How to shop smarter
Understanding how and why you wear clothes is an important step to ensure that whatever you buy will have practicality and longevity.
What do you reach for when you don’t know what to wear?
Habit can be the best way to start. When you don't have the time or creativity to play with colours and textures, do you have a default set of pieces you resort to? It could be a pair of trousers and a jumper, a dress that fits you perfectly, or just jeans and a t-shirt. What you reach for when you don't know what to wear says a lot about what you feel best in and what suits your daily life. Those pieces are what will shape the foundation pieces of your wardrobe and ensure you are filling your closet with pieces that will be well loved.
What sort of detail grab your attention?
There will be patterns in what you notice or like, whether it is in store windows or just on other people on your morning commute. The key to satisfying those desires will be in separating a fantasy wardrobe from one you can live your life in. We can all be magpies of a sort, in awe of extravagant pieces that we don't have a use for, but focus on the more generic ideas. Is it colour combinations you never thought of? Texture or movement? An attitude you wish to convey? Those ideas will guide you in boosting your wardrobe each season.
What is your colour palette?
I’ve never subscribed to the idea of “seasons” either. Though many would disagree with me, I don’t believe it’s possible for there to be a one-size-fits-all solution to finding your colour palette - no matter how many quizzes tell me that I’m a Winter. Things like that can be used as a guide, but I would suggest using looser guidelines such as colour theory and your own personal taste.
Did you know that you naturally gravitate to colours that suit you? It seems too simple to be true, but I think there is merit to it. We like or dislike colours instinctively, and though it may seem like that reasoning isn’t based on any actual findings, your brain associates positive or negative memories to the colours they contain. This can include your favourite foods, the colour of your bedroom, as well as colours you’ve been complimented on while wearing. After all of this environmental and psychological history, your will instinctively avoid colours that wash out your skin tone and be drawn to those that accent your eye colour. So the moral of all this is - trust your instincts!
Now that you are aware of your needs, you can review your current wardrobe and make some edits to make it more efficient.