my style: rockin' the staples

Staples are a very important part of our lives. They hold together so many disparate (yet related) pieces of paper that would otherwise be scattered to the wind! And in the same way, those of us without humorously (and deliciously) large closets and/or budgets need staple outfits.

I have a confession: I've worn the same exact (mostly) outfit three times this week. Now, before you close the tab on my blog forever, it should be stated that there are extenuating circumstances: I've been home the whole week living out of a medium-sized suitcase that was packed when I had no idea what I would be doing. I usually spend most of break in sweatpants, but things pop up: trips to the mall, trips to my grandparents, lunch dates. I usually try to grab a couple of nice pieces that will travel well, so I can be stylish at the drop of a hat if necessary. This time I had a bit of a mishap--I brought home two skirts only for the unseasonable heat to disappear as soon as I got home. I hadn't brought any tights. So, I had this:

Apt 9 tunic and Vera Wang jeans from Kohl's (the jeans in the picture are just representative!)

My tunic is purple, which makes the outfit less monochromatic than it seems there, but yep, that's pretty much it. It's what I had to work with, and work it I did. I wore this to my grandparent's house with kitten heels, I wore it to a ladies lunch at Olive Garden with sneakers, and I am wearing it as I write this very post because I'll be wearing it barefooted/with socks when my godparents come visit. That's three times in seven days, and that's almost every time I left the house. It's kind of embarrassing to admit and to look at it like that, but honestly? This is one of my staple outfits. The pieces pair great together, I have a lot of accessorizing options, and it's comfortable. The only people who know I wore the same thing two days ago are my family, and they'd never tell!

When creating a staple outfit, consider these things: you don't really "create" a staple outfit. To me, at least, your staple outfits kind of come to you. It's that one that you find yourself wearing when you don't know what to wear. It works for multiple levels of formality with some accessorizing, probably isn't too difficult to get yourself ready in, and the pieces in it can be fabulously paired with other things in your closet. A staple outfit, in my estimation, is what happens when two staple pieces (a tunic and a pair of black jeans, for example) come together in an awesome way. The one other time I had to get myself prettified this week was when I went to the mall to get my sister's ears pierced; I wore the same black jeans, with a purple top and my vest. Both of these outfits can be paired with my fabulous black chunky necklace. It's like a staple party! This wasn't a post about travel, but it follows logically that these pieces that are extremely wearable, mix-and-matchable, and adjustable are the things you should be packing.

What's your never fail staple outfit?