The Weekend Read✨Can You Really Build 10 Outfits from Just 10 Pieces?

Hello!

Last weekend we sent you off with a challenge. It wasn't for you to spend a fortune, nor to come home with armfuls of shopping bags. Just £100 and one simple question:

Can you shop more intentionally?

We've absolutely loved hearing from some of you already. A few of you found brilliant bargains, while others proudly told us they came home empty-handed because nothing was quite right. Honestly? We think both are successes. The best shoppers aren't the ones who buy the most, they're the ones who know when to walk away.

If you joined in, we'd still love to see what you found, or didn't. Pop a photo on Facebook or Instagram and tag us, we genuinely enjoy seeing how you interpret these little challenges, and you might inspire someone else's next great purchase.

This week's conversation grew naturally from last week's, because buying smarter got us thinking. What if the secret isn't buying more at all? What if it's making what you already own work much harder?

This Week's Style Story

A few weeks ago I stood in front of a client's wardrobe during a wardrobe edit. It was beautifully organised and gloriously colour coordinated. The rails were full and the shelves were stacked. There must have been well over 150 items in there.

She smiled rather sheepishly and said,

"I wear about ten percent of this."

Sound familiar? As we worked through each hanger, something interesting happened. The clothes she loved all seemed to know each other. The navy trousers worked with five tops, her denim jacket transformed almost everything and her white trainers went with nearly every casual outfit.

Then there were the other pieces. Beautiful dresses with nothing to wear over them, a gorgeous blouse that only worked with one pair of trousers and a lovely jacket that went with absolutely nothing. It wasn't that she had too few clothes, she had too few connections between them.

The Stylist's Eye

One thing we've learnt after years of colour analyses, style consultations, wardrobe edits and shopping trips is this: The women and men with the easiest wardrobes are rarely the ones with the most clothes, they're the ones with the most versatile clothes.

• Every new purchase has a purpose.
• Every piece earns its place.
• Everything mixes with everything else.
• Everything belongs together.

It's a little bit like introducing someone to a friendship group. If they only get along with one person, they'll always feel slightly on the outside. But if they connect with everyone, suddenly everything becomes easier.

That's exactly how your wardrobe should feel.

The 10 Piece Challenge

So let's put this to the test. We'll use colours from the Winter season as our example here, but there are lots of examples for each season over in our weekly shopping catalogue.

Imagine your wardrobe contained just these ten pieces:

• Navy tailored trousers
• White jeans
• Denim skirt
• White T-shirt
• Ice blue shirt
• Breton striped top
• Raspberry knit
• Navy blazer
• Denim jacket
• White trainers

None of these pieces are extraordinary and none are expensive. They are your workhorse pieces that do a lot of your style heavy lifting.

Now to start the mixing.

The navy trousers work with all four tops. Add the blazer to create smarter versions and the denim jacket to create relaxed versions. Then with the white jeans you repeat the process, and the same goes for the denim skirt. Without really trying, you've already created well over ten outfits (it's actually 36!).

And that's even before changing your jewellery, scarves, handbags or shoes.

Style Myth of the Week

"I need more clothes".

It's probably one of the most common sentences we hear. And sometimes it's true. If your lifestyle has evolved, your shape has changed or your wardrobe genuinely has gaps, then yes, a few carefully chosen additions can make all the difference.

But much more often, the problem isn't the number of clothes hanging in the wardrobe, it's how well they work together. We regularly meet clients with wardrobes bursting at the seams, yet they still feel they have nothing to wear. Not because they don't own enough clothes, but because so many pieces only work with one thing, or the clothes no longer feel like them.

The magic happens when each item starts pulling its weight. You need a jacket that works with dresses, jeans and tailored trousers, tops that can be dressed up for dinner or worn casually at the weekend. Trousers should team effortlessly with half the wardrobe rather than just one blouse.

This is when getting dressed becomes easier, shopping becomes more intentional and suddenly, your wardrobe starts feeling bigger without adding another hanger.

The goal isn't a bigger wardrobe, it's a cleverer one.

Behind the Studio Door

One of our favourite moments this week came from a client who apologised before opening her wardrobe.

"I'm so embarrassed... it's a bit full."

I smiled. We've learnt that "a bit full" can mean different things depending on who you're talking to! But what made me smile wasn't the number of clothes, it was watching her face when she realised she could make five completely different outfits from one pair of trousers she'd almost taken to the charity shop.

These are the moments we never get tired of. It's never really about the clothes, it's about the confidence that comes afterwards.

Why Colour and Style Matter Together

This is exactly why we always say colour is only part of the story. Your colours help everything harmonise, your clothing personality helps everything feel authentically you and your body architecture helps create balance.

Put those three together and your wardrobe suddenly becomes a team rather than a collection of individuals. This makes shopping easier, packing easier and getting dressed becomes quicker.

And those expensive mistakes become far less frequent.

Try This This Weekend

Here's this week's The Weekend Read challenge:

Choose ten pieces from your wardrobe, but no shoes, handbags or accessories for now. See how many outfits you can create and take photos as you go. Don't stop at five outfits, push yourself to ten, fifteen or even twenty!

You might surprise yourself how many you can create. And if you only manage four or five, that's useful too. You've just identified exactly where your wardrobe isn't working as hard as it should.

One Thought To Leave You With

The best wardrobes aren't the ones with the most clothes, they're the ones where every piece has a purpose. Last week we asked you to shop with intention, this week we're asking you to style with intention.

We'd genuinely love to see your 10-piece challenge so please do share your outfits on Facebook or Instagram and tag us. We might even feature a few of our favourites in next week's The Weekend Read, with your permission, of course!

One of the loveliest things about this The Weekend Read community is that we're all learning from one another!

So until next weekend...have a wonderful week.

Best wishes,

Jenny & Judi xx

Next week in The Weekend Read we'll be asking if M&S has become the best place to shop on the high street?

Click Here For our 10-Piece Wardrobe Picks

Jenny Goldsmith

Personal Style Coach

Tel: 07986 062460

e: jenny.goldsmith@houseofcolour.co.uk

w: www.houseofcolour.co.uk/jennygoldsmith

Client code: GOLDSMIT for 30% of all webshop prices

Webshop: shop.houseofcolour.co.uk/shop