If you have an outfit that you have always worn because it matches perfectly, try taking one or two pieces and switching them out with something new. For example: If I have a cocoa brown blouse that goes with my beige tweed pants and I usually wear the outfit with gold dangling earrings and brown heels—I may try wearing the blouse with some jeans, trade out the gold earrings for silver, and wear my black heels with silver on them to tie it all together.

You may be saying “black with brown?” And to that I say YES! Black with brown! Black and brown look great together. If you are hesitant to believe me, start out by wearing a camel colored light brown paired with black somewhere in your outfit. It will look amazing and will accomplish the goal of doing something unexpected and unfamiliar to you, while still maintaining a look that is deliberate and well thought out.

Not being too matchy matchy can mean adding a little bit of color to an ordinary outfit with a beautiful scarf or some funky earrings. If you usually wear silver with an outfit, mix it up with gold for a change. Again, it’s all about doing something unexpected but still looking put together… having it look like you meant to put every piece of your outfit on. The last thing that will pull this all off, however cliche it may be, is confidence. If you put the look together and you feel good in it, people are going to take notice. Wear your new creation with the knowledge that you look great.

Tucking your jeans into your boots isn’t for everyone, but if you’re brave enough to try it, you may find you don’t ever want to hide your leather again. If you don’t already own a pair, you might need to buy straight leg or skinny jeans in order to tuck them into your boots. Also, try wearing boots with leggings and a long tunic so there is only a few inches between where the boot ends and the tunic or dress begins. It’s casual and comfy. If you dare, try out the latest trend of over the knee boots. Make sure they are not tight all the way up the leg through. They should be a more slouchy kind of boot or at least gaping at the top to look right.

While boots do not discriminate, booties are harder to pull off. If you wear skinny jeans, you can wear booties. That’s my rule. If you dare to wear skinny jeans and if you feel good in them, then you should be rockin’ a pair of booties. These are the low cut boots and there are so many different, cute, affordable styles out there it is very important that every girl has a great boot and a cute bootie. (store for those on your feel, gym for that thing behind you).

You can wear a scarf with just about anything. It can be worn with a basic tee, a tee and blazer, a long sleeved tee, a button-down blouse, even sweaters and jackets. Start simple by wearing one with a basic long-sleeve shirt, your favorite jeans and some heels. If you want to spice it up a little more, add some cute earrings or several long necklaces underneath the scarf so they peek out just a little on the bottom.

Here’s how to wear the scarf: Place it around your neck so that one third of it is hanging down on one side and two thirds on the other side. Then take the long side and wrap it around your neck, bringing it back to the front. At this point, the scarf should be centered around your neck with two sides hanging symmetrically in front. Then take the two hanging sides and (this is important, so listen up) crisscross them, keeping one hand on top and one one bottom, bringing the side in your top hand under and through the hole. The final step is to gather and bunch the scarf so it looks more like a cowl neckline. For additional help, watch this video.

Here’s what’s trendy for fall 2009:

• Neon
• One-shoulder dresses and asymmetrical tops
• Plaid
• Big necklaces
• Boyfriend jackets
• Skinny jeans are still in!
• Leggings are still in!
• Studded bags
• Sheaths (what’s this?? more explanation?)
• Bold hair, lips, and lashes
• Over-the-knee boots (no gaping at the top)

I personally love to see what’s new but that doesn’t mean I run out to the store. Instead I ask myself if I’ll be able to wear the item for more than one season. If not, I usually pass. For instance, I probably won’t buy any neon pieces this season because they’re rarely flattering and will likely be “out” by next season. On the other hand, if I see a big, clunky necklace that I could wear with one of the classic solid-color shirts I already own, I might buy it because big, bold jewelry has been in for quite a while and it will probably take a few more years for that trend to fade.