Over the past year, I have been slowly changing my style from basic t-shirts and jeans to sophisticated blouses and skirts. I have learned a lot about what it's like to dress up everyday and standout versus fade into the background. By dressing up, I mean taking the time to make sure that your outfit is fully put together instead of defaulting to throwing on sweatpants to go out. To be honest, dressing up is both costly and rewarding.

1. Dressing up everyday takes enormous effort.

There is a lot to consider when dressing well: colors that go well with your skin tone, the shape of a garment and how that works with your body type, how well patterns mix, how much to accessorize, etc. When I started dressing up every day, I wanted to make sure that I didn't look like my closet threw up on me! I also wanted to make sure that I was wearing certain pieces of clothing or accessories correctly.

A year ago, I had no idea how to wear my high-waisted, flare jeans. For some reason, back then I thought that I should somehow be able to wear them with tennis shoes. Current me looks back at that and is like, "You have to wear heels or heeled ankle boots!! What are you doing?" I can't tell you how many hours I have spent online looking up ways to wear a chambray shirt or pencil skirts or mini skirts or blazers. I have also looked up how to cuff your jeans with certain shoes, how to half tuck your shirt, and how to successfully pull off a menswear-inspired look. Every time I add a new piece to my wardrobe I immediately take to Pinterest to see how others are wearing it (so that I can wear it better).

2. Dressing up every day takes time.

Sometimes, you just can't tell if a shirt is actually going to look good with the skirt or pants you are trying to pair it with unless you actually try the outfit on. I'm pretty sure that I have spent entire afternoons trying on every shirt I own with one of my skirts just to find the perfect combination. For example, I love my tulle skirt in plum that I got from my mom for Christmas. To make an outfit with my tulle skirt, I tried on a chambray shirt, a fancy black button down with lace sleeves, a long-sleeve striped t-shirt, and a bunch of other shirts before deciding that a plain black long-sleeve t-shirt was the best match for my tulle skirt. After that, I still had to figure out what shoes to wear and what jewelry would look best. That one outfit was an entire afternoon and I have a lot more in my closet than just a bunch of shirts and a tulle skirt to figure out how to wear together.

3. Dressing up every day costs money.

Well... it certainly could cost me a lot more money than it does. I am a huge fan of thrift stores like Value Village and Goodwill. When I tell people that I found everything in my outfit at a thrift store, many reply with, "How? Every time I go, I never find anything!" My shopping secrets are something that I could talk about for days so I'll have to write another article on that. Stay tuned.

Anyways, what I am getting at here is that I have bought a pair of Steve Madden heeled ankle boots in great condition at Goodwill for $5 when I could have been spending $130 to buy them new. Designer items and great looks don't always have to come brand new from a high end retailer. It's how you work with your budget and which items you choose that make an outfit look like you just walked off the streets of Milan.

4. Dressing up every day brings a lot of attention.

Like I said earlier, dressing up makes you stand out more. When you dress well, you are bound to get compliments on what you wear. Dressing up everyday is a huge confidence boost! I have been known to wear some off-the-wall pieces (I'm looking at you, light blue 1950s-style dress) and I am surprised by how many compliments I get, especially after some weird looks from my family before leaving the house.

Speaking of family, there is one side of the family that I don't see as often as I'd like. When I went to our Christmas party, my family was surprised by how dressed up I was. My sister kindly let them know that I dress like that every day for school. It has been cool to see reactions to my shift in clothing tastes.

5. Dressing up every day is fun!

In doing all of the research and taking the time to perfect an outfit, you really get to find your personal style. Dressing up every day is a chance to show your creative side. I like to find interesting pieces and try to find a way to make them work. I feel challenged to always keep my look fresh and interesting while staying true to myself and my taste in fashion.

Now that I am getting the hang of dressing up, it is getting much easier mixing patterns and incorporating pieces that may have been in the back of my closet for years. For me, it is also fun sharing about how I found each piece in my outfit since I tend to shop for more vintage pieces. Dressing up every day brings me joy and happiness and I'm going to keep it up!