7 Things All Stylish Women Do Each Day

Great style may look effortless from the outside—but it rarely is. Unless you’re Olivia Palermo or Grace Coddington, odds are you’ll have to work a bit to create swoon-worthy looks (especially if you’re a mom, working girl or have too many balls in the air).

That being said, spending even a few minutes every day focusing on your style—and planning ahead—can transform your style from mainstream to the big leagues.

These are seven things all stylish women do every day:

1. They follow other stylish women.

Think your morning and evening commute is wasted time? Think again.

Stylish women spend those valuable moments scrolling through their social feeds, getting inspired. Whether it’s swiping through looks on Pinterest or Instagram for outfit tips, or subscribing to style blogs like The Zoe Report or Who What Wear, all stylish women follow other stylish women.

Pro Tip: Our Everyday Outfits Pinterest Board is a great place to collect some outfit inspiration on the go!

2. They’re constantly on the hunt for inspiration.

Beyond social media and fashion publications, stylish women are inspired by their surroundings. Next time you’re on the subway on your way to work or in a Lyft on your way to happy hour, put your phone down for a second and look around! Or, if you have time on your walk home, peek into some store windows and see what’s trending. Take advantage of all of the places around you where inspiration lives—that you’re likely missing being on your phone all the time.

3. They make old pieces new again.

We all have that blouse we’ve worn once shoved in the back of our closets. Bring older pieces of your wardrobe to life again by thinking of new, creative ways to wear them.

Have a super-fancy blouse you wore to a family function once? Dress it down with skinny jeans and ballet flats for work. Or what about that vintage t-shirt that lives in the depths of your dresser drawer? Dress it up with a pencil skirt and killer heels to give it a new life. Recycling old items is much less expensive than constantly investing in the newest trend—and can be just as chic.

4. They hunt for a good bargain.

You don’t have to have a Vogue Editor’s shopping budget to be stylish. I repeat: good style does not have to break the bank.

Our advice? Buy this month’s Vogue (or, better yet, subscribe to save a few $$), and note what’s trending. Pajama dressing, denim on denim and nautical stripes are in for the end of summer, for example. Instead of spending $450 on a pajama top that you’ll wear a few times, hit up H&M or Zara, where you’ll likely find an identical piece for $25. Stylish women know how to bargain hunt, and they take advantage of sales and steals.

5. They “window shop”, regularly.

Window shopping or browsing online doesn’t have to equal purchasing. All stylish women spend a little time each week seeing what’s for sale. Online retailers (like Shopbop, for example) update their sites on a regular basis, and move things to the sale section weekly. Next time you’re laying on your couch catching up on Master of None Season 2, spend five minutes scrolling through your favorite sites to see what’s #trending.

6. They work towards having a capsule wardrobe.

Have you ever heard of a capsule wardrobe? In short, it’s a collection of fewer, better pieces—instead of having 35 blouses, 15 pairs of pants and 10 jackets, you’d have seven blouses, five pairs of pants and two jackets, for example, and learn how to better mix and match to get more looks out of fewer pieces. Genius!

One way to start small in building your capsule wardrobe is by implementing this rule next time you go shopping: when you pick up a piece, don’t just think of how much you love it or how “in” it is this season—try to think of at least five pieces that you currently own that you could pair it with. Bonus points if it can be dressed both up and down!

P.S. Cladwell is a service we love that will help you build a capsule wardrobe through an app on your phone—no expensive stylist sessions necessary.

7. They plan for the next day.

Remember when you were little and your mom would help you lay out your outfit for school the next day? Stylish women never really let go of that tradition.

Spending even sixty seconds at the end of the day picking out a killer look will save you a headache in the morning—and is one less thing you have to think about later. Win, win!