How I Built a Wardrobe I Actually Love : A Practical Guide to Curating Your Personal Style

A few months ago I decided my wardrobe needed clearing out. It did not make me feel good to have too many choices and - it seemed - not a single good one. Bodies change and evolve continuously throughout our lives and it gets to a point where you just have to let go of that one item that fit you great when you were 17 and will most likely never be ideal for you again. It served you right but it belongs to the past.

With this in mind, I decided I needed to sort things out.

My objectives were simple:

1. Everything must fit and be flattering

2. Everything must be wearable and worn

3. Everything must go with several other items and work for at least 2 seasons, ideally 3.

I started thinking about a way of doing this that would be efficient but fun and most importantly: durable.

I have always had very clear tastes. My favourite colour - red - has been the same for as long as I can remember. I know what suits me (dark jewel tones) and what doesn't (pastels). So I thought 'surely it should be a pretty straightforward process!'.

Step 1

My first step was to take a moment to write down every piece of clothing I had ever really loved and worn a lot. From 6 year old me's favourite coat (red fur of course) to a brown suede jumpsuit I wore so much it fell apart and a little black dress I sewed a velvet version of because I loved the cut that much - it all went in the list. I then proceeded to write down what made the garment so perfect. Was it the cut? the fabric? the colour?

After 2 hours, I knew exactly what to focus on.

Colour Palette

I tried two ways of categorizing them: dark, mid, light or accent and neutrals or primary (most worn) and secondary (flattering but less worn).

For me this resulted in the below.

• Primary : black, cream, red/burgundy, olive / dark green, gold

• Secondary: teal, dark purple, maroon, navy, brown, tan, burnt orange

I also included patterns I know I enjoy wearing, such as stripes, polka dots, florals and 'silk scarves' (they all have different patterns but they are a category in themselves for me).

I made sure 80% of my wardrobe was in the primary category. The remaining 20% are either a pattern or a secondary colour. This way I ensure everything in my closet is a flattering colour and most likely works with almost everything else.

Materials

After colours, I focused on materials and listed the ones I love, such as silk, cashmere, leather, pure cotton and heavy stretchy knits.

You could always list the ones you want to avoid but usually it's pretty obvious. Think about that cute top that is in a cheap synthetic and makes you sweat like you just took a spin class? We all have one.

I eliminated the items in materials I knew I disliked (sweaty, stretchy, too sheer, weird drape, etc) and moved on to silhouettes.

Silhouettes

The silhouettes or cuts that fit you are mostly linked to your body type and how you can visually harmonise proportions through garment shape. Once again, I have many versions of the same silhouettes in my wardrobe so this seemed fairly obvious. If it isn't for you because your wardrobe is overwhelmingly diverse, look at what you listed for step 1.

In my case, I always enjoy 50s swing dresses, bodycons, wide trousers and tight top, wrap dresses and skirts, turtlenecks.

Key Words

Think about what you would need to type on google, Pinterest or Instagram to find style inspiration. What key words would bring up search results you know you will like?

For me, Classic, Timeless and Feminine never disappoint.

In this specific step, I urge you to be honest with yourself. It's very easy to fall into the trap of considering a style you really like yours without actually every wearing it or with it being super unflattering on you. You need to think about a style that fits who you are, not who you want to be from time to time. Practically speaking, even if I think mini skirts can look really cool with 90s boots or with Mary Janes in a very Dark Academia kind of style, on me it is tragic. My shapely legs completely change the look and it's just uncomfortable for me in the end.

Key characteristics

Now you know what you like and what suits you in terms of shape, colour, style. The next step is to think carefully about criteria for potential new acquisitions. These will be to replace or better a previously owned or an existing item in your wardrobe. This step is there to avoid the trap of completely reinventing yourself and clearing out to basically buy more new stuff.

I ended up with the following criteria:

• Flexible sizing ('one size' or wrap shapes) - so I don't feel like crap once a month when mother nature punishes me for my lack of offspring.

• Stretchy and soft

• Versatile (work, wfh, holiday, etc)

• Can be used 2/4 seasons minimum

• Price depends on expected usage and versatility

  • wear weekly (high price), occasional wear (cheap)

Keep track and hold yourself accountable

How many times have I thought I needed a new dress or top, only to realise I had a perfectly suitable and very similar option in my closet? It's hard to visualise everything you own and what you don't see, you don't wear.

A couple of tips to avoid this trap:

• hang everything! (unless the garment suffers if you do like heavy knits)

  • if it's in a drawer and it's not underwear, I will forget it exists

• use a closet app to see everything, test outfits and virtually pack for holidays

  • I have tried Acloset and Whering. Both are great but Whering is free and unlimited.

• for items you are unsure about, try wearing them this week. if you can't then they are out.

• a little more extreme but you could also decide to not buy anything for 6 months or a year and make whatever your need yourself (exceptions would apply for shoes maybe). I am toying with this idea still.

Take it one step further

If, like me, you sometimes like to push the concept a little further than necessary, you can treat your style like your brand. What I mean by this is essentially defining a graphic charter for yourself.

We already have colour, silhouettes, 'values' (style key words and criteria), all we need now is to add hair, nails, jewelry and makeup.

I have a list (for everything) of my 3 favourite makeup looks (1 no makeup, 1 everyday, 1 event), 2 favourite hair styles and length, all my nail polishes and what season and occasion they are best suited for as well as a top 3 (should I ever keep only 3 - who am I kissing?!), favourite jewelry sets (everyday and occasion).

With everything I have covered, there shouldn't be much left. The result is that you won't have to think about all of this again anymore because it is an exercise in uncovering preferences you have always had but that get drowned by the flood of items we own and stuff we are made to want.

I am by no means an example of minimalism (like at all) but I can say for a fact that I have basically not bought anything I don't love and wear since I did the above.

If you want to do this with a bit of a visual aid, I made a basic template (below). You can either use it digitally and add pictures, change colours etc on something like canva - or you can print and fill it all out that way. It is super self explanatory and each page contains short instructions.

By the end of the document, you will have your own personal brand book.