This latest iteration of "Style your closet" is coming at an apt time. Yes, Summer is hitting the South Hemisphere, but more importantly, it is Black Friday season. Some went wild, consuming clothing and other things during this period. And it got me thinking about something Clare Press shared last year in her newsletter about the subject: "To tackle excess, we've got to stop wanting it [...] It's not like most of us can afford all these superfluous fashion goods. BoF reports today that Black Friday sales were higher than expected, but "credit card debt has reached an all-time high, while shoppers are using buy-now, pay-later to finance their holiday purchases." We're splurging, and sod the consequences, apparently". It costs people to buy in excess, and this consumerist culture costs the Earth with the outcome more than ever before. So, it is vital that we collectively stop associating excess with success or style. As Press said, we need "aspiration" over consumption. And so we need motivation, finding the pleasure to splurge into not new purchases but what we already own and this works by learning how to style our closet.
I hope this "Style Your Closet" series did just that, building aspiration. I learned a lot about what it means to get dressed by writing this series. More precisely, it taught me to put words to, identify and structure what I was already doing from instinct. Styling your own closet is a cathartic exercise, at least for anyone who likes to get dressed.
My key takeaways from the four seasons:
- Stimulate your creativity.
- Find your unique point of view, your personality, away from the algorithm, from the internet (!) so as to look different from other people.
- Rediscover hidden garments from your wardrobe.
- Save your money.
- Broaden your fashion culture.
How to establish your style?
Throughout this “Style your closet” series, we first looked at how to find your personal style. Then, we dived deeper into the methods to find said style. Later, we highlighted the key points to curate this style, and now we are going into how to establish your style. It is the idea of staying consistent while expressing your personality through clothing and curating the garments that resonate most with you.
Consistency while avoiding outfit repetition. According to stylist Allison Bronstein, repetition is what creates personal style. Yet she emphasises that the line is fine between repetition and boredom. So, to avoid tedious repetition while curating a consistent style is about diversity by pairing our key or favourite garments with a different piece from usual. First, identify the garments you prefer to wear the most. In her video, Allison evokes the example of a romantic blouse, a consistent garment that one of her clients likes to pair with jeans. Here, to change the look, she advises wearing the blouse with other bottom types, such as trousers or a skirt instead of jeans. It builds an alternative look with different colours and materials, creating outfit diversity while still respecting the style's backbone. The idea also works with jewellery as the consistent mark, your consistent personality storyline, that you can wear with different distinct garments.
Style personality is about looking weird. "In a world of uniformisation and repetitive influence, be different." I think I picked this quote from stylist Leandra Medine Cohen. Cultivate singularity in your looks. It could mean pairing a low-key or old, almost destroyed, t-shirt with tailored pants and fancy shoes. Outrageously mixing shapes, colours, fabrics, and patterns that have nothing to do with one another—I love doing that. There is no limit as long as it suits your personality and you feel confident. I find the most boring outfits are those we see everywhere (rant!)—the trendy floating shapes, the neutral tones, the tee square cut square. Again, hardware can help the most shy among us. Big loops, sparkly earrings, a long necklace with a distinct pendant, or all of it together will uplift any quiet, classic look. Or the wrong shoes. Long live vibrance.
Look for imperfection. That is a concept I have read about often. Imperfection is about an outfit that feels alive, that has messiness, wrinkles. It makes the look more interesting. A shirt or some long pants that look too straight, uniform, and don't have movement marks are too perfect; it is like they are lacking something. Outfits showing signs of life, seasoned, look more effortless and elevated and accessible. And it ties back into feeling yourself through your clothes. We are not perfect beings.
In fine, establishing your style is about knowing the main structure of your style and expressing yourself, your personality, around that backbone. It is a research of knowing who you are, who you want to be, and getting confident in how you want to be perceived by the outer world. It's also about being playful, not being afraid of experimenting and trying new things that suit your values.
We shot this Summer edition of “Style Your Closet” with Trace earlier this year in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It was our last session together before parting ways! Hot weather called for simplicity, light, natural fabrics and shorts, shorts, and dresses. I am still wearing a jacket or shirt because sometimes, even in Summer, there is a chilly morning or evening. There is an emphasis on hardware, accessories, and shoes throughout all the outfits, in the constraint of the usual ten garments. I think those looks do express my three words—polished, that 80s/90s influence I like and confidence. They show intention and have a consistent structure and a repetition of jewellery, colours and open shoes.
7 simple but stylish Summer outfits with 10 garments from my closet
As I mentioned throughout the other “Style Your Closet” articles, most of the garments you see in the photos below are second-hand or I have owned for years. The only new pieces at the time were the open platform shoes. They are from Suicoke, bought on sale on SSENSE. So again, you can dress yourself easily with pre-loved frocks without looking dull. With only ten garments! And for me, intentionally building up an outfit is to start thinking about what I feel about the day. It helps narrow down the ideas and garment selection.
Monday
For the first outfit of the week, I picked a straightforward formula, constructed around an oversized but tailored vintage orange shirt, beige linen trousers from Penny Sage paired with my +10 years old fabric platform shoes from Desigual, bought at a time when I wasn’t paying attention to who made my clothes. They are joyfully colourful and respond to the orange of the shirt. I was also wearing a golden chain and large earring loops with vintage Wayfarer sunglasses for an extra layer of chic, plus my forever brown belt to complete this look, giving more dimension to this simple outfit.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, I was showing skin. It was hot weather, after all. I was wearing an open-back knitted cotton crop top by Paloma Wool with some cotton shorts by Penny Sage. I threw on my favourite thrifted white shirt by Comme Des Garcons for protection against the harsh NZ sun and a little holiday vibe. It is also great for handling air con in the office. I completed this look with the Suicoke sandals. This combination of garments is relatively monochromatic but with the cropped, open-back top and the shorts, showing skin brings some contrasts, which is also reinforced by the open-platform shoes. I was also wearing some funky earrings, sunglasses, and my brown Mansur Gabriel bag to dynamise the whole.
Wednesday
Mid-week was usually a busy day in the office, so I wanted to look serious. I rotated the Comme Des Garcons shirt from the previous day, this time combined with a Maggie Marilyn grey cotton top and the Penny Sage linen pants. I chose the grey top to contrast with the light colours of the shirt and the pants. I kept my feet in the open air by wearing some brown cord sandals by Rondini. Black sunglasses, a golden necklace with matching earrings and a brown belt were all contrasting details that gave the look more substance.
Thursday
We are heading towards the end of the week on Thursdays, right? I went for a more playful look by simply wearing a colourful t-shirt while staying consistent with the structure top/shorts/jacket. The tee is from the César Manrique Museum. It is a representation of one of his paintings that I love. The Penny Sage cotton shorts made a return. I added a vintage (kid!) jeans jacket bought in Spain fourteen years ago, a reference to the 90s silhouette that I often identify with and that contrasts with the neutral colour of the shorts. I was also wearing the Rondini cord shoes. I kept pumping the look with some bold golden hardware and vintage sunglasses, plus added extra contrast with the brown handbag. Thursdays don’t have to be boring!
Friday
I am always seeking more simplicity towards the end of the week. I swapped the previous cotton shorts with a knitted pair from Paloma Wool (it comes as a set with the top from Wednesday), and the grey Maggie Marilyn top. This top could have been switched with a black one to create more contrast. The white shirt is to handle sun exposure or air conditioning. I was wearing the colourful Desigual shoes to dynamise the outfit (pictured a bit further below). Even if they don’t come from a place of quality, I always kept these shoes because they are different and have texture. The look is completed with the usual golden hardware, funky earrings and black sunglasses to pump up the whole. This outfit has quite a relaxed vibe.
Saturday
Saturday was usually a day off, so I could wear a more casual outfit. Also, we might have lunch or dinner out, so I like wearing something that can handle an impromptu schedule change. I paired the Paloma Wool set with the Suicoke platform sandals. The cut of this outfit showed skin again, which brought contrast, something we consistently look for in styling. However, it had a dominance of beige, which I found was a tad dull, so I paired the whole with the jeans jacket to accentuate tension and temperature resilience. I also picked up contrasting accessories, such as the brown Mansur Gavriel handbag, my golden necklace and Fluff’s Monstera green and sparkly earrings. Sunglasses wouldn’t be an extra here, either.
Sunday
On Sunday I was wearing a dress! It could have come earlier in the week, but this one is short and a little bit too casual for an office outfit. The dress is from Maggie Marilyn, gifted by Trace for a birthday. In the photo, I wore it with the Suicoke sandals, but it would work with any of the shoes featured in this piece. They all bring contrast as the dress is straightforward. Again, the blue jeans jacket created tension with the neutral colour of the dress, and I was wearing bold jewellery to add substance to the look. Also, I had my black Ray Ban sunglasses for more texture. This outfit is casual but still polished.
Tips for styling your closet
This season's "Style Your Closet" garments were diverse—one jeans jacket, two oversized shirts, an orange and a white, one grey top, a cotton knitted crop top, two pairs of shorts, one knitted and one plain, cotton, a pair of linen trousers and a cotton dress. There were also three pairs of shoes, open-platform, cord sandals and colourful fabric platforms. As for the Spring edition, I could make it through only nine garments. We also shot two alternative outfits wearing a black top. So that makes it ten pieces of clothing. I found that in Summer, as we dress lighter, outfits are more streamlined because of higher temperatures, so we can reduce the number of garments turnover. A few shorts, a few tops, a shirt to throw over, and we are good for the week. This iteration has probably the simplest outfits of the whole series, but the outfits are the most consistent, diverse with texture and contrast, and best accessorized. Summer offers fewer layering opportunities, so we can compensate by superposing accessories.
I think the two critical garments for Summer are shorts and shirts. Shorts are imprescindible. Either long, above the knee or tiny, they are helpful to mitigate the heat and are great to style. I like mine fitted or loose. It is easy to make them casual or chic, and they are also great as transitional clothing between seasons. This short video by Allison Bornstein gives inspiration to style shorts in a changing season context, but I still think it applies to broad Summer styling ideas. She also shares a valuable styling tip for when you feel uninspired—stimulate your creativity by asking yourself where or on which occasion you would wear the garment. Different occasions or places create different styling outcomes.
In the styling Spring article, I talked about tucking oversized shirts properly. For Summer, it is easy to use them as a cover-up, as I did for this piece. I think oversized shirts are essential garments all year long. They come in a diversity of textures: cotton, linen, and silk. For Summer, they are an excellent option to add texture and vary the outfit's proportions. My favourite way is open over a fitted or cropped top with shirt rolling sleeves for a relaxed look, with pants or shorts. They also work well over a bathing suit! No need for beachwear-specific garments.
This was my last iteration of "Style your closet: 7 outfits with 10 garments". I loved working on all these pieces, and I hope it was helpful to anyone struggling to get dressed. The Fashion industry is a significant contributor to carbon emissions and pollution globally, so we must learn to buy less and find joy in what we already own—style over consumption.
Finding your style is a game of creativity; it can be challenging but also fun and empowering. It is like diving into who you are and who you want to be. It is about authenticity. It is an inner experience towards an exterior perception—being able to envision who you are outside of yourself. Someone can dress well and copy Pinterest boards and trends, but in the end, it is all about what you really like and not conformity. I would conclude by sharing this video of the fabulous Vivienne Westwood on finding personal style.
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