always make sure my outfits flow right along with it. In warmer months, though, I like to think about what activity I'll be doing and dress for that. If I'll be seated at dinner, I'll think about what tops would best flatter my facial features with color palettes strongly kept in mind. When out and about, it's all about the main piece, so a dress often comes into play.

The story behind this outfit is that I knew I wanted to style a black dress with red accessories, and the rest was history. Even my classic makeup look was inspired by the dress itself and the modern Audrey Hepburn aesthetic that I was going for.

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Step 2: Play into the colors and textures.

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(Image credit: @_sierramayhew)

Once I've chosen the hero piece, my favorite part happens to be this next step. I love finding items in my closet that help accentuate the little details on the hero piece. I often like to narrow in on the color palette, especially when I'm wearing a print, so the accessories can draw attention to the less pronounced colors. 

For this look, I noticed that the print on my dress had touches of red, yellow, and blue, so I decided to make a bold move and skip out on my neutral accessory collection by styling it up with red shoes and a light-blue bag. This is a great way to make a look feel cohesive.

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Step 3: Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize.

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(Image credit: @_sierramayhew)

Accessories are everything. I'm not afraid to be an outfit repeater, so this leads me to pile up accessories so that a favorite "hero piece" feels brand-new every time I wear it. And my mind knows no limits—I have more bags, strappy sandals, oversize sunglasses, and hats than I can reasonably fit into my closet. I somehow squeeze it all in, but that's another story.

For this look, I wanted to play into the sunny color scheme of this set, so I chose to go with orange accessories. This goes back to my second point that playing with similar colors is always a good idea. 

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Step 4: And never forget jewelry.

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(Image credit: @_sierramayhew)

I don't walk out the door without browsing my jewelry drawers. One of my favorite things to do to treat myself while shopping is just to add a fun jewelry gift into my cart so that I can round out my collection. I highly suggest this strategy. At this point, I have something to go with everything and couldn't feel better about it.

Tossing on the right jewelry for a trip to the airport was smart. It made my basic look feel not so basic.

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Still need help building out your perfect outfit? Try copying these looks: 

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(Image credit: @gabriellaraeg)

Dressing like a Sprite can is still a thing, and I'm here for it. But if you're not into the lemon-lime look, any saturated combination of colors will do the trick. 

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(Image credit: @abimarvel)

For an easier outfit to copy, look no further. There's nothing like the magic that goes along with wearing a slip dress and a white button-down shirt. I know better than anyone else that the combination is killer.

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(Image credit: @anoukyve)

If you haven't tried wearing a sweater over your preppy outfit, you're missing out. This is one of those looks that's easy to create using mostly things that you already have in your closet.

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(Image credit: @emmanuellek_)

I remember when denim skirts were all the rage. Well, that moment is happening all over again, and it's important to note that the French have been loyal to this wardrobe staple through and through. 

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Up Next: I Spent the Week Test-Driving My Summer Wardrobe—8 Easy Looks to Copy

Associate Editor

Sierra Mayhew was always destined to work in fashion, but she didn't know it at first. Growing up with no choice but to wear a rotation of school uniforms and activewear, her love for fashion really blossomed when she moved away for college and was able to finally define her very own personal style. Shortly thereafter, she interned at Elle magazine and instantly knew that editorial was for her. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, she worked for ShopBazaar, contributing regularly to Bazaar.com, and finally made her way to Who What Wear, where she is an associate editor. When she’s not working, you can catch her always trying to catch a flight, rollerblading through New York City traffic, or exploring the latest luxury vintage boutique.