After falling into an outfit rut at home a few months ago, I dialed up celebrity stylist Allison Bornstein for a FaceTime makeover where she walked me through ways to restyle my wardrobe basics. I walked away with a fresh new take on easy outfit formulas and cool ways to wear the T-shirts, leggings, and jeans already sitting in my closet.
Fast forward to summer and I felt ready for a new dose of inspiration. Looking to her Instagram (@allisonbornstein6), where she has master classes in ways to style wardrobe essentials, I was interested in getting her opinion on how to wear a button-down shirt this season. So we hopped on another FaceTime consultation, where she gave me face-to-face advice on which pieces to wear and exactly how to style them. And yes, you can schedule a styling session for yourself by signing up here.
After our call, I DMed her some questions to fine-tune exactly how she'd tweak each of the looks. Would she leave the buttons undone? Would she tie the button-down at the waist? Would she tuck in a T-shirt underneath? Here, see the outfits we put together on our call and the five chic ways I'll be wearing a button-down for the season ahead.
JEANS + HEELS
Jeans are one of the core pieces in my wardrobe that I wear on repeat, and a button-down top is a natural piece to pair with them. To elevate this look, we added my go-to gold chain necklace and puffy heels. Then, Bornstein recommended a chic French tuck and leaving the top buttons undone.
A SLIP DRESS + HEELS
While I wear slip dresses all the time, it hadn't occurred to me to wear a button-down with one. Bornstein explained that the top is a second layer that almost acts like a jacket during the summer months when you need a light layer. To add some shape, she suggested tying it at the waist.
LEGGINGS + SPORTS BRA + HEELS
I'm not going to lie: I've practically been living in leggings recently, but there are still ways to make them feel a bit more polished than my regular workout look. Here, we added a pair of low heels and left the button-down open to highlight the waist.
LEATHER PANTS + TEE + BLAZER + HEELS
Though summer just started, I already have fall/autumn on my mind, so I jumped at the chance to ask Bornstein how to style an outfit for the season ahead. For a transitional look, we landed on leather pants and a linen blazer with a T-shirt and button-down underneath. I love the look of all of these layers and shades of white stacked on top of one another.
SHORT DENIM JACKET + BELT + FLATS
For our last look, we landed on a summer classic: denim shorts. Adding a denim jacket, waist-defining belt, and my favorite minimal strappy heels, this outfit is an elevated take on summer denim.
Next, read about how Allison Bornstein helped me restyle my wardrobe basics.