Do you really need so many clothes?
Covid has had us all homebound and restless. Many of us have taken up new hobbies – gardening, cooking, renovating. A lot of us have gone on a decluttering binge - cleaning out cupboard we haven’t seen the back of for years, organising the pantry with colour coded containers, arranging the spices in alphabetical order. And life has been simple and organised and neat and under control. But many of us have realised that we simply have too many clothes. As we have sat in Zoom meetings and worked from home, we have realised that we don’t need a different outfit every day of the year. That it is just as important to be comfortable as it is to be stylish and that we don’t really need to own 20 pairs of black, ankle boots.
Covid has been a good time for us all to take stock, organise our lives (and wardrobes) and enjoy some down time. So, do we really need so many clothes? And if we don’t – what are we best to keep and what to get rid of? The idea of a capsule wardrobe has been talked about for a while. The simplicity, more sustainable and less wasteful. Knowing that everything matches. But it is hard to know what we actually need and what we hang onto just in case.
So let’s start:
Pants
Everyone needs a few favourite pairs of jeans and pants. Every day jeans as well as dress up jeans – in whatever colour you like – black, dark blue, light blue, white. If you like to have more, maybe green or khaki, bone or tan coloured or neutral. The staple black and white dress pants, that can go with any tops that you own.
A white shirt
Never underestimate the value of a great white shirt or t-shirt. It goes with everything. You can dress it up with a blazer and jeans and heels. To work with a pair of tailored pants or a skirt. Casually with shorts, a skirt or your favourite denim. This is an item you might need to own a few of.
Patterns
It’s always nice to have a few patterned items in your wardrobe to keep things fun. Things to wear when you feel like styling it up and making an entrance. Something fun to life your mood. But patterns can date easily. Styles change. Choose carefully. Make sure it is something you love.
Texture
It is always nice to have a textured skirt or set of pants in a beautiful fabric. Velvet is popular at the moment. New technology has created a range of stretchy and comfortable clothes in fabrics that feel luxurious and easy to wear. Don’t be afraid to get something textural and dramatic. Black or dark colours are best and won’t date.
Skirts
Skirts have come a long way from a simple straight or A lined skirt. Winter has brought ankle boots and longer skirts. Mini skirts have been popular in the past. Shorter or longer, pleats, leather and these days -anything goes. Try and pick something that matches your style. That you can dress up for work, wear with trainers on the weekends, or dress up with boots for a girl’s night out. A great trend at the moment is a skirt combo with your favourite pair of white joggers.
A great blazer
A great blazer can go from work to lunch to night time. Bring sophistication to a casual look. You can even wear a blazer with shorts for an edgier look. This is a time when colour is your friend and the more outrageous the better.
Accessories
Scarves can bring colours on trend to an outfit. Dress up jeans and a white t-shirt. And are affordable for when styles change. Earrings can help frame your face and make the most of your features and they can be an interesting focal point.
Try not to buy too many things that are seemingly on trend now that might date quickly. Colours can date quickly. So can drastic styles. By keeping everything matching and tonal you can make use of everything in your wardrobe and not have unused or unworn clothes sitting in the back of your wardrobe. With the benefit of wearing often, the clothes that you really love.
