TWEED BLAZER: ZARA STRUCTURED PLAID BLAZER | DENIM: PISTOLA JEANS (FROM A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, THIS YEAR’S VERSION HERE, USE CODE FALL TO GER A DISCOUNT FROM THE SHOPBOP SALE) | T-SHIRT: J.CREW BOYFRIEND JERSEY RELAXED CROPPED T-SHIRT | LOAFERS | BELT: REVERSIBLE BELT VIA AMAZON | SUNGLASSES: THE MOSANANA OVERSIZED ROUND CAT EYE SUNGLASSES THAT I WEAR NONSTOP ARE $15, ALSO VIA AMAZON.

Wearing a white tee with white pants and black loafers can usually be a simple look and one that I reach over and over again because it’s easy and practical and it’s already hanging in my closet. Consider adding an oversized tweed blazer and suddenly it’s an outfit with a story. Wear it on, wear it over the shoulders, it always adds something. The best part? It has total Chanel vibes, but it’s Zara. It looks great, feels great, and is very affordable. Making autumn happen in Madrid, one yellow chair at a time. Remember that getting dressed is a mindset, not a dress code.

A blazer can transform your look from something simple to this. Sealing the deal with this tweed or plaid blazer, you can call it how you like it, is already a step up. Style tells a story and today it comes with a side of fall tweed. You can also switch the white denim with blue jeans or cotton pants, you can also alternate it with a pencil skirt, midi skirt, A-line skirt or even shorts for those warmer afternoons. The statement earrings are always my go-to. Easy to add a little something extra to the look. Loafers are what I live in this season, I hardly wear anything else, comfortable, elegant and always look good.

BLAZER: ZARA OVERSIZED DOUBLE-BREASTED BLAZER, WEARING THE XS FROM 3 YEARS AGO, THEY HAVE IT EVERY YEAR, IT’S THAT GOOD, I JUST GO THE BLACK/WHITE CHECKERED ONE THAT IS 42% OFF IN A SIZE S FOR A MORE RELAXED FIT (ALSO LOVING THIS MANGO BLAZER STRAIGHT BLAZER WITH FLAP POCKETS) | T-SHIRT: J.CREW BOYFRIEND JERSEY RELAXED CROPPED T-SHIRT | SHORTS: LE BOP CECELIA EYELET SHORTS (40% OFF) | LOAFERS | BELT: REVERSIBLE BELT VIA AMAZON | SUNGLASSES: THE MOSANANA OVERSIZED ROUND CAT EYE SUNGLASSES THAT I WEAR NONSTOP ARE $15, ALSO VIA AMAZON.

Goodbye summer, hello autumn! As the seasons start to change, so does our wardrobe. You know what I’m talking about, that third piece that completes the outfit. The blazer, the trench coat, the cropper trench coat, the tailored blazer, the parka, the paisley jacket, you name it, this third piece is not only to keep you warm but to transform the outfit. Especially if you are in Madrid or Palm Beach and are thinking what to wear for fall while visiting, this third piece is key to making the look an outfit. You can wear simple classic pieces as a base layer, but what you put on top of this look, that extra layer many times can further elevate your outfit.

Think of this example, white tee, white shorts, black leather loafers, black reversible belt, then add the oversized blazer over the shoulders because it’s still warm in Madrid and you got yourself a striking look. The third piece that makes the outfit and seals the deal, literally. I’m a firm believer that a style tells a story. The simple look says you like neutrals, you paired them cleanly and they work well but the oversized blazer, that third piece adds personality and makes the look more sophisticated, elegant without losing its casual vibe and finishes the story.

T-SHIRT: J.CREW BOYFRIEND JERSEY RELAXED CROPPED T-SHIRT | SHORTS: LE BOP CECELIA EYELET SHORTS (40% OFF) | SWEATER: BP COZY CREWNECK SWEATER | LOAFERS.

Simple but never boring. Start with a white tee but take a boxier more relaxed cropped style that feels and looks comfortable, fresh and less casual than the usual thinner ones hanging on your closet, then let’s pick up a pair of black shorts but a textured more elegant option and less casual version for a more sophisticated outcome, plus a pink sweater for a pop of color and loafers for fall-esque results. Built with items hanging in my closet, those pieces that I can grab quickly and feel out together but relaxed. Oversized glasses because that’s my signature, the bigger the better.

Even though we are transitioning to fall, it’s still quite warm in Madrid and Palm Beach so loafers and sweater over the shoulders are as much fall as I can do this time of the year. The thicker jersey is also an added bonus, it’s $30 and it’s my favorite tee, I’ve worn it almost every week for the past year. The shorts are also winking at me to wear them with blazers once the weather cools off a bit, I recently saw a squared black and white blazer at the Zara store, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Maybe it’s a weekend problem if you know what I mean.

MAXI COTTON DRESS | MANGO GREY SWEATER | ZARA PEPLUM TOP (ALSO LOVING THIS ONE) | LOAFERS | FAVORITE AYR LALA JEANS | ALEXIS MAZI TOP (80% OFF).

Why fit when you were born to stand out right? That’s something that keeps resonating with me over and over again, year after year, in my professional and personal life. For more than half of my life I’ve been living “abroad,” I left my hometown for college and have been moving ever since. Don’t get me wrong, I love my home and living away from family and making my own life is not something that I take lightly but here I am going from the U.S. to Europe throughout the year and making it work because there’s only one life to live and I’m doing it the way it works for me. I started this page over a decade ago because I wanted to learn the basics of HTML to be able to talk about it at work and then it was a natural transition to share my budget finds here and have an outlet where I could run free with my style ideas and remind other women how you can find precious pieces already sitting in your closet and how to fall in love again with your wardrobe and add a few pieces here and there as your life changes and so does your style with the pass of time.

As we transition into fall, I wanted to share how I styled these sleeveless maxi dresses that are the ones I reach for again and again and get me out the door in no time. Basic pieces you love, that fit you well are the armor, these are the ones I start with. Sometimes I add an oversized shirt, others a light sweater over the shoulders works or statement necklaces to make the simple dress a little more sophisticated. If you’re in Madrid or Palm Beach where fall takes longer to arrive these are good options for you.

For going out, a peplum top, like this Zara one, is perfect to style with pencil skirts or A-line skirts for added volume and elegance. You can wear them with sandals for a casual look or add kitten heels for a more formal take. Wearing an oversized shirt with a pencil skirt is also very summer to fall transition, you’re breezy, comfortable but feel sophisticated but chic.

When it comes to shorts, I started wearing more neutral colors to easy into fall. Linen shorts with a black bodysuit and loafers, a long sleeve shirt with shorts and suede loafers or a fringe top with shorts that have texture and feel more elegant than the traditional linen or cotton ones.

Last but not least jeans and an oversized shirt are as classic as it gets, add a sweater and loafers for a classic can’t go wrong look. For warmer days in the Northeast or if you are in Hamburg or Copenhagen, a sleeveless turtleneck looks sophisticated and classic. For those days that you want to add extra color you can throw on a paisley jacket and it’s like you are fast forwarding into spring.