Lessons from rebuilding my wardrobe
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I am packing for a week-long trip to Seattle for work and Wisconsin to see my dear friend, and I am reflecting on how easy packing for this trip was. I packed eight pairs of shoes and ten outfits. I packed two shoes I’ve had since 2016 and have barely worn until recently. (I am on day five of my trip and have worn five of eight pairs of shoes I packed.)
In the last year, I learned how to wear belts and have perfected styling boots; hosiery is next. My ensembles no longer feel incomplete; when they do, I know what is missing. My work as a personal stylist and writing this newsletter have positively impacted my work with my clients and helped me articulate and fix the problems in my wardrobe. Documenting the lessons I have learned in the past year felt essential for those still seeking wardrobe clarity.
I buy things, incessantly wear them, and suddenly stop for a year or more. I’d say I do with about 40% of my wardrobe. There is no item in my wardrobe that I have consistently worn. I once thought this was a flaw and something to fix, and after telling my friend about it, she said she does the same thing, too! The excitement of a new purchase, especially when it is “versatile,” makes it irresistible, and until I have to switch it out, I forget that I have a wardrobe filled with other bags that I also love wearing. I spent much time editorializing and pathologizing this behavior and felt I needed to find clothes I wanted to wear all the time, which is simply unrealistic. I have different moods, phases, and seasons that affect what I wear, and I shouldn’t get rid of my favorite Hermes pants that I wore for three years straight because I stopped wearing them three years ago.