My Secret Sauce For Shopping

And other Notes On Personal Style

Thank you for your terrific response to my last post “Why I’m Not Obsessed With The Row”. Your comments guide me when deciding what to write about. It appears not everyone is quietly rich, but like me you still want high quality, super-stylish clothes. The best way to achieve this is to carefully calculate what to add to your existing wardrobe and where to best deploy your fashion dollars. To do this, I’ve outlined seven simple rules to embed in your brain, calling upon them when temptation strikes.

Rule number 1 

Stay one step ahead of marketing and know that it is a sophisticated tool made to manipulate us into buying things we don’t need. 

Now, more than at any time in history, we’re bombarded with ads and images of beautiful people living enviable lives we can attain if only we purchase X. The problem is, so often X has nothing to do with our current lives and spoiler alert: buying things won’t make us happy.

Rule Number 2

Know your personal style but be willing to push the boundaries of your comfort zone to evolve with the times.

Personal style has a foundation but is not static. Case in point; my north star of fashion, Jackie O. I would describe her style as timeless and sharp, built on the foundation of her athletic body, patrician good looks, signature hair and dark oversized sunglasses. Her personal style evolved with her and the times, but always remained uniquely her own. Jackie’s clothes were unfussy, with simple, strong lines. She didn’t like extraneous details and she knew what flattered her body.

Jackie through the decades; from the 1950’s to the ‘80s. Her style was always of the moment, and remained true to her personal style.

In contrast, another stylish First Lady, Michelle Obama, is much more willing to take risks. She changes her hair often, and now that she’s out of The White House, fully embraces newness and more forward designs. Her height, great arms and confidence, aided by her unerring eye, allow her to pull it off.

Take time to figure out where you fall on the style spectrum. Look at pictures of yourself to see what works and take note of what you feel good in. 

Michelle Obama clearly loves fashion, has fun with it and is not afraid to take risks. From left she’s wearing: Alaïa, Dries Van Noten, Versace, Proenza Schouler and Monse.

Rule number 3 

Shop your own closet first to assess what you have and what you need before you make any new purchases.

At the beginning of a new season, in this case fall, it’s time to shop. The best place to start is in your own closet. Assess what you have.

What were your favorite pieces last fall? Are there pieces you love but don’t know what to wear them with? The purpose of this is to establish where the holes in your wardrobe are and what key pieces you could add to maximize your options and update what you already have. Also assess your shoes. Often, the addition of a new shoe style instantly updates the clothes you have and opens up new outfit options. By this time you should have done some homework to figure out what direction you want to go in for the season. If you need help with this, consider hiring a stylist you can trust to do a closet consultation. A good stylist will work with you, without pressure.

Quick closet tips: Have uniform hangers, I prefer wood, there must be a light source, have a space for folded sweaters within reach, shoes that are in heavy rotation are best on easy-to-see shelves, If space is tight swap out your closet seasonally and most important get rid of dead weight!

Rule number 4

Shop with Purpose

Hit the stores and online sites focused on what you need to purchase. Start with mapping a core wardrobe for the season (see “Cracking the Functional Wardrobe Code”). With a core wardrobe you’ll always have something great to wear. From there you can spice it up with special pieces. I always start online with a focused search. If the item I’m interested in is carried in a nearby store I’ll go there to try it on, this can cut down on returns and helps with sizing. If not, I’ll order it after serious deliberations. No purchase is taken lightly.

Start shopping for the pieces you need to complete your core wardrobe. If you haven’t already, see my “Cracking the Functional Wardrobe Code” post. Then add the spice.

Rule number 5 

Have an up-to-date outfit album on your phone for the current season

Make outfits and photograph them on, fully accessorized, for an album on your phone. Organize the albums by season. You can move favorite outfits from the previous year to the new folder or rework it a bit to update. Be sure all the outfits in your folder are relevant to cut down on doom scrolling through too many photos.  This makes dressing much easier, particularly in the morning.

This is a sampling of my current transition album.

Rule number 6

Keep the process going, seek out inspiration and constantly tweak your looks with accessories, new combinations and pieces.

Sometimes a good look just happens as you’re getting dressed. Before you go out the door, get in the habit of photographing yourself and add it to your album. Keep your eyes out for inspiration. Wherever you are, notice what people are wearing and what appeals to you. Actively seek out sources for inspiration and save images in a folder on your computer that you can refer back to. Make a folder for things you like but are not ready to pull the trigger on. You can check back periodically to see if it goes on sale, or if you really do need it.

Rule number 7

Keep a running list of what you would like to find.

Have a running list on your phone of what you would like to find and be patient, it may take a long time. I wanted a camel coat for at least five years.  Finally, I found the right coat two years ago. It was worth the wait, I love it and I know I’ll wear it to the end. Remember, it’s better to have the right clothes than a lot of clothes.

The main takeaway here is to not buy random pieces with no thought on how you’ll wear it and what it will go with. Think in terms of outfits and the clothes you need for your lifestyle. Having a list handy will keep you focused. If you do happen upon something you love and buy on impulse, or succumb to a sale (we’ve all been there, but beware of final sale unless you're sure), immediately try it on at home and style it with what you have. If it works and you can make great looks with it, it’s a keeper. If you can’t style it, or it requires items you don’t have to make it work, consider returning it.

Closet real estate is valuable. Don’t clutter it up with things you don’t wear or have no use for.  Buying more deliberately helps you to broaden your a-list options and allows you to buy better by spending on fewer, better pieces.

Thank you to all my paid subscribers, your support means the world to me. One of the perks of being a paid subscriber is I’m available to answer your specific style questions. Please don’t hesitate to message me should the need arise. If you’re enjoying What Looks Good, please tell a friend or two!

xxx Jolain