My Morning with Allison Bornstein - Part 2

Everything I learned in just 2 hours

Today I’m sharing part deux of my morning spent with celebrity and digital stylist, Allison Bornstein. If you missed my first post on the topic, I recommend you start there by clicking here.

Over the past decade, a number of former fashion “rules” have repeatedly been debunked across editorial platforms. A few faux pas that carried weight when I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s were wearing white after Labor Day and mixing black with brown or black with navy. Thank goodness we’re free from these senseless style shackles. That being said, as I was preparing for my time with Allison, it hadn’t crossed my mind that the gems of wisdom she would share in our session would often be tied to creating healthy tension in a look by breaking former rules and then accessorizing in a way made the look more memorable, but still aligned with my “3 word” personal style.

Here are the rules we broke and the insights I gained from Allison along the way. Each discovery felt like it unlocked hundreds more wardrobe permutations I had once mentally blocked and it made me infinitely more excited to get dressed in the morning without feeling the need to go shopping. What a gift!

1. Wearing black and navy

Allison had me wear a few black and navy combinations that I hadn’t tried previously. To finish the look, her advice was that black accessories would add cohesion and polish in a way that would make the look natural. She couldn’t have been more right.

A navy and black combination perfect for work (just add a blazer) or a dinner out.

2. Embracing the wrong shoe

Allison has gone viral for the “wrong shoe theory” on social media, and her creative insights have also been picked up by multiple fashion publications. The concept is to choose an unexpected footwear option to give your look more personality and visual interest. We tried that here with a pair of black silk summer pants. She found these Joie pants collecting dust in the back of my closet because they’re almost 10 years old, and had me style them with shiny black loafers that feel decidedly fall / winter.

Summer pants with fall-winter loafers - a fun and unexpected combination. The thick texture of the sweater also adds contrast to the smooth silk of the pants.

We paired these black leather pants with sneakers instead of the black boots I would typically wear (see photo later in this post).

3. Wearing black and brown

One of the questions I had written down for Allison was whether or not I should purchase a pair of brown boots for the fall. I’ve had this question tucked away in my mind over the past 2 years, particularly because I haven’t fallen in love with any brown boots on the market. She astutely noted that chocolate would be the optimal brown over a light tan or a camel, and then warmly shared that chocolate brown isn’t all that far from black. We styled the outfits I imagined I would wear with a brown pair of boots instead with my favorite black pair and this completely changed my perspective.

She even had me style some of my brown summery dresses with my black heeled boots and this gave the looks both an edge that felt true to me, but also a level of sophistication I didn’t expect. Without Allison, I never would have tried this combination.

The brown silk dress and black leather boots combo that I love. We also threw a sweater over this dress at one point so I could wear it as a skirt well into the fall and even LA winter.

For some of my black monochromatic outfits, she suggested I pair them with brown sandals and my brown raffia tote and it made the look warmer and slightly more casual in a way that embraced the summer season.

We chose this brown coat with an all-black outfit instead of the more obvious gray coat. I love the warmth it brings.

One other piece of the conversation we shared around wearing brown was ensuring that it was the right shade of brown for my skin tone. We both agreed that cool browns are a better fit than warm browns, which completely aligns with when I feel most confident.

3 cheers for cool browns!

4. Dressing up…with jeans

My go-to formula for a dressier night out has always been heels, black pants, and a top and / or blazer. While I’ve gotten impressive mileage out of my black pants (seen in the first photo), I live in LA, and I often feel that my look can almost seem too formal. It doesn’t bother me, but I also don’t like feeling too repetitive when I get dressed. She had me swap in different pairs of jeans with my more polished outfits and incorporate a belt when I felt slightly out of my comfort zone. Now denim has been a hallmark of my summer…even when I need to be a little fancy.

Wearing one of my most casual pairs of jeans with heels and a silk top for a night out with friends.

5. A belt makes everything better

It wasn’t until the last year or so that I even had a belt in my wardrobe. It’s almost as if belts were an accessory I forgot to pack up when I went to college and somehow never thought to purchase one again. I’ve been having a lot of fun with belts more recently as a way to add a natural waistline into a look. Allison and I played with belts in 2 ways.

The first was incorporating a belt into a look with a skirt, even though this item rarely has belt loops. She showcases this on a styling video with Emily DiDonato and it just made sense.

The second was using a belt to add contrast to a summery, all white outfit. I love the look.

These pants came with a belt made from the same fabric. Allison had me switch the white belt out for a black leather one to add contrast and give the outfit more of a waist.

Here’s a more casual version of the outfit above.

6. Wearing a white accessories in the winter

As summer shifts into fall, that was always my cue to place my white accessories in storage and make room for black and burgundy bags. As Allison styled me in looks for the winter, she reached for my white purse and created a “pop” that was perfect. My white bag is officially ready for year-round use.

I can’t wait to wear this all fall and winter long. The white pop makes the outfit so much more visually compelling. Side note: nothing is better than a structured blazer IMHO!

7. Small frames can do oversized

I’ve admired the oversized trend but was reticent to embrace it because I’m not tall. Anytime I would take an oversized piece into a dressing room, I just couldn’t seem to make it work. Allison had me mix an oversized piece with more fitted clothes so that I could still maintain specific proportions and not hide my waistline. This made all the difference and my oversized jean jacket has been my wardrobe favorite the past few months.

My 5’2” frame can wear this (very) oversized denim jacket and trousers when paired with a fitted top and belt. The stitching on the front of the trousers helps to elongate my short ‘lil legs.

By chance, Allison posted about the oversized trend last Thursday, calling out the fact that oversized can extend into our accessories game - especially for those who don’t feel fully comfortable pulling off the style with clothing. I love this concept and she continues to deliver fresh ideas to her following.

8. Repurposing your white button down

I’ve never used a white button down for anything other than a top paired with pants. Allison had me wear it open with summer dresses as a shacket, which created more optionality when it comes to professional dressing.

A dress that I would normally only wear on the weekends because of its thin straps can now be taken to the office without stress.

My time with Allison has been one of my favorite birthday gifts of all time. Over the past few months, I have found myself falling in love with items that had previously been neglected in my closet and creating looks that feel like me, 2.0.

A special thank you to Allison for sharing her time, incredible talent, and true gem of a personality. We’re all so fortunate to regularly receive her fashion wisdom on a daily basis through her social posts.

One other parting thought I wanted to share…. Prior to Allison, I had never spent any time hanging out with a girlfriend in my closet and creating looks. If you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend scheduling your next hang session in your closet. Grab some glasses of rose, put one some good tunes, and collaboratively brainstorm how to style some pieces you’ve been struggling to wear. Creativity really blossoms when you have someone to share it with.

Happy styling.

x jz

As a reminder from yesterday’s post, you can follow Allison on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. If you’re looking to book a style session, she offers in-person and video options on her website. Additionally, she just published a book that I HIGHLY recommend purchasing. It’s officially available September 26th and you can pre-order here. Oh and one more thing, you can subscribe to her monthly newsletter - one of my favorite inbox reads - here.

Images | 1 | Into The Gloss | 2 - 4 | me | 5 | Allison Bornstein instagram | 6 - 14 | me | 15 | Allison Bornstein instagram | 16 | me |