5 Questions To Ask Yourself For A Flattering, Feminine Wardrobe

The science behind retail therapy is real, with 62% of us shopping to cheer ourselves up, 28% to celebrate, and the rest of us chasing dopamine hits, distractions, or shopping as a social activity. 

While I also get a rush of dopamine when I know I’ve donated something particularly nice to my local thrift store, I’m trying to decrease my number of trips there and to the textile recycling bin (where apparently only 1% gets recycled into new garments). 

Most of us only wear two-thirds of our clothing and have some unworn items that we bought over a decade ago, which shows the growing need for us to not only declutter but to shop smarter. 

The fact that so many of our clothes have a wardrobe shelf life of just a few years should shock us. Are we really that fickle? Do we just like wasting money and resources? Or have we never been taught how to shop strategically? 

Wardrobe Edit: The Basics

You’ve probably already seen the age-old questions to ask yourself when editing your wardrobe:

1. Have you actually worn it in the past 18 months?

2. Does the style, shape, color, pattern, or print suit you? 

3. Does the fit flatter you? 

4. Do you feel genuinely confident in it? 

5. Are any repairs needed and putting you off wearing it (a zipper, a button, a stain)?

And I’d add these further questions to that list: 

1. How easy are your clothes to mix and match? This is particularly helpful when traveling and packing a capsule wardrobe. 

2. What percentage of your wardrobe actually means something to you? A memory, a feeling, or a particular event? 

3. What percentage of your clothes aren’t fitting for everyday wear? It’s so easy to fall into imbalance when it comes to our wardrobe. We’re either edging toward only having an array of leggings and baggy sweaters or buying more ballgowns than one woman could realistically ever get through. It’s important to have a healthy mix of everyday clothes, as well as occasionwear you can pull out for weddings, family occasions, and office parties, but these should be in the right ratio.

4. Does your wardrobe coincide with who you are and, more importantly, who you want to be? Again, if you’re someone who finds yourself living in leggings yet always pinning fashion influencers in wide-legged trousers and knitwear, you’re probably disconnecting what you actually have accessible to you with what you would desire to wear most days. 

While I’m a functional fashion woman through and through, I know the power of a practical but pretty outfit. It immediately boosts my mood, making me more confident, which in turn makes me a nicer person to be around. It also makes me care for the clothes that I have more. Ergo, aprons are my new best friend.  

The Five Point Shopping Strategy 

Always a fan of optimizing (I am a millennial, after all), I’ve narrowed down the five key questions that are genuinely changing the way I approach shopping – whether IRL or online. These thinking points help me discern my fashion hitlist with intentionality and longevity. (And, no, “Do I need it?” is not one of them.)

1. Is this piece of clothing in my colors? 

When you think of style, you may not connect it to science, but there really is reason and logic to everything. When you know what colors genuinely suit you, you’re able to elevate your closet (and confidence) with clothes that are harmonious with you and with each other. 

Personal stylist Sian Clarke is a trained color consultant who specializes in the transformative power of identifying our color palettes according to our lifelong skin undertone. Whether we’re tanned, younger, older, or experiencing skin issues ultimately doesn’t matter because she looks at the genetic traits that make you you, and those won’t change, even if we dye our hair, go on holiday, or have a bout of skin flush. 

First, it’s about identifying if you have a warm or cool undertone. If you’ve struggled to nail this one down yourself, it might be because, like me, you were determining it based on your vein color, which varies depending on what part of your arm you’re looking at. Instead, Clarke tells Evie Magazine a much more reliable way to identify this is knowing your ability (or inability) to tan, your high cheek color, and whether or not you get freckles in the sun. Being able to tan typically indicates a warm undertone, and simply burning usually points to a cool undertone. 

Once you know your undertone, you can then dig into which color season you are. You’ve probably seen the color draping process on Instagram, where different shades of the same color reveal tangibly different results on a woman’s face, from a clear-eyed and dewy look to suddenly appearing drained with an uneven skin tone. 

Clarke narrows down the seasons as such: Autumn is rich, muted, and earthy, Spring is light, bright, and clear, Winter is vivid, intense, and vibrant, and Summer is soft, delicate, and powdery. She also shared color psychology with me, revealing that wearing green reduces our cortisol levels, red releases adrenaline which can boost our confidence, blue releases oxytocin which is great for relationship-building, and purple ups our productivity. 

Knowing your season will also help you choose the shade of jewelry to wear, what shades of colors suit you best, and how to make sure your entire wardrobe works in harmony.

2. Does this item of clothing have social situational versatility? 

Would I wear this on a date? Would I wear this for Sunday brunch with my children? Would I wear this on a work call on Zoom? Would I wear this to church? Would I wear this on a flight? Would I wear this at a family gathering? 

If it doesn’t at least tick three of the six questions, then the answer should be no. You’ll get much more use for your money out of items that you can wear often. If you’re shopping for a special occasion, you’ll have to make an exception on this question, of course!

3. Would I hand this down to my daughter/sister/niece?

While fast fashion has been my dopamine hit of choice in the past, I’m trying to stop using shopping as my buffer for processing a “stressful day” by really thinking about whether I would be proud to hand down anything new that I’m looking to buy. 

Now, I let myself get excited at the thought of buying fabrics, brands, and timeless styles that may well outlast my lifetime and bring beauty and confidence to the next generation. This is a great filter against buying one hit [season] wonders that last less than a year. 

4. Is this in my style personality?

Whether you can define it or not, Clarke tells Evie Magazine that we all have a style personality. She uses Kate Middleton as an example, stating that she’s known for elegance and timelessness which fits her nature and state in life perfectly (as a princess, no less). 

“A style personality combines the traits of your personality,” says Clarke. “Personal tastes, lifestyle, and most importantly how you want to feel or what you want to reflect are communicated through your clothing choices.”

While Clarke has singled out seven key style personalities in her fashion career so far – The Classic, The Creative, The Dramatic, The Neutral, The Romantic, The Urban, and The Edgy – she explains that we often have a secondary personality too.

“We all have a dominant style personality, which will be the one we relate to the most, but personal growth, life changes, and even the seasons can have us bringing in influences like color, texture, and shapes from other styles too,” Clarke told me.

So, next time you head out shopping or open a new tab on your browser, reflect on your own style personality and if these new purchases are true to that. 

5. Barring special event outfits and accessories, ask yourself, is this practical? 

If you have little children with mucky hands at home, is buying an “everyday” dress in mint green a choice that’s going to bring you both beauty and ease? Or, if you love to cook, is a single-color satin skirt the most sensible option? Remember that patterns are forgiving to even the messiest of us and that natural fabrics like cotton are easier to care for and remove stains from.

Sidenote: Vinegar and hand soap are the masterful combination that will lift any stain, ready to be put in the washing machine straight after.  

Closing Thoughts

Clarke says the one piece of advice she wishes every woman remembered is that “shopping is emotional, but we need to be logical.” She instructs us all to be intentional about what we need. “Have a thought-out shopping list, plan your route, take a snack, and make sure your shop is time-bound and you’re out by lunch!” Here’s to effective and efficient shopping!

You can follow Sian Clarke for more colorful styling tips on Instagram at @styled_by_sian.