Since yellow and black brings to mind a bumblebee and orange and black screams Halloween, you can feel limited in your color palette. However, greens, blues, and purples all look great paired back to black. In fact, one of my favorite ways to brighten up black for spring is by pairing it cobalt. When choosing a color pop avoid dark jewel tones (which can feel very winter and fall) and pastels (which pair better back to navy and white). Instead, stick with bright, bold primary colors for the biggest impact.

Do you have a piece in your closet that you are having trouble styling? Don't let another season go by without wearing it. Send a photo with a short description to practicallystylishblog@gmail.com and I will present your problem and my solution here on the blog!

While I was on vacation last month I spent a week with my sister, the person who inspired this blog. Although she struggles with what to wear, she has some really fabulous pieces hanging out in her wardrobe. I rifled through her clothes and put together a few outfits that are easy and polished, but that aren't necessarily her first instinct. Sometimes a great piece gets overlooked because when you bought it you didn't have anything to wear with it. Pull that piece out and challenge yourself to wear it once next week.

The first outfit consists of a pair of olive green/ivory pin striped trousers, a long sleeve black sweater, a 3/4 sleeve olive jacket with a satin sheen and a berry scarf. This outfit was designed for a day my sister, who is a professor in the sciences, would be spending in her lab. Removing the jacket and the scarf gives her a base layer that is easy to move around in while she is on her own and the finishing touches of the scarf and jacket give her a sophisticated, but not stodgy, look for any last minute meetings or an impromptu dinner date.

This final outfit is my favorite of the three. I paired a black pencil skirt with a teal satin/knit shell, a teal lizard print skinny belt and a 3/4 sleeve tweed jacket with flecks of blue and teal in it. This outfit was designed for a conference, that tricky intersection of work and socializing. Since no one wants to be running back to change before each segment of the day, you need an outfit that feels appropriate in any environments.

This outfit has the three piece feel of a suit, but not the matching that makes it hard to transition. If the belt feels too fashion forward during the day, merely button the lowest button of the jacket to hide it or stash it in your purse and do a quick add-on in the bathroom later in the day. Even though it is not a true suit, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks that a tweed jacket is inappropriate work attire.

However, at dinner or drinks later in the night with your fellow conference goers you will not look out of place in a restaurant or hotel bar filled with people dressed for an evening out. This outfit will magically fit in with any dress code and the best part is that all of these pieces can be mixed and matched with other basics so you might only need to pack a carry-on!