How to get a wardrobe I love

[54321blastoff]

Why don't I love my wardrobe? I'm always buying things but never put them on and love them. I have enough money that I can buy the likes of Boden and hush so I guess on that basis I can afford whistles and Hobbs and jigsaw, I am willing to pay these days for the right thing - I like natural fabrics and try and stick to a capsule colour palette but yet I still feel dowdy and frumpy :-( I'm 40.

Iwanka's suggestion rings true to me. I don't agonise much about clothes (I keep everything that fits and isn't worn out, even if it's not "in" fashion, but put it away in the top of the wardrobe for a few years).

But I am fairly tough work for my hairdresser. Although my hair is never long (old biddy), I ask for a restyle tweak at least once every nine months to keep it looking modern. It helps that I have a really clever stylist, who is superbly trained in cutting and colour, who was a magazine editorial stylist (now in the depths of Devon); she is as restless as I am. And I don't direct her, because she knows what will work and also knows I am crap at styling my own hair, so the cut has to do all the work. The good news is that I can walk out of the shower, put a towel and maybe some product on soaking hair, and just go out without even looking at it usually, and it looks somewhere between fine and better. Such treasures are as rare as unicorn horns it should be pointed out. Make up is minimal, but skincare is careful and diligent. Enough to define features, but not obviously worked on.

One thing I (try to remember to) do is to wear something I feel really good in when I go clothes shopping, so that anything new I try on has to look at least as good as what I'm already wearing.

I don't believe in capsule wardrobes at all, to me it would be dull

Have a bit of fun with clothes instead, buy some items that cheer you up

I have some bonkers turquoise batik yoga pants that oddly are flattering, if paired with fitted tee. They are fun and comfy and I feel good in them.

I also have lots of dresses, some in navy, some in bright patterns

Just look at something a bit more fun, like Anthropologie (for boho and colourful) or Toast (librarian chique, hit and miss)

I do a cull twice a year, end of summer, end of winter, and then keep a charity bag in the hall in between times. Today I put on a top and realised the neckline was wrong, so it’s in the bag now. I vacuum pack things I don’t need between seasons and store them on top of the wardrobe - heavy knitwear, summer frocks etc.

I think Marie Kondo works to a point, but you need to remember that some items never really spark joy, but are useful, flattering workhorses. Example from my wardrobe:

A-line, just above the knee leopard print skirt, bought about three years ago from Oasis - total joy sparked
Black crew neck jumper from Whistles - boring
Black skinny rib M&S polo neck - boring, boring, boring

Neither of the tops spark any joy, but the skirt needs them (separately) as a canvas to shine.

(Quite looking forward to autumn and getting that skirt out, tbh.)

Loving all your ideas and suggestions....thank you....keep them coming x

I find keeping images of outfits that I like or has elements I think work helps me think about how to put things together differently. It is also helpful for seeing accessories etc to update and modernise basics.

I am currently finding good ideas from the Un-fancy blog and googling minimalist style and French chic.

Great thread!

I also recommend a colour consult/wardrobe consult, something I did after reading about it on here. It's been great and I think I've saved money since (the colours I like the most aren't the ones I suit, and was often buying things thinking I'd like them more than I would for that reason), as well as made me more confident about wearing certain items and colours that I didn't wear before. Also after going through my wardrobe I was told to wear more block colours and fewer patterns, so the things I've bought since have all been block colours in "my" colours and I really have seen a difference in terms of versatility and getting more out of my clothes.

I agree about hair/makeup too. I've decided to focus on this atm

Half a stone o/w is really nothing. Don't wait to lose it before sorting things out.
My top tips:
Finding the right clothes takes time and lots of trying on. Make time for it.
Once you find something that suits, buy a couple of versions of it.
Probably best to stick to five or six colours max.
Navy blue almost always more flattering than black.
Great shoes can really make an outfit
Decide which trends are flattering and ignore the rest. Culottes will never look right on my figure so not going to try.
Hope that helps!