Erin Mathews.

Byline: AS TOLD TO JANE HERMAN editor: Sally Singer

This Dallas real estate executive turns a keen selection of hardworking separates into a single striking look.

So much of what I buy is career oriented, and I tend to favor sportswear and separates--things I can go all day in. It's very systematic: Every season I get one or two new suit looks. My latest from Ralph Lauren Purple Label has an ivory silk riding jacket and a woven wide-leg pant, the textures of which don't actually match perfectly. With it I might wear a Lanvin blouse with buttons that look like opals, or my sleeveless Zac Posen that has a bow at the neck--it's so fresh and especially great for the Texas heat.

Then every summer I start clean with a new pair of white jeans (I wear them so much they're usually trashed at the end of the season). As a rule, I don't wear jeans that have huge logos on the back pockets, but I do like ones that can be tucked into boots and worn with a white blouse and a big concho belt--a Dallas classic. Hudson does a good discreet jean that I'll wear with my new electric-yellow ...