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The office. One of the hardest places to dress for. It’s not putting together a work-appropriate outfit that’s difficult—and if that’s all you’re trying to do, then this article isn’t for you. Throw on a sweater and a trouser and be on your way. But bringing your personal style to the office—that can be an incredibly different balance to strike. How do you bring just enough of you to your outfit, while still looking as professional and capable as you know you are?

When it comes to something like this—not just planning a singular outfit, but figuring out a whole genre of your wardrobe—I think it’s best to have some rules. A few things to look at your closet and ask yourself when you’re getting ready in the morning, that will hopefully take the stress out of looking your best at work. So let’s get into it.

1. Choose a statement piece.

The office isn’t necessarily the place to wear your most pioneering outfits (and if it is, please let me know where you work), but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still bring a bit of flair. I love pairing one bold piece with an otherwise straightforward outfit—a beaded top with a simple trouser, a printed skirt with a neutral knit, a funky sweater with a pair of well fitted denim.

When you let one cool piece shine, you strike that balance between professional and cool. Tying threads of your statement piece throughout the rest of your look is a great way to make the entire outfit feel more cohesive—a sculptural blouse with silver and gold metallic beading looks great with a low rise black trouser, but silver slingback heel brings the whole look together without drawing the eye too much.

2. Play with silhouettes.

An outfit doesn’t have to be over the top to be cool or interesting. Something the best way to elevate an outfit is through creating an engaging silhouette.

So what do I mean? Let’s take blazers as an example. While a traditional blazer can be a great layering piece for the office—duh—one with a cinched waist is a great way to add dimension a bit of chicness to your outfit. But it can be simpler than that, too. A structured shoulder, a puff sleeve sweater, an a-line skirt, belting a dress—adding a bit of shape to your outfit makes it look intentional, but still effortless.

3. Mix & Match.

The pitfall of office-wear is its boringness. It’s easy to end up in outfits that feel plain and impersonal. Mixing and matching is an easy out.

Instead of wearing the blazer with its matching trousers, wear them as individual pieces. Rather than going exclusively for neutrals, try unexpected color combos.

Mix textures. Don’t go for the obvious outfit—play with your favorite pieces and pair them in ways that are more unexpected.

4. Always include a bit of “you.”

What defines your personal style? Is it color? Do you love loud patterns? Are you known for your unique jewelry or your love of flowy dresses? We can’t always bring every aspect of our personal style into our professional outfits, but we can make sure that personal touch is always there. Whether that means adding a cool brooch to your blazer or opting for a chartreuse button down over a white one or mixing your silver and gold jewelry, and so on and so forth.

This entire list is about putting together cool work outfits that fit your personal style, but with this particular rule, I’m talking about looking at your outside-of-work-style specifically. Adding elements of your style that aren’t really necessary, but add a bit of you to your look. For me, it could be layered necklaces or point-toe heels. Reflect on what your style essentials are, and figure out what works for you.

5. Find your back-up outfit.

The world is not a fashion show—maybe that’s something your mom said to you while you were freaking out what to wear to school when you were a teenager. And while I disagree wholeheartedly with that sentiment, maybe we can amend it to say that every day does not have to be a fashion show. Sometimes we’re running late, too tired, too stressed, too whatever to want to put together an entire outfit.

But that doesn’t mean we give up on looking good. Essential to good office style is the back-up outfit. The outfit that you can always turn to, that you’re always comfortable in and that you always feel confident in. I’m talking about that simple top and trouser combo that you’re able to refresh depending on the accessories you pair it with, that you don’t have to think about—you can just throw it on. It obviously doesn’t have to be a top and trousers—it’s just something easy that doesn’t feel like an obvious outfit repeat when you throw it on once or twice a week. Something that aligns with your style, minus maybe a bit of the effort.

Now obviously, I’m not styling looks for your ultra-conservative corporate office. If you need to be in a full suit every day, I salute you, and maybe this formula works for you too, but I’m speaking more to the business-casual office right now.

I’ve kind of always loved officewear. It’s a specific genre of clothing that’s so fun to style, and I think I enjoy it so much because it’s veers fairly dramatically from my personal style. Figuring out how to make it work for me while still feeling like me has been a journey, but a fun one. Looking good is an important part of feeling good, but more than that, looking and feeling like yourself is imperative to accessing your confidence.

I hope this has helped you lock in on your office style, and more than that, that it’ll help you feel more confident at work. As always, take what you love and leave what you don’t—especially when it comes to your job, the most important thing is that you feel good in whatever outfit you’re wearing.