Setting a handful of style resolutions this year has really shifted the way that I look at my wardrobe – and in particular, adding anything new to it. I think we’ve all been there, where we have a closet stuffed to the brim with clothes, but can’t find a single cute thing to wear. It’s where I found myself ending up once again, and I really wanted to shift away from wearing just 20% of my closet 80% of the time. Having set a limit of 20 pieces to add to my closet over the year – not counting basics under $150 or so – I’m having to think very carefully about what actually makes it into my wardrobe. I want to be shopping for items that will have longevity and that I’ll still love more than six months down the track, rather than having second thoughts (because we’ve all been there, too!). So I’m using a few simple shopping rules to help guide my purchases for the year.
Wearing Uniqlo white tee, Calli rust slip skirt (similar here), ATP Atelier sandals, Cuyana leather tote bag, Mejuri necklace & earrings, Orelia bracelet
Having some set guidelines in place – or shopping rules as it may be – can be the key to cutting down on shopping mistakes or regrets. Here are the five shopping rules I’ll be following for 2019, to build a closet full of timeless staples I’ll be reaching for in the years to come.
Quality over quantity
I want to have a wardrobe full of items I’ll love for a long time, not a short while. Where the shelf life of a cute and sometimes simple piece in my wardrobe might have been six months or less in the past, I want to curate my closet carefully for 2019, and opt for style staples that mix and match effortlessly, and are high quality too. More isn’t always more, and having the patience to shop less but shop better is definitely more rewarding in the long run.
Cost-per-wear
At 22, I was more in tune with the cost-per-wear of my wardrobe than I am now, though as I’ve started to focus on creating seasonal wear counts to track what I am – and more importantly am not – wearing, how much I’ll actually reach for an item is something that will weigh in heavily on my decision to make a new purchase. For those not familiar with cost-per-wear, it’s the price of the item divided by how many times you’ll wear it over its useful life. This is one of those shopping rules that I’ll be using regardless of whether I’m buying a special investment piece, or a simple wardrobe basic.
Fit is everything
Perhaps the biggest style lesson I’ve learnt over the last decade is that just because an item looks good on someone else, it doesn’t mean it’ll look great on you. In fact, it might even look bad. Instead, stick to silhouettes that work well with your body shape and highlight your best features. I have a narrow waist and wide hips so I find sometimes that a standard fit isn’t right for me. One thing I’ll often do if I particularly love a piece is get it tailored – though know your limits. Some alterations are the stuff of sewing legend, and just aren’t going to be practical.
Don’t fall for trendy items
Usually I’d recommend shopping the high street for trendy items, but this year, I’m making a point of skipping them all together. While I think there’s value in how a trendy style piece can make you feel, my biggest style mission this year is to stay true to my style. I love being able to participate in fashion, so instead of buying an item I’ll only ‘love’ for a season, I’m planning to mix things up through rich colours like the skirt I’m wearing above, and the odd statement piece.
Stop buying multiples of an item
This is one of the biggest traps when it comes to shopping – buying duplicates of a style hero you absolutely love. I don’t know if it’s just me, but every time I’ve bought multiples of a piece, I usually find I gravitate to the original item I bought. Because I’m trying to maximise cost-per-wear with my purchases this year, I don’t have space for multiples of something that I know I won’t wear. Instead, I’d rather opt for a cooling off period of 60 days. If I find I have an actual need for a multiple of a certain style staple – like a silk camisole or a classic blazer – then, and only then will I consider picking it up in a second colour.
What shopping rules are you swearing by for 2019?
These are all things I’ve been trying to do the past couple years. Most of the time I do a pretty good job but there’s always something I just have to have any then never wear. This month I was pretty bad with shopping and most of it hasn’t even arrived yet…OYYY. At least it was all Christmas money or advertising money so I don’t feel as bad.
I seem to do very well with buying Fall/Winter pieces that I wear for years and years. Spring/Summer is another matter. Every year I find myself disliking nearly everything I purchased the previous year. Part of that is that I prefer Fall/Winter clothes, but I’m determined to do better this year with warmer weather clothing purchases.
Author
I have to concur with you Maria – as much as I prefer warmer weather, I actually like winter style a LOT more, and 2018 was the year I finally figured out what I wanted to truly wear day in day out. Summer style is something I always struggle with, mostly because it gets so hot in Sydney that you feel sticky in everything, and I just end up reaching for a simple outfit all the time. Anything I add in either goes unworn or doesn’t feel “right” – definitely something I’m trying to work on for 2019!