How to Coordinate Shoes with Your Outfit: 3 Stylish & Effortless Tips That Look Chic, Not Overdone

(Hint: This is about strategy, not matching.)

You want to look Polished. Strategic. Effortless.
But when it comes to adding color to your wardrobe, you’re stuck somewhere between “I don’t want to stand out too much” and “I want people to feel my presence.”

So you reach for the neutrals. Again.
And that outfit you spent time curating?
It feels… safe.

Not strong.

Here’s the truth: when done right, color isn’t loud—it’s leadership.
And one of the simplest ways to elevate your entire look without buying a new closet?
Letting your shoes and outfit speak to each other.

These are three easy (and powerful) ways to start.

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1. Printed Top + Colorful Shoe

You already own that printed blouse that lights you up—but you always wear it with black pants and flats.

Why? Because it’s safe.

Instead, pull a color from the print and wear a coordinating shoe.

This instantly turns a passive outfit into a power move.
You’ll look like you planned it—not panic shopped it.

Micro-shift challenge: Look at your printed tops.

Which shoe in your closet pulls color from one? Try the pairing this week.

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2. Colorful Topper + Anchoring Shoe

A blazer, cardigan, or structured jacket in a statement color adds presence instantly.
Now—tie that look together with a matching or tonal shoe.

This bookends your outfit—top and bottom—with polish.
Even if the rest is a simple white tee and trousers, this pairing says:
I know what I’m doing.

Quick tip: Stick to one focal color. Keep accessories minimal and let the color do the work.

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3. Statement Shoes + Echoed Top

Have a bold, printed or multi-color shoe you never wear because “nothing matches”?
Flip the script.
Pick one color in the shoe and echo it in your top.

Suddenly, the whole look feels thoughtful—not random.
And that shoe becomes your new signature.

This is how color stops being “extra” and starts feeling like edge.

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FREE Style Masterclass for Mid-Size & Plus-Size Women in Leadership

These aren’t outfit hacks.
They’re strategic shifts that reflect how you want to be seen.

When you stop defaulting to safe basics and start pairing color with intention?
You build a presence that feels aligned—and unforgettable.

👉 Want to go deeper? Catch the Dress for Impact Masterclass to see exactly how to elevate your wardrobe with presence, polish, and strategy.

🚨 IMPORTANT: You MUST register using the link to receive the replay. Don’t miss this opportunity to transform how you show up—without changing your body.

Hello!

I’m Melanie — a personal stylist and confidence coach for high-achieving women who want to stand out through style.

Here, I share style tips, personal branding advice, and outfit strategies to help you get noticed and lead with confidence.

Let me know if there's any way I can help you!

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5 OUTFIT MISTAKES KEEPING YOU FEELING FRUMPY & FRUSTRATED

Discover Outfits On Autopilot

Discover Outfits On Autopilot

How to attract dream clients online with your personal style

The good old boys way of marketing doesn’t speak to the savvy empowered women you want to work with… but how exactly do you connect with busy sophisticated women that you will to fill your calendar with… and could see yourself opening a bottle of wine on with on the weekend? 

When I mention online presence and marketing… you should see the look on my client’s faces, you would think I am trying to sell them some instant miracle voodoo that gets them to lose 30 lbs overnight… that’s because we have all been approached this way on social media being sold something.  But that’s not what I’m talking about.  

Now more than ever intelligent decision-making women are online look for solutions to their problems… everything from how do I get my kid to sleep in their own bed to I am being treated unfairly at work and I want to sue.  Need proof… visit any mom, keto, or Peloton facebook group… lots of support and solutions at your fingertips! 

So how are you going to connect with these fabulous women and not get lost in sea of online noise?  

Welcome!

I'm Melanie! A personal stylist and confidence coach for high achieving women. 

Here on the blog, I write about style tips, personal branding, outfit creation, and how to use your wardrobe to get noticed. 
Let me know if there's any way I can help you!

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1.   Know your ideal client

You are a version of your ideal client… you have similar fears, likes, dislikes… you may not be in the exact position as her, but you may have been there at some point in your life.   How do you want to be marketed to?  What creeps you out and what gets you wanting more? How do you like to connect with people online? What would get you to stop the scroll… a beautiful pair of shoes? A unique color combination?  A candid picture of someone reading a book by an author you love? Think of marketing as dating or becoming friends with someone… what would make you go up to someone at an event and start a conversation with them? Show this in your marketing 

2. Be Where Your Target Audience Is

The more your ideal clients get exposed to your brand, the more likely they are to follow you. That’s why you should find out where your customers spend most of their time on, be it online or offline, and then persistently interact with them in an authentic way.  

3.  Elevate Yourself through Personal Branding

As mentioned, people are attracted to those they can relate to. You can take advantage of that fact by creating a strong brand image that reflects your personality and core values. Your clothing, especially when showing pictures and videos of yourself on your website, social media, or video conference… is a huge part of your personal brand.  When our eyes land on someone we form a first impression and 55% of that first impression is based on what you are wearing.   Be sure to show your unique personality with your style to stand out.  

4.   Be Strategic and Consistent When it Comes to Style 

Develop a consistent look when it comes to your personal style.  Most people tend to think style is about always being new and different, but that is the furthest from the truth when it comes to personal branding. People develop a sense of loyalty to businesses that offer consistent quality.  Create a brand color palette and signature style for your clothing and keep on showing up in those colors and styles.  The idea is for your clients to rely on you and when they know what to expect from you… they will hire you to be their advocate.

5.   Confidently Show off Your Value With Your Clothing

What can you offer to your ideal clients? How can you make their lives more comfortable or how do you solve a problem they are continuously encountering?  You have to be confident and show up like a leader every day… not when you feel like it!  Instead of simply talking about your values, show them to them through your clothing.  If your client values innovation, you aren’t going to want to be wearing the black suit everyone else is wearing.  If your client needs you to be sympathetic, your clothing should showcase someone that is compassionate.   Know that your clothing is sending out messages and make sure they are in line with what your ideal client needs to hear! 

Now that you know how you should be showing up online… get started, don’t wait until it’s perfect… Perfection is the enemy of creativity and these days you are going to need to be creative to stand out!  

Need some help figuring out how to translate what is in your closet into your online personal brand?  That is what I’m an expert at and would love to chat with you about it… use the link below to book a call!

Curious about how a personal stylist can help you? Let's Chat about it. 

On our call we will discuss what's holding you back from being excited about getting dressed and showing up as the leader you were born to be.  We'll discuss your personal challenges and talk about easy solutions.

Related Posts:

How to Find Your Style When Times are Different

We are all in some sort of style rut simply because things are different.  You might have your go-to outfits for the office or when presenting in front of a group of people, but that’s not the case anymore. What’s happening for us and the world right now makes your typical outfit feel different. Your clothing needs to serve a different purpose at this moment and you need it to support you in other ways.

It’s important to still feel confident in your clothes, now more than ever. So how do you get some pep back into  your style step?

Take a look at what’s working in your closet

There are definitely a few items that you own that are in constant rotation to go out, run errands, or go to work. Maybe you’re not allowing yourself to wear them because you’re only at home. Well pull them out and let’s evaluate them!

1.      You have something, right? There is something style-wise that you have going on. You can always wear and trust those go-to items, although you probably say “I don’t have clothes that support me to feel confident in my wardrobe.”

2.     What is working about that those constant items? Is it their comfort level?  That you’re able to wash them and not take them to the cleaners? Are you gravitating towards certain colors right now? 

 Take a look at what’s not working in your closet

1.     What are you not wearing at the moment and why?  Are you not wearing it because it’s not right for this moment (you’re not wearing sheath dresses to your dining room office), or do you actually not like those pieces (if they don’t make you feel good, I give you permission to get rid of them).

2.     What do you not have enough of?  Are you wearing the same two bright-colored tops over and over again, because you are no longer wearing dresses? 

Maybe your wardrobe just needs some revamping to adjust to challenging times…

How to shop for clothing that you actually need and will wear

You should always take a look at your current closet prior to going shopping to get a true understanding of what is working and what isn’t working, so you are not shopping blindly. This will insure that your purchases will have an impact on your wardrobe as opposed to randomly buying the same thing that hasn’t worked in the past.  This will put an end to the clothes that are hanging in your closet with the tags still on them. 

Make a list of the items that you actually need

Let’s say you need a few tops to wear on zoom, a casual summer dress, and a pair of sandals that can be worn to a BBQ (you don’t want to get those heels stuck in the grass!). Write that down!

Figure out how much you are willing to spend before going shopping 

Before you start shopping, decide how much money you are willing to spend on each piece. So, “x” amount for each top, “x” amount for the dress, and “x” amount for the sandals.  

This is the key! As women, when we think of going shopping, we put ourselves in this mindset that we are going to spend too much money., so we start limiting ourselves and holding ourselves back from purchasing something that we truly love! 

Shopping for clothes doesn’t have to be expensive

Shopping can be expensive if you buy a bunch of stuff that you don’t want or need, but If you are investing wisely, it’s never wasteful. 

When you think about shopping this way it will never feel expensive.  

Shopping mindset

It is also important to see what you are willing to spend a little more on and what you’re not willing to splurge for. The items you are willing to spend more on should be the items that will have the most impact on your wardrobe, promise that’s the case! 

It’s so important to think about money when buying something. You can place a value on what each piece will do for you and your wardrobe. So, if you don’t like something that comes in the mail, simply return it instead of holding on to it just because “it’s okay.”  Giving our clothing value gives us more control when we’re buying things, but more importantly it keeps us engaged with our style and makes it purposeful. 

Spending wisely and purposefully makes our style not only look good, but feel good!

Need help shopping online reasonably? 

If this sounds like a great idea and theory but you haven’t been able to do this work on your own, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!  This is not easy stuff to accomplish by yourself, especially when you have tons of other things going on. I’ve opened a few spots on my calendar next week for you to get on the phone to discuss how you can stop letting your clothing be a sticking point for you.  Click here to get on my calendar. 

Welcome!

I'm Melanie! A personal stylist and confidence coach for high achieving women. 

Here on the blog, I write about style tips, personal branding, outfit creation, and how to use your wardrobe to get noticed. 
Let me know if there's any way I can help you!

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Curious about how a personal stylist can help you? Let's Chat about it. 

On our call we will discuss what's holding you back from being excited about getting dressed and showing up as the leader you were born to be.  We'll discuss your personal challenges and talk about easy solutions.

Related Posts:

Using Jewelry to Enhance and Polish Your Outfits

For me, jewelry is very personal. My family owned a jewelry store when I was growing up and I worked corporately in the jewelry industry for 10 years before styling. I have a very emotional connection to jewelry. But as a stylist, jewelry is a powerful accessory with so many benefits and uses. I love getting jewelry as gifts, but I am particular about what I like and want because I know the importance of jewelry to my personal style. Jewelry is personal and can be such an important part of your wardrobe.

Jewelry means so many different things to so many different people. Some people love it, wear it, treasure it. Others don't care about it and can hardly be bothered to wear it. There are also a lot of people who don't know HOW to wear jewelry. Some people wear WAY too much. Others are afraid of looking gaudy or foolish, so they avoid it. 

Why is jewelry so important?

Jewelry can be what completes an outfit. It can tie various pieces together and can make a look appear more polished. It helps to make you look like you got dressed purposefully, you didn't just throw on the first thing you touched. Jewelry makes it look like you put some thought into what you were wearing.

You can use it to accentuate your positive features. When you throw on a long necklace, it draws a person's eyes up and down, making you look thinner and longer right away. It draws attention away from the hips and the center of the body. Shorter necklaces and statement earrings draw attention to the face and away from any other parts of your body. Cuffs, bangles or other bracelets detract attention from your arms and chest and brings it to your hips. Wearing dainty pieces will make you look bigger, and if you're smaller wearing large pieces of jewelry will make you look weighed down. Figure out where you want to draw attention to and decide what you want to achieve with your look before choosing your jewelry. 

Jewelry enhances more than just your features

Jewelry can also save an outfit that's not quite perfect. I've mentioned before that black is not a flattering color on anyone. It drains your face of its natural color. BUT, let's say your favorite dress is black and you're just not willing to give it up. An easy way to improve the dress is to throw on a colorful necklace.

Not only can jewelry impact your look, but it can also affect how you interact with others. If you're a person who likes to make a statement, jewelry is an excellent tool for that. There are enough unique pieces out there for you to find some fantastic pieces that create a statement about who YOU are and what you represent. 

If you're someone who networks for work, charity, or social purposes, your jewelry can also be a conversation starter. For women who find it hard to start a conversation in networking situations, wearing something exciting like a unique piece of jewelry may inspire someone to ask about it, starting a natural conversation.

Don’t be afraid of wearing jewelry!

If you're worried about looking gaudy, or you're afraid of wearing too much jewelry, consider where you're going. You can tone it down for work but if you're going to a wedding or networking/social event, wear a little bit more attention-getting pieces. I’ve created to fabulous tool to ensure your outfits aren’t too much or too plain… but are just right. Click here to check it out.

My last piece of advice is to take some risks! Jewelry doesn't have to match anymore. There used to be a lot of rules against mixing metals or stone colors, but those rules are outdated. You can mix up, just make sure that the mixture makes sense with your outfit. 

I want women to enjoy adding jewelry to their outfits and not see it has a nuisance. Reach out if you want some help sprucing up your wardrobe with jewelry or some new pieces for this season!

Welcome!

I'm Melanie! A personal stylist and confidence coach for high achieving women. 

Here on the blog, I write about style tips, personal branding, outfit creation, and how to use your wardrobe to get noticed. 
Let me know if there's any way I can help you!

------------

Curious about how a personal stylist can help you? Let's Chat about it. 

On our call we will discuss what's holding you back from being excited about getting dressed and showing up as the leader you were born to be.  We'll discuss your personal challenges and talk about easy solutions.

Related posts: