050: How To Get Dressed

Re-imagining your wardrobe

With all the personal style chat, I have realised that we have failed to truly home in on the most basic aspect – how to get dressed. Recently, I’ve found that my looks have started to feel stale due to repetition. In the absence of the curiosity and openness I usually bring to my wardrobe, I’ve been slipping into autopilot when I open it in the morning, always reaching for the same three items to wear on repeat.

I blame the weather for this lack of enthusiasm – stepping out into sub-10-degree temperatures is enough to extinguish any excitement about the process. However, I’ve decided to take a step back, reassess my getting-dressed habits, and share how I’m improving the process to bring back those magical moments of creativity and joy when getting dressed.

Often, when we experience creative fatigue in styling outfits, the common prescription is to consume more to soothe our dissatisfaction. 'Oh, if only you had this top,' or 'Omg, these shoes would MAKE your looks,' we’re told, rather than being encouraged to truly evaluate what we already own and how to make those items work. The simple truth is that many of us aren’t fully utilising the potential of our wardrobes because we have a narrow view of what we actually own.

One of the best ways to combat this is by changing our getting-dressed routine. Many of us only think about what to wear first thing in the morning, which ties the task to a constrained timeframe. This often leads to hurried, lazy, or default choices that stifle creativity. To counter this, I’ve started to reconnect with my wardrobe outside the rushed hours of 7–9 a.m., taking time at weekends or the night before to explore it more intentionally. This practice has given me a deeper understanding of what I own and an expanded view of the outfits I can create.

By taking this approach, I’ve silenced the voices in my head that push me towards consumption and instead learned to 'shop my wardrobe.' This practice has resulted in the four outfits below, showcasing how I’ve utilised the tools my wardrobe has to offer. I’m excited to debut them on centre stage (also known as walking around Selfridges on any given Saturday).

Coat: Noyoco, Hat: Etsy, Shoes: Manolo Blahnik, Gloves: Arket (similar here)

After figuring out how to wear my pill box hat, it’s safe to say I won’t be taking it off anytime soon. It’s such an adorable yet sophisticated touch that elevated this already beautiful Noyoco double breasted coat with a slightly cinched waist. I loved how the distinct shape of both items worked together to make a delicious silhouette sandwich. It is so unfortunate that they didn’t picture well but if you had a good eye then you would see that I am indeed wearing the urban shoe myth, Manolo Blahnik mary janes. When I found these on the RealReal years ago, I knew that God was real as what were the odds that the only pair on the website were in my size and in the most insane dark chocolate colour. It was a fashion miracle. To complement the brown of the shoes, I wore faux leather Arket long gloves (similar here) in a similar colour to perfectly tie in the look. This is an ideal dinner outfit where it’s too cold to take off your coat but the details in the proportions and shape make it smart occasion appropriate.

Bodysuit: lululemon, Coat: Reformation, Shoes: Aeyde, Hat: JG Melon merch, Bag: Celine

The great thing about Pilates is that you aren’t restricted by shoe choice (and the great ass too, obviously). Because you end up wearing Pilates socks in the studio, it gives you the freedom to go against athleisure wear rules and have fun with it! My Aeyde pumps were perfect for this as the pointed toe cut through the wide leg of the bodysuit, giving the flattering flooded pant effect. My bodysuit is the lululemon align bodysuit and if you know anything about the brand, you know the align range is the BEST for pilates/yoga. The buttery softness of the material and the way it flatters the body is a winning combination. My cream Reformation coat complemented the rich espresso brown of the bodysuit, and the hat worked as a functional yet fashionable touch. My bag is the Celine luggage tote that was everywhere in the early 2010s and is great to stuff with your workout essentials — a change of clothes, pilates socks, a water bottle and a towel. All in all, this is a perfect pilates outfit.

Coat: Jil Sander, Jacket: Vintage levis, Jeans: Grlfrnd, Shoes: Celine, Scarf: Vintage

A Canadian tuxedo is normally not my go-to in the winter as the idea of layering a jacket under a coat doesn’t always appeal to me, but this Jil Sander coat works perfectly due to the dramatically oversized sleeves. I decided to play with this and layer this vintage Levi’s jacket underneath, surprising myself with how much I loved the two textures at play. I am normally a wide or straight leg jean girl through and through, but these Grlfrnd jeans make my butt look so good that I couldn’t resist. I like the slimness of the leg against the oversized a-line silhouette of the coat and with the jeans having an asymmetric hem, I was able to add a pop of colour with my dark grey socks and finish the look off with my black Celine loafers.

The star of the show lies in the vintage silk scarf I tied around my neck. The bareness of my neck called for a turtleneck but in lieu of one, I opted for this scarf to provide the connection that was needed between my neck and the collar of the jacket. I didn’t expect to like this small but powerful detail as much as I did, and I really enjoyed the more subtle approach to adding colour and pattern to a look.

Hoodie: Skims, Jeans: Free People, Boots: Massimo Dutti (different colour here), Scarf: Vintage

I was so inspired by the use of the scarf in the last outfit that I wanted to feature it again. A scarf as a head accessory is normally reserved for the warmer months but I wanted to make this work in the winter. I paired it with a more neutral and simple outfit to let the scarf be the star of the show, opting for my Skims hoodie to juxtapose the more exciting accessory. I wore my Free People jeans as I wanted to add a more interesting shape to the simple outfit. I opted for my Massimo Dutti boots to elevate the look, with the pointed toe adding a more sleek finisher overall. This is my version of an elevated, casual look and any coat would work on top of this to make it winter appropriate.

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter! I also went live on Youtube with a video on 5 non-basic ways to elevate your winter outfits if you are looking for even more inspiration. Click here to watch.

Speak to you next week!

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