Going high/low and making your clothes work harder

I don’t know about you, but I want the clothes in my closet to do double or triple duty for me. All those work and professional event clothes that I spent good money on, well, they just have to morph somehow into more casual, off-career styling. And fancy pants (or blouses or jackets), they get the same demand.

Frankly, it’s more fun anyway to see how creative we can be with our wardrobe by styling things in different ways, don’t you think?

So, Dona and I decided to do some high/low styling. We call it high/low because we want to show how anyone can take favorite pieces and wear them in ways that are both work or special event appropriate, and then change them into simple casual, but chic, garb for everyday wear.

Since I styled my jumpsuit both high and low previously and these brocade pants, this time, it was Dona’s turn to take two “high” outfits and style each of them more casually.

In the first image, she selected one of her favorite jackets as the centerpiece of each outfit. It is velvet with gold trim. Pretty fancy. The look with black pants and black top is lovely and wearable to the office, professional event or for a dressier occasion. The accessories, including heels, lend it a more polished look.

However, when paired with blue jeans, a white cami and flats, it does double duty as a fun, slightly funky casual look.

So rather than waiting for a special occasion to don this jacket, she now has the opportunity to wear it more often. It would look adorable with white jeans, too.

In the next set of images, the long red-orange tunic top looks good enough for a fancy event, especially when paired with gold shoes and accessories. When styled with jeans and either tennies or flats, it instantly transforms into a cute, run-about-town or out to lunch ensemble. And again, white jeans would also be a great casual alternative with tennies or flats.

(By the way, notice how she confidently flaunts her arms in this sleeveless tunic. She’s my hero, so brave.)

So what do you think? Do you have pieces that hang lonely in your closet waiting for a special reason to be taken out to play? If so, try matching them up with something more casual, and give them a run.  And let me know how it goes!

Till next time,

Judy