How to get dressed in half the time with outfit formulas

Wouldn't it be nice to never have to decide what to wear again? Until there are robots to dress us, the next best thing is to create your own outfit formulas.

I teach all my one-on-one style coaching clients how to create a few different formulas (I also call these templates). These are made up of a few key pieces that you can mix and match and never have to think about twice.

I've also linked to a ton of different pieces to help you get started.

Ready? Let's go.

Pick six colors in your palette

While we all have a whole wide world of colors within each of our palettes, if you're looking to streamline and create a formula I would choose three neutrals and three main pops of color.

Let's use your pal Daniella here as an example. I'm an autumn, so my neutrals might be cream, camel, and coffee brown. Then, my pops might be pumpkin orange, mustard, and moss green.

You can combine literally any of these colors in any form or fashion and they would pair together perfectly. This eliminates pretty much any and all decisions you need to make in the morning.

Side note—you can also pair any of these with your blue or black denim. Don't worry about including shades of denim in your six colors.

If you don't know your season, you can snag a sample of my e-book by popping in your email below.

Choose a neckline and a hemline

Choosing a neckline is muy importante because different shapes do better with different necklines.

For example, if you're an apple (you carry most of your weight above the hips) you'll want to embrace an elongating V-neck and eschew turtlenecks or boat necks.

But if you're a pear shape (you carry most of your weight through your hips) you'll look to add volume on top to help balance out your bottom half. So, you could do turtlenecks, boat necks, and anything that draws attention to your shoulders.

When it comes to hemlines, this could be skirts or pants. Again, this will vary by shape.

An apple will look to add volume to her bottom half with an A-line skirt or a straight-leg jean.

Whereas a pear will look to streamline with a skinny jean or pencil skirt.

You may be thinking now, Hey, I wear skirts and pants, Daniella. How do I choose?

Great question, friend. You can always create two or three outfit templates like this. Maybe you have one for work and one for a weekend or one with pants and one with a skirt. The overarching principles will still apply.

Top off your outfit

Your topper piece will, again, vary by shape. If you carry your weight above the waist, you'll really look to create structure with a blazer or military jacket that nips in at the waist and fits well through the shoulders. If you're a boy shape (straight through the shoulders and hips) you might want to add dimension with a chunky cardigan.

Choose a completer piece

What accessories can you add to really make an outfit you? I like to wear big hoops, tie a little scarf around my neck or layer long necklaces, and medium necklaces. This is fun because you can start to imagine what your signature piece might be. (Yeah, you could have a signature. Get you, girl.) Maybe you like to stack bracelets or wear rings from your trips around the world.

What makes you you that you could add to every outfit?

Add structure to your outfit

Finally, I do like to make sure I have some structure in every outfit. This might take the form of a blazer or cropped jacket. Or maybe it's a structured bag like this one or this bag or a tote like this one; somehow a structured bag immediately adds polish. Or it could be a pair of heels or booties, which could especially help elevate a more casual template.

Want more help?

Boy, do I have good news for you. My online course 5-Minute Outfits is now open for enrollment. This is the exact step-by-step system I teach my one-on-one clients so they can define their style, find their colors and shape, and put it all together into templates that take the stress out of getting dressed.