056. Have You Picked Out Your Seven Outfits Of The Season?
Outfit Repeating For Spring.
‘I want to rebuild my wardrobe from scratch. Where do I start?’ is a question I get on a weekly basis. I can relate. I found myself in that place many times. Wanting a fresh start and feeling entitled to a better-dressed version of me. Every time I gave in and got rid of a load of old stuff and replaced it with a load of new stuff, it never ended well. That’s why I often meet these emails with a response that I suspect people find a little annoying.
I encourage people to hang on to their old stuff and rethink how they style it. Only allowing for a few strategic closet additions. You can phase out your old clothes overtime, but if do this without a plan, chances are you will get rid of things you need and buy new ones you have no use for. The plan that worked for me whenever I found myself in this place is what I share in this monthly column. If you’re new here, I shared the approach to getting dressed that helps me style better outfits while also spending less time each day worrying about what to wear. At the start of each season, I think through the number of outfits I need, and after much trial and error, I found that this number is around seven outfits. This number will vary depending on your lifestyle. But people are always surprised when they realise how small the number of outfits they actually wear really is.
As for putting this in practice, you have a few options. There are apps that let you digitize your wardrobe if you have the patience and fancy yourself Cher Horowitz (e.g. Save Your Wardrobe, Whering, Indyx). I prefer a good old pull and drop - pulling everything out of my closet, dropping it into a pile on my bed, mix and match, and try things on. It’s messy. It’s chaotic. It’s my favourite thing to do on evenings I find myself alone at home with no plans. Most of us do this ahead of going on holidays [Hopefully, you’re packing outfits when you travel as opposed to a bunch of individual items. If you don’t yet, no judgement - four years ago, I was still stuffing damp clothes straight from the washing machine into my suitcase - but I highly recommend it]. I merely suggest doing it at every change of season whether or not you’re travelling.
In this edition of the column, I share an example of what seven Spring outfits would look like for someone with a modern classic aesthetic, a hybrid work situation, and a social life that consists of two or three evenings out every week. You will find that, following the principles of a capsule wardrobe, most pieces are utilised as part of two or three outfits. Shopping with the intention of maximising mixing and matching increases the number of outfits you can make with each individual piece.
In other news, I picked out my birthday present from my boyfriend! I never trust a straight male with making tasteful decisions. We don’t gift each other anything for Christmas. The first year we got together we told ourselves we were too broke and promised to make up for it the following year. There have been eight joyful and giftless Christmases since. But for my birthday, he gives me a budget, I buy something, he refunds the credit card. Romance is dead, but my wardrobe is thriving. I went for the Hunting Season small top-handle tote I have featured many times in this newsletter. The chocolate suede version. It’s so lovely and I’m so excited; I have to wait until my actual birthday (on the 22nd) to be able to wear it. That’s part of the deal. When I was making the decision, seeing as the cost is substantial, I had to wonder whether I should be saving the amount and wait until I have put aside enough for a designer bag - I love this mini Bottega Veneta Sardine. I am very practical when it comes to my wardrobe and my main reason for doing it would be the potential resale value. It’s a lot more substantial with heritage luxury brands than with up and coming ones. This year, my spending has been geared towards very low volume and big-ticket items (I am keeping track of every single purchase and will share it at the end of the year). It’s the most rewarding shopping pattern I have ever adopted. Every time I buy something now, I am anxiously wondering if I’m better off saving longer and going bigger. If you want a deeper dive into this question, I wrote one last year in this newsletter: Investment Piece vs. Its More Affordable Version - How Do I Decide? I decided against it on this occasion. Although, the Hunting Season can hardly be considered a compromise - it’s a stunning piece that is incredibly well made, possibly better than the Bottega. It also complements my small bag collection perfectly. I suspect my trend-tinted glasses are what make me love the Sardine so much. As I was making my decision my sister called me from Paris to tell me she got shoved and mugged for the tiny Miu Miu bag she was carrying. This drove it home for me. I am curious to hear your thoughts in the comments, especially if you want to back my decision.
Have a beautiful Sunday!
L x
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Outfit 1 - A Day Outfit For Running Errands and Casual Meet-Ups (1/2)
