No. 34
On the importance of outfit planning
The complaint I hear most about styling for my average reader is that it’s simply too much energy and brainpower to creatively select an outfit at, well, almost any given time. Trust me, I get it! I go into a members club / coworking space twice a week, I like my weekend mornings relaxed and casual ahead of making plans, and frankly, I am not a “throw a bunch of stuff around the room and see what works.” Which, by the way, is a great approach! If you have the time and wherewithal for it, that is. I am type A, I do not like messes, and unless I’m in a very particular mood, I usually want to get changed as quickly as possible and get on with my day. Surprising for a fashion writer? I’m not so convinced it’s unique! Even the individuals we all look up to sartorially get decision fatigue, even designers get decision fatigue. So instead of trying to bully yourself into being a more stylish, more creative, more effective dresser in acute moments of need, the key, I would argue, is to prepare yourself ahead of those moments of stress.
Think of it this way: you wouldn’t try to gather snacks, medicine, baby clothing, and a change of clothing while you’re in labor. The best practice is to have a go-bag ready, and I am a firm believer in having a modular, pocket-sized, transportable and flexible fashion go-bag ready with a few key tools.
Note: those of you who have been with me for a while may recognize elements of the following approaches!
I’ll scream it from the rooftops, a virtual closet is the best way to organize your items and put together outfits. Virtual closets allow you to browse your closet from the comfort of your couch, the plane, a hotel, a store where you want to make sure you don’t already have something before buying.
Pros:
Everything is in one place
You can create outfits on the go and access your closet anywhere in the world
Cons:
You have to actually upload your closet in order to get the full benefit of a virtual closet
The great news is that if you’re serious about sustainability, fashion, creativity, and the value of organization, walking through your closet piece by piece is an exercise I recommend doing semi seasonally (at least biyearly). Maybe this spring cleaning period, you take 45 minutes to walk through your closet, photograph everything you have, and then upload it so it’s all on the cloud. Once you get the hard work of the initial upload out of the way, a virtual closet is exceptionally easy to use and update as new items enter your wardrobe.
The true value of a virtual closet lies in the ability to seize the moment of inspiration whenever it strikes and funnel that power into physical representations.
I use my virtual closet to create outfits, then organize them by type: work outfits, weekend outfits, nighttime outfits, mountain outfits, ski outfits, beach outfits (many vacations pull from the weekend, beach, or mountain sections). I was on a tear this week, and being out of state on a work trip allowed me to avoid letting this energy go to waste. Now, instead of staring at my closet at 7AM on a Tuesday or at my empty suitcase at 9PM the night before vacation, my process is seamless, quick, and effective.
Our keys here are twofold:
Recognizing creativity when it strikes
Taking the step to channel it into outfits
Once this is part of your flow, you’ll never run out of ideas. Here are some outfits I put together this week while away from my home (and therefore, my closet):
Nour Hammour coat, J Crew sweater, Gucci heels, Gucci bag, Van der Kooij skirt
Beaufille coat, Frankie Shop jeans, Row bag, Celine cap, Superga sneakers
Dries van Noten blouse, Van der Kooij skirt, Reformation heels, Chanel bag, Bottega Veneta sunglasses
Planning for trips
This leads me into my second hack, which revolves around packing for trips. I urge you to take a peek at No. 4, The Definitive Guide to European Summer 2024 where I went into a bit more detail from a wardrobe perspective, but as a summary and addition to that article, the trick with trip planning is doing it early, and packing specific outfits whose component parts also act as a capsule wardrobe.
What does this mean? If we over index on packing specific outfits, we don’t leave enough space for spontaneity (or changing weather or plans for that matter). If we over index on capsule items in the most traditional sense, our outfits may feel boring or rote.
A capsule wardrobe does not mean beige and black, it means a selection of your wardrobe that allows you to mix and match different items to create dramatically different looks. I often choose a theme and a color story based on where I am going, and build outfits around that. I always want to pack the fewest bags and shoes possible, so I start with those options and build around them with different shapes and blouses and skirts and dresses from my closet that fit the look. It’s cheating just a bit to show you the following outfits I put together for my friends bachelorette in Sayulita, because you can always pack more when it’s warm out!
Montce swimsuit, Hermes sandals, Celine bag, custom silk scarf sarong, Julietta earrings, Lack of Colour hat
Tanya Taylor swimsuit, OZMA x Lorna Murray hat, Amanu sandals, Celine bag, Andrea Iyamah pants
Lili Claspe earrings, Hermes sandals, Celine bag, Norma Kamali skirt
Amanu sandals, Sabina Musayev skirt, J Crew necklace
TikTok (or your camera roll)
Knowing what items you want to wear on a certain day is one thing, knowing how you want to style them is another thing entirely. Taking videos and either posting them on TikTok (if you’re bold) or saving them to your camera roll allows you to capture how something flows, where exactly your belt should sit, what jewelry to wear, or how you tied your scarf.
Me in Aspen wearing a lot of layers
Me wearing those fabulous Frankie Shop jeans you saw above
Hope this helps - let me know if you want to dig deeper on any of this!
xoxo