083. Seven-Look Season: Curating Your Closet Like a Capsule
Part 1: A No-Skip Underwear, Socks, and Tights Drawer
A recent DM from a subscriber stopped me in my tracks. She asked how to ‘begin a capsule closet’. I pointed her to my Style Subcultures column, where I show how people with different aesthetics might style a selection of pieces around a season or event. The column was born out of my own lack of interest in the cookie-cutter capsule wardrobe approach. She kindly pulled me back; ‘I’d like to know how one might start from zero. How do I build these capsules up using your Seven-Look Season formula? How can I structure my wardrobe - from intimates to outerwear - around year-round basics, seasonal items, and must-haves?’.
I loved the idea of stripping it back to basics.
Over the past few years, I have been on a path to discovery with my wardrobe. I’m still ironing out kinks and accepting that affirming one’s style is a lifelong evolving process—not a once-and-done thing I get to tick off my to-do list. It’s when I share my frustrations with the process and the small wins I have had along the way that I best connect with the readers of this newsletter.
Over the next few Sundays, I will demonstrate how to be intentional with every category of items you own. Today, we’re starting at the beginning: with your underwear, socks, and tights. I get very granular—down to temperatures, the number of items you might need, and care instructions—and sometimes very personal; today, behind the safety of the paywall, I talk period-stained underwear and kinky open-gusset lingerie.
This isn’t a newsletter about shopping or finding your style (for this, read here and here) but about providing you with a practical guide so you might set off on your own exploration with the best possible tools. Next week, in part 2, I will cover underlayers, tops of all kinds, and the very controversial wardrobe basics.
A No-Skip Underwear Drawer
Feeling comfortable in your underwear is essential to a good day. In the past, I have had bra wires that dig, briefs that ride up, and shapewear that pinches ruin looks from the inside out. I methodically regimented my underwear drawer, an important puzzle piece when I began implementing the Seven-Look Season.
My underwear drawer was a graveyard for stretched-out elastic and faded fabrics. Now, I make a point of not hanging onto underwear past its prime. I assess and replace as needed: quick sort-throughs on a regular schedule.
I have found that the underwear that serves my wardrobe best performs at least one of these three roles: Confidence-Boost, Comfort, or Function.
I recommend going through your underwear drawer with these in mind and getting rid of anything that doesn’t tick at least one of these boxes. Don’t hang on to anything superfluous. Things you have in your wardrobe but do not wear not only take up space and make getting dressed inefficient but also make you spend more. When you don’t know what you have, you buy things you don’t need. The same rule applies to every category covered in this newsletter: you need far less than you think.
Let’s break this down further. I have categorised and counted the contents of my now-optimised underwear drawer. These numbers are streamlined but not restrictive. They account for laundry cycles and unexpected needs. However, they are the numbers that work for me, and you should adapt them to your lifestyle and preferences.
Everyday Reliables: These are your high-rotation items at the intersection of all three needs—confidence boost, comfort, and function. You identify them by asking yourself what set you reach for the most subconsciously. What these look like will be deeply personal. Once you’ve found it, duplicate it to ensure you own more of what you wear and less of what you don’t.
In my case, the impetus is on a highly supportive bra (function and comfort). I start with a full-cup lace underwire bra (exclusively Chantelle, for nearly twenty years), which I replace roughly once a year. I like to wear matching sets (confidence boost), so for every bra, I buy two matching bottoms (I don’t have prerogatives; I’ll choose between hipsters, thongs, and briefs based on whatever looks cuter). I have between 5 and 7 bras and 10 and 14 briefs in my drawer at any given point.
Most people prefer skin tones or muted colours for this category. They will disappear under clothes, sustain regular washes better than bright colours, and won’t show wear as quickly. Opt for durable materials like cotton blends, modal, or microfiber. These will be more likely to maintain shape over time. Care is crucial: Use gentle detergents, avoid fabric softeners (which reduce moisture-wicking properties), and consider air-drying to preserve the integrity of delicate fabrics.
Lounging and Comfort Undies: This category caters to moments when you