This post was completely inspired by my winter coats hanging in colour order on my rail. At the end of 2019, I really recognised my style in terms of what I naturally gravitate towards, and the way I shop, resulting into pieces that really relate together. Through the year, unknowingly curating pieces that are much more streamlined, minimal, neutral in colour with an addition of prints that will always have their own space for coming seasons. And I’m thankful for it. Having a much more wearable curated wardrobe means getting much more wear out of my favourite pieces and most importantly, having a sustainable in & outgoing of clothing.
This is just me breaking down how I differentiate between what I think will ‘last’ for me, and what I think may just be around for few months and how I know what will work for me and my style. So, If you’ve been on the thoughts of refining and having a wardrobe that speaks your own personal style which will see you through season upon season, this could be a little helper for when your adding to basket.
This is one of my most important factors I look for when it comes to comfort and fit. If its not sitting on me perfectly, I’m not adding it to my wardrobe. I think this just naturally comes from my design background; you want it to make you feel like it was made for you, like it was pattern cut and sewn especially for you, and so should the quality. You want to be wearing this particular piece season upon season, so if it’s not 100% giving you that and making you feel that way, then you won’t be reaching for it. No matter what your style and whichever silhouettes you prefer, making sure they fall perfectly will make you feel your best and give you the most wear cause it makes you feel good. There have been plenty of times when something hasn’t fit me in the exact way it should but I’ve caved in and bought it just because I love the item so much. But yep, I’ve not worn it once. I’ve found that trying and testing different brands has really allowed me to figure which one’s have the best sizing and cuts for my particular body shape. Massimo Dutti for example, have the most beautiful cuts and lengths for us tall girls, so I know I’ll get some perfect timeless pieces which are very good quality and still affordable. So pinpointing brands whose style of cut works for you can help when you’re after those good fitting classics.
This is when I was looking at my rail with my winter coats lined up and got inspired to write this post. The amount of neutrals I have accumulated really made me confirm what I should steer clear of if and when something isn’t my usual style but I’m in two minds about it. I like to create a palette that bleeds off each other, so for me, when it comes to neutrals, I love beige, so if I wanted to add a brighter colour I’d go for a pale yellow tone, something within the same hue. Browns are another favourite, with that I would add in a rust tone. I do occasionally add an odd colour in, but I’ve realised something about it would always be related to the rest of my wardrobe. Like this gorgeous bottle green knit dress, green isn’t my go to, but the animal print still relates to my style of prints, so this can be a great way to experiment with colour if you wanted to add in something different, using a style of print to keep it relative. Creating a colour palette from your existing wardrobe can help you see what you’ve been wearing more of and pull out items that you’ve not been reaching for as much, giving an indicator of your most wearable colours.
My favourite way to add in some interest, but I’m a culprit of buying into trend prints; I’m going to be honest. I can sit here and count so many pieces that I’ve bought just because everyone was wearing that print. And one jumper in particular, I’ve worn once, and I searched high and low to get my hands on it. It was of course a big repeated slogan jumper. And I’ve learnt my lesson. I now tend to go for more animal prints, with a bit of a twist so they’re still modern and fresh, anything a little abstract-y and classics for that particular season i.e. houndstooth for A/W. For me, the same concept as having a relative colour palette, applies to prints. So go through your wardrobe and put together all the prints you’ve been wearing the most of, and which have a similar style. This will help to differentiate what prints work the most with the rest of your wardrobe and help you see what style of print will be a classic for you personally.
Remember You
Love your trench coat collection and thank you for inspiring us – women to be stylish with less.
I’m so happy you found the post helpful! I’m trying to really bring in pieces that I know will 100% work for me for next seasons and that are going to be favourites – always the best when you get your full worth out of your wardrobe.