5 Things Friday - Let's Style It Up
Bored of your summer looks but not wanting to buy any more summer stuff? Me too, so let's delve into my wardrobe for some summer styling inspiration.
Hello friends, this week I’ve taken a deep dive into my wardrobe. Since I returned from holiday I seem to have lost my fashion mojo, and I'm struggling to feel excited about getting dressed! This is not the usual me, but the post holiday blues, plus the extra few pounds I brought back, have left me feeling a bit blah. So, I’ve been leaning into some easy outfit formulas, which is all okay, but now I’m a bit bored and want to reignite that style spark. At this time of year, there is a lot of temptation, what with all the summer sales, to make impulse purchases to inject a bit of excitement and freshness. But, do I need any more summer clothes? I think my husband would have something to say about that and, to be honest, I DO NOT NEED to make any major purchases. I have a wardrobe of clothes that I genuinely love, even if I’m feeling a bit jaded at the moment, and I want to get as much wear out of them as possible before it’s time to pack them away again.
While I was scrolling last week, looking for some inspiration, I came across this TikTok, which really struck a chord with me. Basically, it is about the best dressed and chicest women having just 5 really good outfits, and they just wear different variations of them. A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I was trying hard to resist the sales and how, by adding a few new accessories, you can change up your basic outfits. So, with all that in mind, I’ve spent some time thinking of ways to change up my most-worn summer looks - rather than buying new!
My first job was to look at how successful my summer wardrobe has been. What pieces have I worn the most and what’s not been so useful? I love a little mid-season analysis; hopefully if you do the same, it will help you make good decisions and avoid repeat mistakes. I often think that if someone is feeling unhappy about how they dress or their style it stems from not giving time to look closely at their wardrobe choices and how they build outfits. A wardrobe full of clothes does not equate to style success, in fact I feel more productive with my outfits when I have less to choose from.
Once I had done the analysis, I identified my most-worn pieces that then make up my most-worn outfit formulas - the looks I lean into on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Once I had identified these, and there really were no surprises, I was all set to start thinking about how I could get more excited about these pieces and fall back in love with my wardrobe. So, let’s see how I got on.
1. Outfit Formula - White Midi Skirt (PS)+ Neutral Tee (PS)+Black Sandals (PS)
Sometimes your best buys are the unexpected ones, and certainly when I bought my Mint Velvet midi skirt last summer I didn’t expect to wear it as much as I have. However, after two seasons of wear, I’ve slipped into a formula of adding a simple black or white t-shirt and my favourite H&M black sandals. Seriously, the cost per wear on those black sandals has been amazing (bought last year for under £40). I’ve worn them every holiday since, and on most of our sunny summer days too, proving you don’t have to spend a fortune on your best buys.
The Inspiration
I’m a t-shirt girl in the summer and I often forget that I’ve got some great shirts that can add print and interest by simply tucking or wearing loose. I love the leopard print accessories, which again I have, but probably wouldn’t think to wear with my white skirt, and I love all the different ways of wearing a scarf.
The Look
I'm making a mental note to wear more shirts with skirts - I tend to only pair them with trousers - because I love this look! Adding the scarf to a striped shirt isn't something I would normally do (in my head, I thought it would be too much), but tying it all in with the red accessories, it works!
2. Outfit Formula - Black Linen Trousers(PS)+T-shirt(PS)+Black Sandals(PS)
I have a few different styles of black linen trousers, but my most comfortable and most worn are these H&M ones, which I usually pair with a tee and black sandals or my Ava Birkenstocks. At least I’m ticking the boxes on repeat wearing!
Want to find out how I styled more of my most worn wardrobe basics and how you can update your own summer looks? For just under £1 a week, you can also unlock over 100 archive posts on my fashion, beauty and travel recommendations.