The podcast (below) is epic! I couldn’t stop with the ad-libs :)
Continuing on from my simple life post last week, today I
had a think about what a simple wardrobe would consist of. How can we simplify our wardrobes so that we
look forward to choosing an outfit for the day.
When you love looking after your clothes, organising them
and spending time with them, you will be less tempted to go out shopping unless
you really need something. I have found
that much more satisfaction is gained from staying at home and working on an
area to fix it, rather than ignoring it and going out instead. On the times when I have done this I’ve
bought something dumb, and my wardrobe (or whatever area) is still in a mess!
To avoid an unhappy shopping trip, please join me for my
thirteen favourite ways to simplify – and love – your wardrobe.
One. Choose your
favourite colours and focus on those, instead of having tons of different
colours. You can create interest with
varying shades of those colours, and textures.
If you want variation, add scarves.
Two. Make sure
everything is in good order. My
wardrobe always seems more appealing and it’s simpler to get dressed when I
have taken the time to shave my jerseys with my pilling gadget. Pulling tiny snags in knits through to the
back with a tiny crochet hook works wonders too.
Three. Hang
everything for the current season.
This tip is in a chapter in my book Thirty Chic Days called ‘Day 12. Curate
your wardrobe like it is your own bijou boutique’. By hanging everything, even tee-shirts in the
summer or knit jerseys in the winter (items I would normally keep in my dresser
drawers), it means you can easily see everything you have for the season. Fold off-season items and put them in your
drawers instead.
Four. Come up with a
handful of essence words to describe your ideal style. You can keep them in mind when dressing or
shopping; they will assist in the curation of your stylish closet. Some of mine are casual, elegant, simple,
neutral, feminine and sensual.
Five. Change the way
you store things. By this I mean if
you currently hang items wherever, put them in groups of colours, or like
items. Your eye gets used to how an area
looks; by having a rummage and moving hangers, you get reacquainted (and
re-excited) about your clothes.
Six. If something doesn’t excite you, get rid of it! Don’t keep anything that makes you feel
frumpy, reminds you of a bad experience, has holes in it or looks tired. Even if you haven’t actually gotten rid of
these clothes yet, just having them out of your closet brings a sense of peace
and calm to it.
Seven. Hone in on the
silhouettes that work best for you.
For me, it’s skinny legs and a more voluminous top. When I wear my wide-leg pants I don’t feel as
good. Knowing this stops me when I am
tempted by wide-leg pants because I love the Diane Keaton look.
Eight. Have a bra and
undie cleanout. If there are undies
that cut in because they’re too small, or look stretched out of shape, bin
them. If you have uncomfortable bras, go
get a fitting for a new one. I currently
only have a sports bra and two nice bras, because I had a big cleanout. If they are still in good nick, just a bad
buy, donate them so someone else can use it.
Nine. Separate your
scarves into summer and winter. I
wasn’t wearing my scarves as much and it wasn’t until I put all the lightweight
and silky scarves into one container, and woolly scarves into another that I
found them more appealing. I wasn’t
digging through my summer scarves to find a warm one that went with my outfit
that day.
Ten. Have items where
you can see them as much as possible.
I have noticed this hugely with our new walk-in wardrobe: it’s so much
easier to get dressed when I can see everything! It means I don’t reach for the same bag or
pair of shoes either. If I still had my
old reach-in wardrobe, I would have my current season clothes, shoes and
accessories front and centre, with less used items such as a dress to wear to a
wedding, pushed to the side.
Eleven. Ask yourself,
if I had to pack a bag to go away for a week, what would I take? This focuses the mind and you will find
yourself curating a small and perfectly formed wardrobe. You will also see what gaps there are which
could vastly improve the mix-and-matchability of your capsule collection.
Twelve. Daydream with
unlimited possibility. The more I
think about what I want to wear as I go about day to day life as my ideal
French girl Sabine, pottering in my chic and tiny Paris apartment, the more I
come back to the classic and the basic.
The perfect white
cotton shirt
The perfect pair of
jeans
The most flattering of
sheer red, and beigy-pink lipsticks
Pearl studs, diamond
studs
One great watch (very
plain) to wear with everything
Items I will keep for
years, updating slightly when replacing
Wearing navy, red,
white, black, grey, camel and beige
These thoughts inspire me to be happy with a modestly-sized
wardrobe and cures any thoughts of shopping out of boredom. I have found from experience that it is so
much more satisfying when you actually have a need, versus shopping for
leisure.
Thirteen. Think back
to what inspired you as a young woman.
What looks were you drawn to as a teen or when in your twenties? I love to think about this and get that
happy, sparkling feeling inside that I had back then. My teen years were the 1980s, and I remember
making my own clothes with lace, linen, paisley and tartan back then (not all
at once, or maybe I did!).
I was op-shopping with my mother and aunty last week, and
found a red tartan Scottish 100% lambswool fringed scarf for $4 in perfect
new-looking condition. It made me so
happy looking at it that I bought it.
After a gentle wool wash and being dried on the clothesline outside, I
wore it with an all-black outfit and felt great.
If you have a tip to simplify your wardrobe, please do share
it in the comments below, or maybe you’d like to tell us about something (like
my tartan) that brings back good memories from your younger days that you love
to incorporate into your look now.
Fiona
PS. Have you seen my
‘shop’?
I have ebooks/information products available, and will be adding more in
the coming months. I have almost
finished the audio book version of Thirty Chic Days and that will be up soon
too. I started recording it in Auckland
and now am finishing it up in Hawke’s Bay!
Please let me know if there is anything you’d love to see in
my shop. You can leave a comment on this
post or email me: fiona (at) how to be chic (dot) com.
