The older I get the better I know my body, the better I know my body the better I dress. Now for me that doesn’t mean wardrobes full of clothes, shoes and endless accessories; it actually means a lot less. I have been wardrobe shedding for a few years now and the tighter I keep my edit the happier I am. I could never understand how my mother, the ultimate outfit repeater (I used to view this as a capital offense) could wear the same outfit again and again that she felt good in. Now? Totally get it. It also releases me from a lot of decision making which I love. I found that the more clothes I had, the worse I dressed because I was so overwhelmed by decision making that I only wore 5% of my wardrobe anyway! Now I still only wear 5% of it but at least I’m not trying to kick my way through to that 5% - as there is so much less of it I can see it all very easily.
So to the point of this blog post, what is my formula? Well it tends to be denim heavy. I always feel my best in jeans and they always work for me. In jeans I feel modern, confident, relevant. I know where I am with jeans. I know what works and I have never ever wanted to go back home and get changed when I’ve gone out in jeans. In a dress, yes, but never jeans.
My go-to outfit essentials are my bodysuits, my Special Agent Venter field jacket, and a roll call of our jeans. The Kate is probably my absolute favourite. Throw in the Dusty jumpsuit and I can literally go anywhere.
I am also a fan of belts, belts are one thing that I have always collected and tend not to let go of. Belts are expensive - the good ones anyway - they are timeless and they can take a so so outfit and transform it into something really pulled together and special. Building up a belt collection is something that will take a fashion lifetime, and the pain of purchasing two belts in particular (a Dior for £1,100 and a Gucci for £420) are still vivid in my mind, even though I have worn both RELENTLESSLY. Price per wear? Less than a pound each. But it still hurts. Invest in belts over time, and watch your wardrobe start to develop into something really special, even if it is a capsule wardrobe - which I recommend by the way.
Another thing I have come around to in the past few years is a lot less shoes. Heels and boots I tend to have a few more of that have proven to be reliable over the years, but trainers and day to day flats I have developed into a really satisfying rhythm. I buy a pair that I really love, wear them to death, then sell them and buy a new pair. I currently have two pairs of flats that I wear a lot, a Gucci ballet flat that is on its way out and will need to hit Vinted soon and a pair of YSL loafers that are my new besties. At the rate of wear they’ll probably see my through till next winter at which point I’ll exit them and reinvest in another pair. One in, one out. Perfect!
My recommendation to you, and for all the fashion lessons I have learned, is to keep it simple, keep the edit tight, and to wear only what you feel great in, even if it is repeated over and over.