A neighbor's makeover.

Let me set the scene.

Time: 4:00pm on Tuesday
Where: My house
What: A knock at the door
Who: A neighbor, headed to an event, needing outfit advice

This happens more frequently than you would think.  In comes one of my neighbors, a friend and reader of W2WW, and she is heading to an event honoring another neighbor of ours.  This is what she was wearing when she came in, asking for styling help.

Outfit details:  Black, bat-wing sweater, an embroidered white on black skirt, funky espadrilles, a long necklace, stockings.

The first change, take off the stockings.  Never wear stockings with open toe shoes, and really, don't ever wear them unless you have an appointment with the Queen of England.  (Royal protocol seemingly requires women to wear stockings, according to US Magazine.)  Even in the dead of winter.  White legs are much better than stockings.  Trust me.

Now, this neighbor is a yogi, and under that sweater hides a great figure, so the second thing I did was to change out her top.  First, we tried a simple, sleeveless, cream wrap blouse. (And yes, these are all of my clothes.)

Better, but we are not there yet.  Next, we tried the same cut of blouse, in an orange.

A little too casual in the jersey.  Then, I remember.  A thin black, scoop sweater that ties at the neck in the back.  Perfect!  And I swapped out those espadrilles for a dressier, conservative Kate Spade black pump.

Much better, don't you think?  And then, just for fun because I haven't worn them yet myself, swapped out the shoes for a turquoise blue Miu Miu pump to give the outfit a little kick. (And, because I haven't worn them yet, they might be in the 'to return' pile.)

Finally, onto accessories!  The long necklace was gone, but the outfit needed a silver cuff, and some silver long earrings.

(Yes, those are the earrings that made the final cut!)  Feeling confident in the look, my neighbor returned the cuff and earrings (she had similar at home), and with the sweater on, ran out the door to attend her event.  She later emailed me that she had a top very similar to the loaned sweater, and wore that instead.  She also decided to go shopping the very next day to fill a gap in her wardrobe.  And, when you are in the flurry of a makeover, sometimes you forget your earrings at your neighbor's house. ~ JH

All images from Jennifer Houston.