The Outfit Formulas I'm Wearing On Repeat

I love clothes, but that doesn’t mean I want to reinvent the wheel every time I get dressed. I have a handful of outfit formulas I come back to again and again every season. They make getting dressed easier, but there’s still plenty of room to mix things up with different shoes, accessories, layers and proportions.

Here are three I’ve been wearing on repeat lately.

This is one of my favorite combinations for this weird in-between stretch when it’s still very much summer but I’m starting to crave fall clothes.

I feel a little beachy and a little fall in this combo: my favorite worn-in Levi’s with this fun Alice + Olivia crochet polo (currently marked down) and suede boat shoes. I love how the jeans and boat shoes “casualize” the otherwise dressy top. PS: I’ve also worn this top with ivory trousers when I actually am going someplace dressy.

A knit polo hints at the season ahead without feeling too heavy, especially paired with white or ecru jeans (mine are the classic Banana Republic icon jeans that have that perfect wide, but not too wide, leg opening). This Buck Mason pointelle polo has been my go-to at least once a week lately. It’s soft and comfy and flattering. I like adding pops of brown with all white, like a simple brown belt and my favorite Swedish Hasbeen clogs (I have my eye on these suede clogs that are on sale).

This formula can go super casual, or you can dress it up with a belt, jewelry, a great bag and slightly dressier shoes.

When it’s hot, I tend to default to one of two things: a sleeveless top with pants or a dress. Bermuda shorts give me another option. I like that they don’t show too much leg, and a longer, trouser-style silhouette feels a little more dressed up than your typical shorts. I keep the rest simple with a tee or tank and then add some interest with a lightweight jacket that works when I’m indoors with AC. These black Bermudas are on point. My 21-year old daughter got a pair too! My tank is this one from Ruti and it is such a workhorse. I’ve had it for three years and it still looks great. This belt reminds me of a classic Hermès menswear one, flip-flops are my favorite Tkees, the straw bag is Sézane, which I picked up in Madrid and used every day, and this is the linen Zara blazer I always talk about. (Mine’s a few years old, and it comes a little more oversized now.)

A leopard-print jacket gives this simple Bermuda short outfit a whole lot of personality. I picked this guy up at H&M and am kind of infatuated with it. It’s lined and has the perfect slouch and crop. It was sold out in most sizes but I got an XS (I’m usually a small or medium) and it works. The Bermuda shorts are also H&M (I recommend sizing down), and the classic espadrilles are Soludos (use code DAISY20 for 20% off).

Possibly the easiest formula of them all, especially on a really hot day.

Start with a simple sundress and throw a really good button-down over it. That’s basically it. Somehow, whenever I wear this combination, people tell me I look so “nice,” when really it might be the simplest thing I can think of.

I’ll wear it with an unexpected shoe like these suede slingback flats (I guess I’m on my tiptoes so they look like heels here), and add statement earrings or a fun necklace to make the whole thing feel more finished. I love these shiny teardrop earrings.

The best part about an outfit formula is that you don’t have to think too hard. Find a combination that works, repeat it, and just change the pieces. Getting dressed really can be that simple.

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