Back in the old days Smaggle was a dead set, full on personal style blog. It actually used to be called Smaggle Style. Weird, right? It evolved over the years from being a fashion advice blog into a life advice blog and although I do still do fashion stuff, it’s been a good few years since I’ve done it on a fiercely regular schedule. I swear, back in 2007, nothing short of a natural disaster would have stopped me getting my daily outfit shot. I would have desperately posed on the roof in my flood-chic outfit as my house sailed down the street in torrential rain.
One of the reasons why I’m no longer a total daily outfit desperado is because I’ve stopped experimenting with my clothing. Not in a bad way, just in a way that means I’ve found the way I like to dress and I generally end up looking more or less the same every day, which I don’t really think warrants daily documentation.
I was thinking about this when I was in Bali with some girlfriends in April. We’re all bloggers and we were sitting on a sun lounge at Potato Head when Lucy Faegans from The Design Files walked past. We waved and she came over for a chat and I was delighted to see that she was wearing a white and navy striped cotton t-shirt dress in the balmy Bali heat, paying homage to her daily Melbourne uniform of jeans with a boat neck navy and white striped top. I live in the same suburb where Lucy works and I have never, ever not seen her wearing stripes. She always looks awesome, annoyingly so and she literally wears the same thing every time I see her.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about unofficial uniforms and how I’ve sort of slipped into a very habitual and very deliberate style of dressing. One of the great things about documenting my outfits both obsessively and occasionally over the last few years is that I know what my favourite pieces are and what colours I like to wear. I had a cruise through my outfit shot files the other day and it’s pretty obvious that this Marimekko dress sums up my style perfectly.
I realised I’m very similar to those people who wear a uniform every day. Despite my love of clothing and fashion I actually have a very minimalist wardrobe that works perfectly for my lifestyle. Here are are few minimalist wardrobe rules I’ve been following without really realising it…
Choose a colour palette
I love neutrals and high contrast black and white patterns. By sticking to this colour scheme, it makes shopping, packing and getting dressed every day so much easier.
Only have clothes in your wardrobe that fit you right now
If your weight fluctuates (like mine!) make sure you have clothing in jersey and forgiving fabrics. Although my favourite Marimekko dress isn’t stretch or jersey, I know I have a 5 kilo weight range where I can lose or gain weight and still fit into it and all of my clothes fall in to that category.
Mix up your wardrobe with accessories
A scarf or pair of earrings can totally change the look of an outfit.
Clothing should be both functional and comfortable
I stopped wearing uncomfortable clothes and shoes years ago because I honestly couldn’t be bothered not feeling comfortable. I used to have a huge collection of shoes and clothes I never wore because I always chose my comfortable and stylish favourites. Now I only own my comfortable and stylish favourites and nothing has changed except my wardrobe is a hell of a lot neater.
Wear lipstick
My best mate always looks totally dressed up to the nines and she let me in on a secret. Lipstick. She wears lipstick every single day and she swears it’s what makes her look so pulled together. A swipe of bright lipstick makes any outfit look fresher, trust me on this.
I’m considering trying a capsule wardrobe like Caroline from Un-Fancy. She picks 37 pieces each season, including shoes and just sticks to them for the whole season. I feel like I’m half way there already.
Are you a minimalist dresser? Or do you have a giant wardrobe full of stuff?
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