This has been a month of consumer reflection here on First and Trend. Whether or not you’ve bought into (pun intended) No Buy February or are just being more conscious about the things on which you choose to spend your hard-earned money, a little self-awareness goes a long way.

Along with self-awareness there is closet-awareness. And a little closet awareness goes an even longer way in helping you extend your wardrobe. On Friday I shared the 12 wardrobe staples I believe begin almost every look. Having these on hand gives you a base with which to work and makes getting dressed each morning with what you already have much easier.

That list was all about versatility, but while I can go on and on talking about it, I also wanted to show you what I mean. This look is all about items I already had sitting in my closet and is based around two of my staple pieces: a white button-down and black leather jacket.

The whole point of having staple pieces is to have a base on which you can add new and fun items, like this leopard skirt. When it was brand new, I originally styled it here with a black bodysuit and pumps. And now that I’m shopping my closet, I pulled it back out and this time paired it with a simple white button-down shirt.

This is where I could start writing about the beauty of a white button-down in that it can be worn so many different ways. But that sounds super dry and boring. So, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

And they say, “look how cute I am when you knot me at the waist!” Or, “a black leather jacket thrown over the shoulders is totally impractical but looks so cool!”. Or even, “styling basics is so fun, just look at these smiles for proof!”.

I think I’ve made my point.

Now, seriously, go get a white button-down if you don’t have one already. That is, go get a white button-down on March 1st. It is No Buy February, after all.

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