• Black Jersey Dress: Ann Taylor
• Camel Turtleneck: Vintage D&G, mommed
• Belt: Filene’s
• Tights: HUE
• Teal Pumps: BC Footwear, via Zappos

I’m off to take my first exam of the semester, and after falling asleep chanting to myself the Lesser Included Offenses for various forms of criminal homicide (sad and true and sadly true), I knew that today was a day for a proven sartorial formula. Just like you wouldn’t change your running clothes or your long-run refueling strategy the morning of a marathon, an exam day is not a day for bold steps in a new direction. Instead, I tried to find the fun while playing it a little bit safe: layering my ubiquitous black jersey dress over a contrasting-neutral turtleneck for a slight play on schoolgirl chic, belting to define my waist, adding a necklace for some visual interest, and the outfit’s true saving grace, my teal pumps. It took two minutes, and I feel comfortable, confident, and ready to write for three hours (which, come to think of it, is how long it might take a quite fast person — not me! — to run a marathon).

What does your sartorial “game face” look like, whether for academic, professional or personal obligations? Do you rely on the unexpected touch to give you a lift, or enfold yourself in the comfort of old standbys?