Crop Top from Necessary Clothing Dress (very similar) || Camlettes Cropped Camisole c/o || H&M Skirt & Sunnies || Steve Madden Heels || Etienne Aigner Bracelet c/o

Today's lesson is one of rediscovering, recycling and, ultimately, rewearing. You know those pieces in your closet, the ones that sit there but never get worn? Or the ones that get shoved to the back and forgotten about? Or how about the ones you add to a bag to donate but then the bag gets left in the corner? Fess up friends! I know I am not the only one. Don't worry, though. I'm here to justify these actions. Just the other day, I was in search of an outfit to wear. What I envisioned in my mind and what I was finding in my closet just weren't matching up (no surprise there). I crumpled to the bed in a defeated and exasperated mess (I know, total first world problems here). And that's when I saw it. The forgotten donation bag shoved in the corner. At the top of the pile was this dress. I hadn't been overly thrilled with the way it looked on me (hence why it was in the giveaway pile), but in my desperate state I told myself that it couldn't have really been that bad. Then I realized the top portion was barely attached to the dress portion and I was all like "OMG! Lightbulb moment! Cut it off! Duh!" With a few quick snips I went from having nothing to wear to having a dress and cute top. I have been wearing the dress constantly (you can see it here) and, as you can see, I paired my "new" top with a black skirt for an event I recently attended.  I ended up getting several compliments on both the top and this look, which is far more compliments than I've received on anything else I've worn recently (Mr. RC took this as a cue to tell me to shop less and use what I have more....Ha! What a jokester!). While they usually say one man's trash is another man's treasure, I'd have to say that it appears my "trash" has become my very own treasure.

PHOTOS BY DAVID LEVINE