When one of my friends told me she was moving to New York from the Midwest, my first thought was, “What are you packing?” If there’s one thing about this city, it’s that it will immediately expose any weak spots in your wardrobe. You need pieces that can handle a full day out, unpredictable weather, and that random formal event you get invited to and can’t miss.

Naturally, I took it upon myself to play stylist. I wanted her to have endless options, so I headed straight to Zara because New Yorkers in their 20s build their entire wardrobes around this site. Think polished dresses, elevated tops, and those “Wait, this is Zara?” finds that make people stop you on the street. These are the pieces we landed on, and honestly, I wanted all of them for myself.