Disclosure – this is collaborative post.
When mornings involve getting everyone fed, finding missing school shoes, answering work messages and remembering what needs to leave the house, putting together an interesting outfit can fall fairly low down the list. Over time, it is easy to realise that you are wearing the same few combinations simply because they require the least thought.
There is nothing wrong with having dependable favourites. But if you miss feeling creative with clothes, rediscovering your personal style does not require a completely new wardrobe or an extra hour each morning.
Small changes to how you wear what you already own can make getting dressed enjoyable again, while a few carefully chosen additions can introduce new shapes, colours and textures.
Stop Saving Your Favourite Clothes for ‘Best’
Many wardrobes contain pieces that are loved but rarely worn. Perhaps it is a fabulous jacket waiting for a sufficiently special occasion, an unusual shirt that feels too dressy for Tuesday morning or a pair of trousers that somehow never makes it out of the wardrobe.
Try bringing one of those pieces into an otherwise familiar outfit. A statement jacket can sit over a simple T-shirt and jeans. An interesting shirt can work with the trousers you normally wear for the school run or a casual lunch.
This approach keeps the outfit practical while giving favourite clothes far more opportunities to be worn.
It also removes some of the pressure around distinctive pieces. They do not have to form part of an elaborate head-to-toe look. Sometimes one unusual garment alongside reliable staples is enough to make an everyday outfit feel much more personal.
Let Comfortable Shapes Do More
Comfort and creative dressing can work perfectly well together. Relaxed silhouettes can bring shape and interest to an outfit without making it difficult to move through a busy day.
Wide-leg trousers, loose shirts, easy dresses and longer layers can all provide useful starting points. Different proportions can then change the overall look. Try a shorter jacket over a longer top, for example, or combine a relaxed shirt with loose trousers rather than automatically pairing it with something fitted.
Looking at contemporary collections such as Aequamente women’s clothing can offer ideas for incorporating relaxed shapes and understated pieces within a more individual wardrobe. The useful part is noticing combinations that appeal to you and considering how similar styling ideas could work with clothes you already have.
Layers are especially practical for busy days. A cardigan, jacket or overshirt can change an outfit quickly while also dealing with unpredictable British weather and shifts between indoors and outside.
Create Easy Outfit Formulas
Having a formula for getting dressed might sound rather uncreative, but it can actually make experimentation easier.
Think about combinations you already feel comfortable wearing. Perhaps yours is wide trousers, a simple top and an oversized jacket. Another might be a midi dress, cardigan and boots. Jeans, a shirt and colourful trainers could be another.
Once you have a few reliable combinations, change one element at a time. Swap a neutral shirt for a bright one, add patterned socks, choose an unusual bag or introduce a different texture.
This gives you a familiar foundation without making every morning an exercise in styling from scratch.
Accessories can be particularly useful when time is short. Earrings, scarves, bags and shoes take seconds to change but can give the same basic outfit a completely different character.
Dress for Yourself Rather Than Fashion Rules
Fashion has a long history of telling women what they supposedly should and should not wear. Age, size and body shape have all been used to create arbitrary rules that can make getting dressed feel unnecessarily restrictive.
Your preferences are a much better guide.
If you love oversized shapes, experiment with them. If bright colour makes you happy, there is no reason to abandon it because of your age. Equally, you do not need to embrace bold prints or unusual silhouettes simply because somebody declares them fashionable.
Think about your real routine. Clothes for a day involving commuting, childcare and errands need to work differently from an outfit for dinner with friends, although individual pieces may suit both.
Personal style becomes much easier to maintain when your wardrobe reflects the life you actually lead.
Rediscovering your style does not need to begin with a dramatic clear-out or a long shopping list. Start by wearing favourite pieces more often, trying different combinations and noticing which outfits make you feel most comfortable and most like yourself.
As those preferences become clearer, any new additions can build on what you already enjoy wearing. Personal style can change alongside life, and finding yours again can be as simple as giving yourself permission to have a little more fun with the clothes already waiting in your wardrobe.
Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
