Each week I’ll be putting together a cute and affordable “going out” ensemble guide (that you can tweak to your own personal style and body type, of course) so that maybe that age-old question can be answered a little quicker than usual. And your friends aren’t waiting - for hours - for you to emerge from your room. Just consider me your own (free) personal Rachel Zoe.]

So the holiday buzz has warn off, it’s time to get back to the real world, and on top of all that, it’s frickin’ freezin’ out there! Things may seem bleak right now (the economy sucks, the weather sucks, school sucks; I know how it goes) and there may be nothing you want to do more than climb into bed, pull the covers over your head and attempt to fight off those winter blues by daydreaming of sun-drenched days on the beach, but your chin up, girlfriend!

Get out of bed, pull on a cute outfit and get out there. Just because we’re officially in the dead of winter doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of fun to be had…

This top/cardigan is super sexy (helloooo, cleavage), but the belt will give great definition to your waist and the flowing bottom will cover up any of those unwanted holiday pounds. It’s top perfection.

If you’re not brave enough to wear it solo, you can always put a basic black cami or long sleeved top underneath.

Because the top is more flowy, you are going to want to pair it with a more streamlined and fitted bottom, like a pair of super dark wash skinny jeans.

Since the outfit is pretty simple, add some color with the footwear. Purple is still a popular hue and it goes great with gray. Bonus on these boots: the low heel is much easier to navigate snowy/icy walkways than sky-high stilettos, and they’ll keep your tootsies warm!

You can go a bit bigger with the accessories, so throw on a big bangle and some statement earrings. These hoops are great because they’re fun and big, but the thin wiring makes sure they’re not overbearing. And the bangle? Well, it’s just really cute.

Just don’t forget the essentials to keep you warm when you’re not inside shakin’ your booty on the dance floor: scarf, gloves and a coat are essentials and you can make them fun and stylish as well.

Each week I’ll be putting together a cute and affordable “going out” ensemble guide (that you can tweak to your own personal style and body type, of course) so that maybe that age-old question can be answered a little quicker than usual. And your friends aren’t waiting - for hours - for you to emerge from your room. Just call me your own personal Rachel Zoe.]

This week’s styler puts emphasis on mixing up textures and styles to change the entire look of a piece/give you something fantastic. Liquid leggings became popular earlier this year; they’re leggings that look like leather that you, literally, poured onto your body. To be honest, when I first saw them I thought, “Lord, what is going on in fashion?!?” but once I tried them on, I realized they look pretty dang hot.

I’m a curvy girl who’s got some junk in her trunk and am always worried about stuff making me look bottom heavy, but these slim me down, are fun to wear, and are uber-comfortable to boot. The shirt you wear with them is muy importante, however, because these can go from fab to “Grease Lightning” in an instant. By mixing them up with a flowy chiffon shirt, you put together two really different styles, but the effect is pure magic…

You can find liquid leggings all over the place now. I got mine from American Apparel, but tons of lines carry them. Some of them can be a bit pricey, but look around; I spotted a few pairs at Filene’s Basement a couple weeks ago for just $17. Just make sure you get the right size for you: too tight and you look like a shiny sausage, too loose and you end up with a saggy butt.

Just like the pants, the trick with the top is getting the right size: you don’t want it to be too loose, but in the same breath, anything too tight or too short could leave you lookin’ trampy. (If you’ve got curves, you want to flaunt them, but you don’t want to wear a skin-tight ensemble from head-to-toe.) A good way to balance it out the look is to wear a cami underneath a chiffon blouse – you still get the effect of accentuating your body, but the flowing chiffon takes away from the Super Hero/Catwoman effect. I love this blouse from Old Navy, and the color is fab for fall.

For this look, booties are the way to go. I am a fan of the slouchy, peep toe booty look with it; you can go with black, but a nice worn gold hue would add a little more oomph to the outfit.

For your accessories, throw on a bunch of bangles and some big hoops and you’re set.

One last tip: when picking out a coat to wear over this outfit, make sure you pick a mid-length, looser fitting coat. It’ll look much better (and more balanced with the tight pants) than a more slim-fitting blazer or a shorter swing jacket.