“When your wardrobe is cohesive, you’ll have more without having to buy more” ~ Maria Macklin
Stop thinking about a capsule wardrobe. Aim for a cohesive wardrobe.
I’m not a fan of the prescribed capsule - we’re all so individual. We don’t have the same personality, lifestyle, body architecture. Some of us are minimalist and others are maximalist. (Try telling a maximalist to only have two pairs of trousers and five pairs of shoes!) Nor do we all look good in black or white. The white shirt and the little black dress aren’t universally flattering; neither are the black blazer, trousers, boots; or the camel coat. The same applies to men – not all men look good in a white shirt or the ubiquitous pale blue shirt.
It’s time to think differently. It’s time to do what is right for you, while being strategic, mindful and ensuring that you get a great return on every clothing investment. It’s time for you to have a cohesive wardrobe.
A cohesive wardrobe is a curated collection of clothing, shoes, and accessories that work well together, allowing for easy mixing and matching to create a variety of outfits. The value lies in having a streamlined selection of pieces that reflect your personal style, are versatile, and are appropriate for your lifestyle.
These elements working together ensure a cohesive wardrobe:
Colour Palette
Personal Style (your body architecture together with your personality)
Lifestyle Appropriate
Quality over Quantity
My clients all receive a list of wardrobe staples. It’s a list of items with the suggestion that they should have one of everything on the list before they have two of anything on the list. It’s their starting point. A few will stop shopping when that list is complete; most don’t. I suggest 12 tops, 5 below waist items, 2 dresses, 5 pairs of shoes, etc.
When every item on that list is in a great colour, style, fit and suits your lifestyle, you will get a return on it in terms of compliments, usefulness, longevity. The worst you’ll look and feel is amazing.
Most people actively wear about 20% of the clothes they buy. Most people fill their wardrobes with lots of random items. Many of those items don’t belong there, don’t belong together and are never worn. Most people buy clothes on a whim without due consideration - buying everything and nothing. Most people don’t know where to start.
Here’s where you start:
Understand the clothes that suit you best. Know your personal style. Know which clothes honour and express who you are. By default, you’ll also know which clothes to avoid.
Take account of your lifestyle – spend your money where you spend your time.
Know what you have and what you haven’t in your wardrobe. Keep a visual file or a list of what’s there. That will stop duplications. And keep a note of where your wardrobe gaps are, so you buy what you need rather than what you want.
I guarantee that when you have a strong sense of your style, what to buy for you, what to avoid, you’ll have a cohesive wardrobe. You’ll be picky, fussy, strategic. You’ll buy less and you’ll buy better. Everything in your wardrobe will blend and harmonise with everything else. Making many outfits with fewer clothes will be easy.