Today I'm excited to share a new blog feature called "My Closet At A Glance." This new section will share an overview of the main colors, silhouettes and descriptive characteristics that I strive for in my wardrobe. In the last few years as I've really honed in on my ever evolving personal style, I've found that keeping this focus at the heart of my purchases has been key in ensuring that I make smart purchases that I'll actually wear. By following these points and constantly reevaluating and adjusting them as I get older, I move etc, I've been able to slowly but surely build a closet full of pieces that I truly love. My hope is that seeing these points from my perspective, and then seeing them in action here and on my YouTube channel will help you do the same. At the end of the day, fashion should be fun and we should use it as a way to express ourselves so it should never be taken too seriously, but a little planning never hurt either and I've found that a little work at the beginning makes the entire process a lot more enjoyable.

First up let's discuss color palette. As a lover of neutrals with pops of color here and there, I am the happiest when wearing simple shades all year. This streamlined color palette has worked so well for me as a base for brighter accessories and I even wear these 6 shades and a few variations of them all year. Not only are they incredibly easy to mix and match (nearly every color can be worn together with very little thought), but they are eternally classic and feel appropriate all four seasons.

Now, because I do love color I'm always trying to add a few bolder pops here and there and at the moment I have about 4 that I gravitate towards. Each of these make more of a statement than my base colors but still feel like me when done in small doses. That said, I'm also usually the most comfortable when these colors appear in accessories rather than entire outfits - with a few exceptions of course. If you're having trouble narrowing in on a color palette that works for you, I go into a lot more detail in my eBook and will also be doing an entire color series soon!

One of the things that really helped me lock in my personal style was picking a few descriptive words that described my aesthetic.

The first time I sat down to do this I had too many words and as a result, I had a difficult time coming up with a cohesive style message. As I've worked on refining my style over the years, and have really allowed myself to grow into who I'm most comfortable being, I've narrowed it down to 4 words.

classic, modern, elegant & relaxed

Though similar, each of these words touches on a different part of my personal style and ultimately my wardrobe, that are critical to making me feel like me. To better understand these, let's break them down a bit further.

CLASSIC: First up is classic. On the surface this word means exactly what it says - something that is simple and elegant and not greatly subject to changes in fashion. For me, this couldn't be more true. From fashion to makeup to home decor, I have always gravitated toward things that stand the test of time. I love the traditional and legacy of time tested pieces and have found that they are some of my favorite items to wear. I love feeling polished but understated and classics help me do that with very little effort.

MODERN: Next is a piece of the puzzle that's critical to ensuring that I feel updated and never stuffy. As much as I love classics, I've learned over the years that wearing too many of them together can leave me feeling behind the times and slightly old fashioned. For me, this always results in me feeling less like myself and almost as if I'm wearing a costume. In other words, without a few carefully selected modern touches my clothes wear me instead of the other way around. To combat this, I've learned that no outfit of mine is complete without a modern twist and I love pairing timeless classics with trendier items for a balance that feels 100% like me.

ELEGANT: By definition, elegance is "pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner" and it's a piece of my fashion pie that I've grown to value over the years. After years of classic vocal lessons and ballet classes, I've learned that anything too trendy, too casual or too "cool" just doesn't work for me. We all know that our experiences shape who we are and for me, years of classical training (beginning when I was 10!) have granted me good posture, careful diction and thoughtful movements that feel out of place when paired with anything too grungy. Even though I love the look on others, it always feels out of place on me and instead, I'm much more comfortable in tailored, understated pieces that compliment my life's experiences rather than combat them.

RELAXED: Last but not least is arguably the most important for me. Relaxed, which I use interchangeably with comfortable, is an absolute must for me. In fact, nothing ruins a day or an outfit for me quicker than being uncomfortable. I despise having to readjust, fidget or suffer when it comes to fashion and feeling relaxed is key to making me feel great in my clothes. I've learned the hard way one too many times that anything too stuffy, formal or complicated just doesn't get worn so now I avoid these pieces at a costs and I'm much happier as a result.

THE 10 ITEMS ALWAYS IN MY CLOSET

Now that I've shared the colors I gravitate towards, the general feeling I strive for and how these keep me focused on pieces I'll actually wear, let's touch on the 10 items that are always in my closet. For me, these pieces are the cornerstone of great dressing and help me put together countless outfits that always feel like me. For you, these key pieces may look exactly like mine and for others they may be completely different. The key here is to learn what works for you and then wear those pieces with pride - even if it means that you wear the same "uniform" of a t-shirt and jeans almost every day. Also, these 10 pieces have worked beautifully for me and I've found that they are also relatively universal but the nuances between each of our own personal styles lie in the colors, cuts and silhouettes that we chose these pieces in. For example, I love a crisp white, collared button down but you may prefer a collarless pillowy white shirt. What's most important is that you select pieces that can serve as a base or blank canvas for your outfits but always do so with your personal style and preferences in mind. I'll be touching on this in more detail in the coming weeks with tips for different styles, heights and body types but for now, I'll leave you with my 10 key pieces.

White Shirt
Black T-Shirt (Short Sleeve)
White T-Shirt (Short Sleeve)
Striped T-Shirt (Long Sleeve or 3/4 Sleeve)
Black Pants
Black Skirt
Light Sweater
Classic Jeans (mid or dark wash)
Classic Blazer
Black Dress (cap or short sleeves and knee length or longer is perfect for year-round wear)