How To Style Clothes You Already Have

Getting the most options from a minimal wardrobe. Seven ways, then an eighth, to style one simple dress. Casual to dressy.

Shopping test: if you can only think of one or two outfits, skip it. Nude shoes lengthen the legs. High-contrast belts chop the torso. A denim jacket downplays a dressy dress. A hand-me-down floral blouse from her sister Michelle, tied at the waist.

Outfits she showed: luncheon or shower with the tied blouse and nude pumps. Teacher or shopping with a bow sweater and old flats. Everyday with a denim jacket and sneakers, or a denim shirt longer than the widest point. Office or wedding with a blazer, a belt in a similar tone, and open-ankle pumps. White linen or denim jacket and white sandals, or a cropped white sweater. Plain dress, belt, slide sandals.